Kasepuhan and their socioculture interaction to the forest

Abstract

This paper reviews the history of kasepuhan and their soc ioculture interaction to the forest. The aim of this paper is to provide information on socioculture issues of kasepuhan as an initial step to study stakeholders’ activities in the forest surrounding Gunung Halimun-Salak National Park. Kasepuhan refers to a community or a social group where all members base their social activities on old or traditional customs. The kasepuhan claimed themselves as descendants from Pajajaran Kingdom and ancestor of a one elite army of the kingdom. This community still practices their ancestry’s ways of life (tatali paranti karuhun) by using forest farming area, ngahuma . They also frequently move their home from area to another area, looking for uga lebak cawane the promised land by their ancestors. They believed that as long as they practice these ancestry’s ways of life, prosperity and happiness will fill their life. Based on their interaction to the forest, kasepuhan has created their own environmental knowledge by classifying forest into three types, leuweung geledegan/kolot (primary forest and protected areas), euweung titipan (ancestral forest/entrusted forest) and leuweung sampalan (man-made forest, including grassland and fallow area). Unfortunately, the forest authority does not recognize the kasepuhan’s knowledge and consider them as a threat to the forest sustainability. These treatments by the forest authority have caused conflict against kasepuhan. To overcome this conflict, understanding the value, norm and perception of the kasepuhan by the forest authority are immense. Further studies also need to be executed regarding on the kasepuhan’s knowledge to the scientific knowledge, such as water and soil conservation etc