Hinduism and the Sarawak Kampongs
Next to Islam, the Hadith and the Quran there exists another set of beliefs in the kampong. This group of values are from the pre Islamic system that was in existence prior to the acceptance of the codes of the Muslim religion. Sometimes, the Islamic code is mixed with these values.
The beliefs of Malay mysticism date back to the Hindu people who were here before the Malays. The Malays incorporated part of the Hindu system into the Islamic beliefs. People who were able to incorporate both Hindu and Islamic ideas into their beliefs were/are called Bomohs. According to local lore, the bomohs can cast both good and bad spells onto people. The dukuns only work for the good, mainly to alleviate pain, cure diseases or spread love. Â
One group of these beliefs has to do with health. It must be remembered modern medicine did not come to the kampongs until the late 1970s. When they were ill, people went to the Bomoh to find a cure. The Bomoh was schooled in finding relief for whatever malady ailed them. A cure might be attempted by writing verses from the Quran onto a piece of paper, the paper and writing were then burned over a glass of water where the ashes then fell into the liquid. This mixture was then consumed by the patient.
The cure of the dukun, after the application of his medicine, could be explained by letting a fever run its course, a sore throat which clears up after a period of time or a stomach ache which is cured by a good bowel movement. Â None of these has anything to do with medicine given by the dukun but credit for the cure is given to the dukun.
Sometimes in late-stage cancers, the patient may visit a doctor of modern medicine when it is too late. They then go to the dukun where they are told if they had visited the dukun in the first place they could have been cured.
Another area of mysticism in the Malay world is human interaction. A person could be affected by another person and he or she seeks a bomoh to interrupt this interaction. A colourful stone, one not usually found locally, is presented to the person who wants to interrupt the spell. Verses from the Quran are said over the stone and it is then presented to the believer. As a person who has read the Quran over a three month period, I asked the bomoh which verses he was reciting but he wouldn’t tell me.
This story is true.
An old bomoh who was dying and wanted to pass his knowledge to the next generation. He went to ask his granddaughter if she would accept and practice his mysticism. The granddaughter, who was from Sambas, said she would but she could neither read nor write. Disappointed, he asked her if any of her many children could read or write.
The Dukun used his knuckles to decide on which child would accept the mysticism. If you start with the first knuckle and count the space in between you will get a count of seven. By taking into account the birth date and name plus other magic stuff, the dukun decided on the first space between the knuckles which was child number 2. The grandson spent many hours writing down the knowledge from the Dukun and when he finished, he died a few days later.
This son, along with his father, travelled throughout the kampongs when he was called by the patient or a relative. They did not charge but their services but accepted donations of food or money.
A person received a promotion for his job. Another person was jealous. The person who was jealous went to a Bomoh. The Bomoh cast a spell on the person who received the promotion. The person who received the promotion was in agony. He needed someone to break the spell. The father became involved with the son because he had experienced superhuman feats in Sambas.
The father and son arrived at a kampong house. The son spread out the face cards from a deck. From the cards, the manner on which the person got sick will be told with the cards.
The son was able to pick out the cause of the malady i.e a Bomoh had placed a spell on the person. In order to break the spell, the son had to identify the person who caused the problem. The son took a large chicken egg, placed it into a glass of water and held it up to the candle. The son then kissed the egg and recited verses in Malay and mixed partially with some verses from the Quran. The egg, candle and water have all been prayed over by the victims family.
Soon, an image of the person who caused the problems appeared in the yolk as seen through the egg. He then wants to give the spell back to the figure in the egg. He then takes the needle provided by the victim and will heat the sharp tip until is red, hold the egg with his left hand poke the egg and say “I am returning the spell back to you. The needle is then inserted into the egg. He then takes the egg and moves it around the person in a counterclockwise motion similar to the way one walks around the Kabah. Â He then cleared a path to the back yard where he took the egg and threw it out the back door where an explosion like a loud firecracker. The victim is cured. Plain water is given to the victim with a verse from the Quran.
The father and son travelled throughout the kampongs for years bringing their form of mystic healing with them. The papers about the mysticism inherited from the grandfather have long disappeared, retained in the memory of the son.
In another very tragic case which occurred about a week ago 16/10/24, a boat was practicing for the Regatta on the river in front of the former TYT’s house. A large fishing boat’s wake swamped the vessel. Eleven of the rowers swam to shore while five went missing. For two days the authorities search for the bodies but to no avail.
It is believed in the river there is a being called Jembalang Air or the spirit of the river. I first came across him or her during my Malay wedding when we had to go down to the river and deposit cigarettes in order to appease him.
A dukun was contacted to talk to the spirit of the river. The next day all five bodies were recovered. The bodies were close together and in “good shape” meaning they had not been bothered by fish or crocodiles. Â
I know one bomoh and two dukuns from the kampongs. One is Adi, a guy married to three women. He often sells items on a table from an old car down on street. We greet each other with Arabic greetings but I cannot speak Sarawak Malay only Bahasa Malaysia. He always seems happy to see me even though we cannot communicate. He always reminds my wife to teach me the Quran. I understand he is hired by those who work in the government office to keep the river spirits in check during the regatta.
The second person is a gay guy who learned the history of Santubong from his grandfather and related it to us. This was the subject of many 2 a.m. phone calls relating to us the happenings between ~960-~1512. This was published in my book. You can get a free copy by contacting me.
I know of a third person but I must keep him/her a secret. Sorry.
We now look for clues in Hinduism as to where the Malays could have inherited some of these beliefs.
It is said the Hindus believe that eggs contain a certain belief. In Hindu lore, the egg appears as an element at the beginning of the universe. Prajapati (god of creation) is said to have emerged from an egg or the earth and sky emerged from an egg. An egg is used in the above dukun ritual as well as given away during Malay weddings to bring good luck to the happy couple.
The spirit of the river seems to come from Hindu lore. Most of the river spirits are female in form. The name of one of the spirits of the river in Hinduism is Sarsawati. (This is just too close to the name Sarawak.)
Another custom of the Malays following the Islamic practice is the purchase of an animal to ride to the kingdom of god when the person dies. I was told we had to purchase a goat for my son Dzul. He would ride the goat into heaven upon his death. Other people would go together and purchase a cow for seven children to ride into heaven. The animals were slaughtered at the mosque on Hari Raya Haji, a traditional Muslim time where meat is distributed to the poor.
In Hinduism, there are many different forms of riding an animal into heaven however I could not find one that results in the slaughter of the animal. Perchance this is an Islamic and Hindu mix?
These beliefs or adat are slowly dying out as a stronger force of Islam makes its way through the kampongs. Most of the younger generation, attached to the Internet, no longer believe in the adat. Still, the Hindu beliefs still survive among those who choose to accept them and pass them down to their children.
by Tom McLaughlin
BorneoHistory.net