Any member of the highland people of western Java , Indon.
, distinguished from the Javanese mainly by their language and their strict adherence to Islam. First mentioned in the 8th century AD, they are one of the three principal ethnic groups on the island. They once followed Mahayana Buddhism but converted to Islam in the 16th century under the influence of Muslim trade. Sundanese villages are ruled by a headman and a council of elders. Marriage, birth, and death ceremonies conform closely to the Javanese pattern but are often mixed with Hindu elements. Modern developments have tended to erase differences between the Sundanese and other peoples of Java. The Sundanese number about 26 million.