Dukun 2007 Full Movie Download
Katja Gains
Dukun is an Indonesian term for shaman.[1] Their societal role is that of a traditional healer, spirit medium, custom and tradition experts and on occasion sorcerers and masters of black magic. In common usage the dukun is often confused with another type of shaman, the pawang. It is often mistranslated into English as "witch doctor" or "medicine man". Many self-styled dukun in Indonesia are simply scammers and criminals, preying on people who were raised to believe in the supernatural.[2]
The dukun is the very epitome of the kejawen or kebatinan belief system indigenous to Java. Very strong and ancient beliefs of animism, ancestor worship and shamanism are held by the people of the Nusantara. While medical doctors and revivalist Islam and Christianity have caused a decrease in the prominence of dukun, they remain highly respected and somewhat feared figures in Indonesian-Malay society, even in the most orthodox Muslim-dominant areas. In the pre-colonial past, dukun were exempt from paying taxes, as with Hindu priests and Buddhist monks.
Many highly prominent and highly educated Indonesians, Malaysians and Singaporeans, even those with Western doctorate and masters levels degrees will still consult dukun or soothsayers. Indonesians who are known to have employed dukun include former President Sukarno, former president Suharto, former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, Sultan Hamengkubuwana IX and Sultan Hamengkubuwana X and many more.[citation needed]
Dukun are most common on the island of Java, though the island of Madura is especially feared for being very powerful practitioners of dark magic, and Bali is well regarded for its dukun. The Dayak people of Kalimantan are also feared for their use of dukun when head-hunting. In Sabah, the Kadayan community are known for their dukun who are said to look waif-like with red eyes.
In common practice, a dukun is consulted when a person perceives they have an issue that has a supernatural or paranormal association. If a dukun is not known to the individual, their family or friends, word of mouth often creates a situation where the dukun will appear as if summoned, most especially in the case of possessions.
The dukun's knowledge is passed down orally, but the specific customs differ from one community to another. Initiates may voluntarily decide to learn the dukun's craft, or the position might be inherited. Proto-Malay dukun often serve the dual role of both shaman and village chief, known as a tok batin. Dukun who inherited their knowledge from their parent or grandparent is held in higher esteem than one who served as another dukun's disciple. Typically the initiation ritual involves meditation at a mountain, waterfall, cemetery or some other location away from people.
Dukun are believed to be able to communicate directly with malevolent and benevolent spirits. Spirits are said not to resist the dukun in their removal from their 'host', as they are enthralled that a living being can communicate with them.
Dukun are alleged to see normally invisible spirits and communicate as easily as though the spirit were physically present. Many spirits are supposed to speak archaic Javanese or Sundanese and the Dukun may be able to speak these languages during momentary spiritual possessions, despite not having prior knowledge of these languages.
Tenung: This ritual involves creating a half circle of food offerings, including opium and incense, while chanting for the destruction of the victim. The target suffers headaches, vomiting and illness until remedied by another dukun.
Susuk: The dukun implants an enchanted metal needle into the patient's body. The dukun will use a spirit to implant the needle without leaving a wound. Originally a primitive form of skin-tightening, this procedure is supposed to make the patient more attractive. Mostly used by women, it could also be used for making a person less physically vulnerable
Indonesian dukun are held in high regard by their communities but are rarely revealed to strangers as magic practitioners. If their abilities are exposed, they could be killed by other dukun or hunted down and burned by the religious-extremist mob. They range from rain dukun, who keep bad weather away, to healing dukun, who perform spiritual surgeries, to the feared santet dukun, who place painful curses on their enemies and have the ability to kill through dark magic (ilmu hitam). Supernatural belief is deeply embedded in the culture. Nearly every financial and political decision is made with consultation from dukun. Indonesian television dramas work magic into their storylines, featuring dukun characters that cast love spells. Everyone on Madura seems to have their own tale of shamanistic thrill.
We say goodbye to Amir, who tells me that he will pray for me and that I should call him if I have any problems back in New York. I agree and with a light handshake and a hand to the heart, Mr Nasir and I move on.
The superstition that runs through the culture of Indonesia has a history in early island religion. Over the course of various periods of colonisation, the islands developed different modern religious belief systems. While the majority of islands operate under severe Muslim rule, some are governed by Catholic, Hindu and Buddhist laws. Yet despite the religious filter, belief in unworldly magic is common. Dukun have simply altered their ritual to fit the current religious landscape. In Madura, the power of Allah is the foundation for any magic.
Aaban died over ten years ago. There was a funeral, he was buried, and a tombstone was placed over his corpse. Then, seven days later, he arrived home, wrapped in his white burial sheet, with maggot holes in his head. He was very much alive.
Aaban can communicate with the dead, and has the extraordinary ability to turn men into jenglots. A jenglot is a mythical creature of tiny proportions that performs tasks under the direction of its master. They are sought after in Indonesia and can give their masters great wealth and protection. But they require a great deal of maintenance, including weekly offerings of blood. The stories say these small creatures are men who reached a point of knowledge and power beyond that of the human world and are condemned to the eternal form of a jenglot. Aaban can turn men into this form. When I ask if he has one to show me, he laughs and pulls out a small box from inside a drawer.
Traditional medicine is alive throughout the archipelago. Dukun deal with a variety of illnesses of physical, emotional, and spiritual origin through combinations of herbal and magical means. In north Sumatra, some ethnic curers specialize; for example, Karo bonesetters have many clinics. Herbal medicines and tonics called jamu are both home blended and mass produced. Commercial brands of tonics and other medicines are sold throughout the archipelago, and tonic sellers' vehicles can be seen in remote places.[Source: everyculture.com ^^]
Various forms of spiritual healing are done by shamans, mediums, and other curers in urban and rural areas. Many people believe that ritual or social missteps may lead to misfortune, which includes illness. Traditional healers diagnose the source and deal with the problems, some using black arts. Bugis transvestite healers serve aristocratic and commoner households in dealing with misfortune, often becoming possessed in order to communicate with the source of misfortune. In Bali, doctors trained in modern medicine may also practice spirit-oriented healing. Accusations of sorcery and attacks on alleged sorcerers are not uncommon in many areas and are most liable to arise in times of social, economic, and political unrest. [Source: Library of Congress *]
Indonesians have all heard stories about miracles performed by dukun. People say they have seen them turn peanuts into stones and head about instances in which they flew. The dukun sell patients magic pills and tell them to memorize verses to make them immune to bullets.
Some dukun are faith healers who reportedly remove animals and objects that cause ailments from the bodies of their patients. Seth Mydans of the New York Times met one who removed crabs, frogs, bats, cockroaches, screws, hinges, sea shells, chicken bones, twigs, nails and other objects. He performs much of his healing at his home, where he keeps pet birds and monkeys. The treatments usually involves and evening diagnosis and prayer and morning surgery.[Source: Seth Mydans, New York Times, August 27, 2001 ]
The royal courts employed an army of herbalists to ground and prepare the often bitter-tasting jamus. They used more than 400 different plants and often added sweeteners like cinnamon, fennel, mint and palm sugar to improve the taste. Women used an elaborate combination of lotions, potions and massage to keep their hair and skin beautiful.
In Indonesia, traditional medicine really took off after a government promotional campaign in 2009, says Brury Machendra, owner of the Insani Herbal Clinic in suburban Jakarta where Suratmi and up to 400 other patients per month seek treatment. Only one such clinic existed in the Depok suburb two years ago, but now there are 20, with 70 others waiting for government permits. His clinic offers herbal medicine, a bloodletting treatment known as bekam and exorcisms in which a white-gloved therapist places a hand on a patient's head while chanting verses from the Quran.
Advocates of 'electric therapy' lie on tracks so they can get a jolt from trains. The practice caught on after a suicidal stroke victim changed his mind upon feeling rejuvenated by the electric current. Reporting from Jakarta, Kate Lamb wrote in the Los Angeles Times, Each afternoon, Abdul Rachman indulges in his favorite way to reduce the stresses of the working world: He sits on the railway tracks not far from home. Rachman, a 32-year-old security guard, says the unorthodox practice is intended to prolong his life, not end it. "Many people say I want to kill myself because I do this," said the stocky man with a thick mustache, who has suffered from rheumatism and fatigue. "People can say what they want. I do it because I want to be cured." [Source: Kate Lamb, Los Angeles Times, September 9, 2011 ^]
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