For many generations now, the healings of various dukuns, bohmohs, Chinese medicine men and others have been relegated to the antique shops and their cures to historians like myself. Modern doctors and nurses have taken their place as most everyone is within reasonable traveling distance to modern medical care. There are very few people people, mainly the elderly, who still hang on to the old forms and amulets of a long ago era.
The Melanau are a people north of Kuching and along the coast who have taken sago and turned the making of sago flour into an art form. They are thought to have come from Sumatra along with the Ibans and Malays after the 530 eruption of Krakatoa. They are still connected to these settlers by language and beliefs. Before modern medicine penetrated the area, they too, had their healing belief system.
The spirits of the unseen world were believed to be responsible for all sickness. There were various methods to drive the illness out and away from the body.
The more famous one is the Berbayoh ceremony. An elderly woman called a Bayoh is summoned to the home of the sick. A gong and “jerky violin” are played as the lady dishevels her hair and sprays perfume around as she tries to attract the attention of the unseen spirits. She then streches both hands to the native dance position and then starts to the dance. She speaks Sukut, a special language. While dancing, she takes the smoke and covers her face and body. Her lips mutter and twitch. She is in the centre of an audience.
The sick person is laid about two feet from the Bayoh. If the performer thinks she has made some success in contacting the unseen spirits, she will gently strike the sick person with the flowers (Mayang) from a pinang tree. Should the spirits be more formidable, she will chase them down the the latrine hole and banish them from the house.
Finally, when all have calmed down, the Bayoh informs the host what medicines to give to the sick. She then may stay for two or three days to ensure the sick is well. She never asks for payment but the usual fees are $9.00 in gold, a knife or spear at $2.00, one piece of black cloth valued at $3.80 and one chicked about $1.00. These are 1959 dollars.
Other cures include the Baguda where a person is rubbed or massaged while frankincense is burning close to the sick person. The Bayoh catches the smoke and rubs it on the patient. There are no gongs, violins or dancing. If the person shivers when touched, the evil spirits are still there. This continues until the person stops shaking.
For mental illness cause by amulets and charms, the Bajiji is performed. Frankenincence is not used. The Bayoh utters a few words from the Bayoh language. If in the middle of this recitation if the patient responds by shaking his head, nodding or other mimics, music in the way of gongs or violin is played. This continues until the evil spirits are driven away, back to the unseen world.
From the Sarawak Museum Journal of July-December 1959, George Jamuh described the process.
Our book “The Sarawak River Valley: Early times to 1840” is available as an e-book from Amazon.com and Lulu.com. Scattered Malay and English copies are available at Smart Books stores in Kuching.
