Page 124 - EBOOK_Jamu: The Ancient Indonesian Art of Herbal Healing

under a master. Payment for a healer’s skills, as for a masseur’s, is arbitrary. A

good healer often leaves the fee up to his patient.

Ritual and Healing
Life in Indonesia is steeped in superstition. In Java, for example, numerous

rituals have been designed to eliminate negative forces and restore harmony to
the environment. Just as Westerners may avoid walking under ladders, regard
black cats as unlucky, and salute magpies for good luck, the Javanese have a
whole range of their own superstitions. For example, one concerns Javanese
giants, beings that are said to represent dirt, disease and disaster: the Javanese
will hang a huge mirror opposite the front door, so if a giant opens it, he will see
his own reflection and run away in fright!
A ruwatan (wiping out) or supat (a sin forgiven) is a Javanese exorcism
ceremony that mixes pre-and post-Islamic healing practices. A ruwatan is not
limited to human beings and can be applied to houses or even cars that are
giving trouble. The ceremony varies with the problem and the region where it is

performed. For instance, in Sunda (West Java), which is famed for its wayang
puppet performances (shadow puppet theatre), dalangs or puppet masters are
often mystics of a very high order who also conduct ruwatan.
Whether the ruwatan is successful or not is almost irrelevant. If people take
this precaution and something bad still happens, they can bear it more easily
because they know everything possible was done to prevent it. Herbs and food
are included in ruwatan because people believe the giant or spirit threatening
them will eat the food instead of symbolically ‘eating’ their child or venting its

fury on the house. Having restored peace and harmony with a ruwatan, one
gives thanks by holding a selamatan.
Ruwatan can also be preventive. They are often organized at the outset of a
new project that may invite trouble, such as building a new house. Here, the
ceremony is designed to prevent arguments from breaking out between owner
and builder. It also reminds the construction crew to work carefully to avoid
accidents, especially at dangerous stages, like putting on a roof. If owners do not
hold a ceremony and someone is injured, they will be blamed for this
misfortune, which is why these ceremonies are still part of life in modern Java.

Magic and Medicine
Herbs alone cannot always cure. Sometimes prayer and ritual are the answer, but
in cases of persistent illness, people often turn to magic. Healers who work with
a combination of medicine and magic to cure or cast curses can be found