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Not 'godless': Followers of indigenous faiths fight for recognition

As 81-year-old Subrata listened to a gong echo during a celebration of his ancient indigenous faith, he betrayed little of the trauma of a lifetime of discrimination deriding him as "godless".

Dessy Sagita (Agence France-Presse) (The Jakarta Post)

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Kuningan, West Java

Sat, August 5, 2023 Published on Aug. 4, 2023 Published on 2023-08-04T20:56:24+07:00

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A Sunda Wiwitan ancestral tomb in Cisantana village, Kuningan regency, West Java, is sealed after the local administration said it was built without a permit.

A

s 81-year-old Subrata listened to a gong echo during a celebration of his ancient indigenous faith, he betrayed little of the trauma of a lifetime of discrimination deriding him as "godless".

He was enjoying a cleansing ritual for younger followers of the Sunda Wiwitan religion in West Java, where they are often derided as infidels, primitive or faithless idolaters.

Sunda Wiwitan believers are pushing for official recognition of their shunned faith, which has existed longer than Islam and Christianity in Indonesia.

"I hope people will no longer treat God's creatures differently," Subrata told AFP between rituals in Cigugur village.

Sunda Wiwitan believers face significant hurdles, including policies that bar them from government jobs and having their marriages officially recognized.

"I am a citizen of this country, yet I am ostracized on my land," said Subrata.