came largely from the Kanekes community, which still inhabits the upper part of Ciujung River at Gunung Kendeng. The discrepancy between the two theories led to the notion that in the past, the identity and historicity of the Kanekes had been intentionally concealed, in order to protect the community from attacks by the Sunda Kingdom's enemies. Van Tricht, a doctor who had done medical research in the area in 1928, denied this theory, however. According to him, the Kanekes people are natives of the region and have strongly resisted external influences. The Kanekes people themselves also refuse to acknowledge that they originate from the fugitives of Pajajaran, the capital of the Kingdom of Sunda. According to Danasasmita and Djatisunda, the Baduy people are local to the settlements that are officially mandated by the king, because the people are obliged to preserve the kabuyutan (ancestral or ancestral worship). Religion and beliefs The religion of the Baduy is known as Agama Sunda Wiwitan and is rooted in ancestral worship and honoring or worshiping spirits of natural forces. According to the kokolot (elders) of Cikeusik village, Kanekes people are not adherents of Hinduism or Buddhism. However, in its development, this faith is influenced by and has incorporated elements of Hinduism, and to some extent, Islam. The form of respect for the spirits of natural forces is carried out by guarding and preserving the natural environment, such as the mountains, hills, valleys, forests, gardens, springs, rivers, and all the ecosystems within them, as well as giving their highest gratitude to nature by treating and protecting the jungle as part of an effort to maintain the balance of the universe. The core of this belief is shown by the existence of pikukuh, or the absolute customary provisions practiced in the daily lives of the Kanekes people. The most important principle of the Kanekes people's pukukuh (adherence) is the concept of "no changes of whatsoever", or the slightest change possible: Lojor heunteu beunang dipotong, pèndèk heunteu beunang disambung (meaning "What's long cannot be cut [to shorten], and what's short cannot be attached [to lengthen]"). The Baduy also observe many mystical taboos. They are forbidden to kill, steal, lie, commit adultery, get drunk, eat food at night, take any form of conveyance, wear flowers or perfumes, accept gold or silver, touch money, or cut their hair. In agriculture, they practice pukukuh by not changing the contour of