Kajang Tribe, a Unique Ethnic Forest People in Bulukumba

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Kajang Tribe, a Unique Ethnic Forest People in Bulukumba Regency, South Sulawesi.

The Kajang Tribe or Kajang People or in Indonesia call it "Suku Kajang" is sub-ethnic to Makassar ethnic groups, who inhabited a particular area in the forest. The area and the people are quite asolated from other people of Bulukumba. The Head of this group who is ruled by a tribal and religious is called "Ammatoa" and their land call it Tana Toa.

Ammatoa is a person who masters of "Pasang ri Kajang" – an oral teaching of Kajang people, which inherited from one generation to the other. The life of Kajang centered to Pasang which is not only rules the relation among man, man to the Creator but it covers the relation of man with the nature. To have a person chosen as Ammatoa the congregation of elders attending the ritual will listen to the supernatural signs. It might be in a form of a buffalo suddenly come to someone house’s and stays there without precedents or a rooster fly in and stops at someone’s shoulder.

Kajang tribe divided into two groups is Kajang Dalam (Inner) and Kajang Luar (Outer) no differences between them. Kajang Luar live and living in villages outside forest and they live more open to change, while the Kajang Dalam live only inside forest with the nature, both the group live harmoniously from the past until now, they always hold fast to the teachings of the ancestors and they always maintain a balance of living with nature and the ancestors.

Kajang Tribe or Kajang People live in simplicity, its can be see from their home, none of the household furniture. There is no chair or mattress and other modern stuff. They also do not use any electronic equipment, such as radio and television. They assume, of modernity to keep the tribe with nature and the ancestors.

When visitors visit Kajang Dalam, starting from the village gate till inside the village visitor can see the home of this tribe, all the houses are face to the west and built in from the same material made of wood, not only the material, shape is the same with roof symbol. They also regard it as a symbol of uniformity. They believe, if there is uniformity there would be no jealousy among the people Spare Kajang. Each house has only one bedroom, only the bride can used and sleep in these room.

Any visitors who want to visit village, the visitor must be comply with all applicable customary rule to get into this village, visitors must not use modern transportation in the area of Kajang Dalam Village or Tana Toa, visitors should be walk. As an alternative, the visitors may only ride a horse to circle the Tana Toa.

The Kajang Tribe still hold, believes and teachings of their ancestors till this time. The teachings of the ancestors have an important meaning. Once the importance, they always run the various activities of life based on ancestral traditions.

Kajang Tribe Map :