There are various tribes in West Java that you need to know. Maybe all this time if talking about West Java most people will think that in the province there are only Sundanese tribes. You need to know that actually the population in West Java province is not just a Sundanese tribe.
As we already know, Indonesia consists of more than 17 thousand pulau with thousands of ethnic groups. On the island of Java itself there are many different ethnic groups. Starting from Sunda, Java, Baduy, Madura, Betawi, Cirebon, Tengger, and many more. As a resident of Indonesia, you need to know the names of these tribes.
West Java is inhabited by more than 48 million people. They come from different groups. But the difference does not mean to be a wedge stone for tribes in West Java to knock each other down or even create hostility. It is precisely these differences that make the environment more colorful and create a sense of mutual respect.
West Java Province itself consists of 3 indigenous people, namely Sundanese, Cirebon, and Betawi. So, if you assume that Betawi only exists in Jakarta, it is a false understanding. So what are the groups of residents of pasundan land? Here’s the full review.
Sundanese, Indigenous and Majority
Sundanese is a west Java tribe that is arguably the most number aka the majority. So it is not surprising that the province often gets the nickname as pasundan land. This group is the group that has the second most number in Java after the Javanese.
The name Sunda itself comes from the word “Sund” or “Sudhsa”. Both words are taken from Sanskrit and have white, clean, or light meanings. This meaning is often associated with the physical character of sundanese people, most of whom have clean, white, and bright skin. But most likely the meaning is deeper than that.
The term Sundanese itself has been used since the 4th century by the famous ruler of the Kingdom of Tarumanegara, namely King Purnawarman. The name was given to the territory of the royal capital at that time. This shows that Sundanese has actually gone through a very long historical journey since hundreds of years ago.
This West Java tribe has characteristics that are friendly and polite. In addition, Sundanese people are also known to have a brave, honest, optimistic, and also jolly nature. The indigenous people of West Java in their daily lives generally use Sundanese. However, this language has a variety of different dialects.
One of the identical things when talking about Pasundan is the culinary. Culinary tourism becomes something that is very popular by tourists. Typical masakah delicacies such as karedok, timbel rice, oncom tutug, to traditional snacks become magnets in itself. Arts and cultures such as Jaipong dance and angklung are also the strength of sundanese people.
Betawi Tribe, Not Only Inhabiting the Capital
Maybe some people think that Betawi people only live in the DKI Jakarta area. Betawi is a tribe in West Java with the second largest population after ethnic Sundanese. The majority of Betawi people live in Jakarta. However, there are other parts who live in the west Java province such as Bogor.
Betawi also has a very long history since the time of the kingdom. There is even a theory that states that the forerunner of the Betawi ethnic community has existed since pre-historic times. Unfortunately, since Indonesia became independent in 1945, the indigenous people of Batavia seemed marginalized because of the large number of migrants who settled in the capital.
This caused the original Betawi people who had lived in the capital to move to other regions including West Java. The language spoken by the Betawi people is Betawi. Although it has a language similar to Indonesian, the Betawi people have a dialect so distinctive.
This becomes a characteristic of its own so that it is easily known to people in general. You are definitely no stranger to the typical dialect of legendary Betawi artist Benjamin Sueb to Mandra. The dialect thrown by the group of one of the West Java tribes has strong characteristics, namely ending in the letter “e”, loud sounding, and witty pronunciation.
Like the ethnicity in other regions, Betawi also has its own wealth of art and culture. Arts such as Ondel-ondel, tanjidor music, karawitan, lenong, to the door bars are still preserved today. One of the strong characteristics of betawi people is to uphold religious values, especially Islam.
West Java Cirebon Tribe, Indigenous People From West Java Border
Maybe many do not expect that Cirebon is a separate tribe and is one of the indigenous people of West Java province. Cirebon itself is a city in West Java province which is located bordering the province of Central Java. Its location between the two regions makes the people of Cirebon have their own characteristics.
This indigenous West Java tribe was originally considered part of javanese and Sundanese society. But because of its existence in the transition zone, a culture with its own characteristics is formed that is different from Java and Sunda. The creation of this distinctive culture is one of which is reflected in the manufacture of coastal batik motifs.
The variety of batik is different from typical Javanese packages. Especially with the establishment of the Kasepuhan Palace cirebon increasingly shows the existence of the local community and its distinctive culture. This cultural difference can also be seen from the use of everyday language. Cirebon people do not use Javanese or Sundanese but have their own regional language.
With the Cirebon Palace that adheres to Islam, automatically the population of this West Java tribe is majority Muslim. That is why the values according to the teachings of Islam are held firmly. The attraction of Cirebon that often invites tourists is its typical culinary. Empal gentong is the favorite and most popular special dish in Cirebon.
Javanese, The Migrants with the Most
The Javanese are actually a tribe of migrants in West Java province and even in many other regions throughout Indonesia. The large number of people from this group in Indonesia certainly does not just happen. This is because there is a long history of Javanese culture even since pre-historic times. In the era of the Nusantara kingdom, the culture is getting stronger.
One of the tribes in West Java according to some studies appeared because of the massive population movement by the Chinese in the era of BC. The very long historical journey that finally made the number of Javanese people become so massive and spread in many regions of Indonesia.
This long history has produced such an incredible cultural wealth. Call it giant kingdoms such as Majapahit, Mataram, Demak to the Yogyakarta Palace. When it comes to art there are shadow puppets or traditional gamelan music. Javanese culture is also attached through architecture that can be witnessed in royal palaces.
Talking about ethnic groups in Indonesia is indeed as if there is no end so it is not uncommon to invite the admiration of the world’s citizens. Whether Sundanese, Betawi, Cirebon, Javanese, or other ethnicities remain one Indonesian. By knowing the diversity of tribes in West Java, you will learn about the meaning of appreciating more deeply.