This is a study on the forms of leadership among a West Javanese population traditionally known as the kasepuhan. The kasepuhan adheres to adat or custom and is mainly found in kampungs scattered throughout Southern Banten, Bogor and Southern Sukabumi . The Kasepuhan is led by a sesepuh girang (the foremost elder) called Ki Ardjo. All his follower call him Abah (father) Ardjo.

The role of ki Ardjo as the leader of the Kasepuhan involves the question of how people perceive the kasepuhan it self. The aim of the kasepuhan is to restore or revitalize a just and prosperous realm, a spiritual and material "Golden Age". This "Golden Age" is based on their perception of the former great Sundaneese kingdom of Padjadjaran.

Ki Ardjo's orientation as a sesepuh girang is towards both the past, in which the ancestors had determined the eternal traditional way of life, as well as the future, which will bring a return of the past glory through the realization of the ancestors' will.

For many years locally produced jamu as well as manufactured jamu have played an important role in health care. This article present an overview of the current status of this indigenous medicine and its role in the national development of Indonesia. It is argued that scientists must pay more attention to traditional methods of preparing and using jamu.

(See :Indigenous Knowledge & Development Monitor, Volume 2/No. 1/1994)

1. Growing Recognition of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in the Context of Development: A New Challenge for Indonesia. L. Jan Slikkerveer
2. The Development Potential of Indigenous Knowledge and Indigenous Management Systems: a case study from Northern Thailand. Dietrich Schmidt-Voigt
3. Ethnopharmacology, Chemistry and Pharmacology of Curcuma Species Grown in Indonesia: Efficacy of Curcuma Complex in 51 Patients with Chronic and Acute Hepatitis. Sidik and Sujono Hadi.
4. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK): Practical Implications from the African Experience. L. Jan Slikkerveer.
5. The Role of Ethnobotany in the Documentation of the Diversity of Villager's Knowledge about Natural Resources. Arif Aliadi.
6. Conservation and Utilization of Rainforest Medicinal Plants in Meru Betiri National Park, Indonesia . Ervizal A.M. Zuhud.
7. Wild Food Plants in an Indigenous Food and Agriculture System: a case study from West Java. Marc Clemens and Hikmat Nashrullah L.