Ngadas

Four centuries has passed since the fall of Majapahit kingdom, the refuges left the land and seek asylum in Tengger mountain to protect themselves and conserve the ancestors’ believe that teaches Guyub Rukun, a philosophy of Buda teaching that embrace love, kindness, and respect. This is a way of living inherited to generations of Ngadas people.

Time flies and their political experience still continued. During the political upheaval in 1965, the New Order regime issued a policy where each and every Indonesian citizen had to choose one of the country's official religions.

As a strategy to protect themselves from pressure, they reviewed the teachings of their ancestors and decided to embrace Buddhism. In the following years, Hinduism and Islam also filled their social space.

In Indonesia, religion is mandatory. Living without religion, or even having different choices is able to ignite a prolonged conflict. For the Ngadas community, although the concept of religion has only been accepted for five decades, religion is a personal space which is appreciated as a human right. But Guyub Rukun, as a custom, is upheld as a way for them to appreciate differences, to love another being. (2013-2018)

Text Editor : Adrian Murphy