# Bomoh > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bomoh > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bomoh.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomoh > Source revision: 1325841360 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Malay shaman and traditional medicine practitioner}} {{italic title}} {{Medical anthropology}} {{Indonesian mythology and folklore}} A '''''bomoh''''' ([Jawi](/source/Jawi_script): توء بوموه) is a Malay [shaman](/source/Shamanism) and traditional medicine practitioner.{{cite book|author1=Graham Harvey|author1-link=Graham Harvey (religious studies scholar)|author2=Robert J. Wallis|title=Historical Dictionary of Shamanism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GQOyAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA129|date=5 February 2007|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-6459-7|pages=129–}} The term is used mainly in [Malaysia](/source/Malaysia) and parts of [Sumatra](/source/Sumatra) and [Borneo](/source/Borneo), whereas most [Indonesia](/source/Indonesia)ns use the word ''[dukun](/source/dukun)''. It is often mistranslated into English as [medicine man](/source/medicine_man) or [witch doctor](/source/witch_doctor). In colloquial usage, the term ''bomoh'' is often interchangeable with another type of shaman or dukun, the [pawang](/source/pawang), but they generally serve different functions. The ''bomoh'' is primarily a healer, herbalist, geomancer, and sorcerer. The ''pawang'' on the other hand usually specialises in rituals involving weather, nature, animals, and a good harvest. Their roles do overlap, however, and both claim to act as intermediaries for the spirits and gods. ==Etymology== The word ''bomoh'' (at times spelled ''bomo'' or ''bomor'') has been in common usage since at least classical times. This word can mean either doctor or sorcerer. Prior to the later introduction of the English-derived "doktor" or the Arabic word "tabib", the ''bomoh'' served as healers and physicians in Malay society. Thai shamans or ''bomoh Siam'' are traditionally held in high regard in Malaysia. Malay texts such as the Hikayat Aceh (1600-1625) record the word ''bomoh'' simply as ''mo'' or ''moh''.[http://mcp.anu.edu.au/N/Aceh_bib.html Hikayat Aceh] ::Hikayat Aceh 127:7 "... gajah tuanku ini. Diperhamba suruh ubati kepada [bo]mo gajah tuanku. Berilah makanannya." ::Hikayat Aceh 127:7 "... this king's elephant. The king asked it to be treated by the elephant [bo]moh. Give it food." ==Background== Shamanism in [Southeast Asia](/source/Southeast_Asia) can be traced to the region's prehistoric tribal people. The ''bomoh's'' original role was that of a healer{{cite book|author1=Edwin R. Van Teijlingen|author2=George W. Lowis|author3=Peter McCaffery|author4=Maureen Porter|title=Midwifery and the Medicalization of Childbirth: Comparative Perspectives|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2DHrH08bl5YC&pg=PA243|date=1 January 2004|publisher=Nova Publishers|isbn=978-1-59454-031-8|pages=243–}} and their expertise was first and foremost an in-depth knowledge of medicinal herbs and [tajul muluk](/source/tajul_muluk) or Malay geomancy. This was supplemented by [Sanskrit](/source/Sanskrit) ''mantera'' ([mantra](/source/mantra)) owing to the ancient [Hindu](/source/Hindu)-[Buddhist](/source/Buddhist) influence in the region. Before European colonisation, ''bomoh'' - along with [Buddhist monks](/source/bhikku) and Hindu rishis - were often exempt from paying taxes, due to the fact that many of them had few material belongings. ===Modern era=== The ''bomoh's'' craft retained large animist and Hindu elements from before the Malays' embrace of Islam even after Islam became dominant, but the acceptance of bomoh in Malay society greatly decreased during the [Islamization](/source/Islamization) in the 1970s and 80s. ''Bomoh'' were then seen as deviating from Islam because of their invocation of [hantu](/source/Hantu_(supernatural_creature)) and [dewa](/source/Deva_(Hinduism))-[dewi](/source/Devi) and the potentially harmful black magic they were accused of practicing. This period saw a drastic decline in traditional herbalism, and many fraudulent practitioners filled the void. As a result, ''bomoh'' are today looked at with suspicion even though they are still commonly consulted for personal reasons. Many ''bomoh'' have adapted their practice in the context of modern Islam, such as reciting verses of the Quran or invoking the names of Allah, but this is viewed as shallow by conservative shamans. ==Cosmology and function== Malay metaphysical theory holds that the body, and in fact the universe itself, is made up of the four [classical element](/source/classical_element)s of fire, water, earth, and wind. Illnesses are often said to be caused by an imbalance of these elements. To restore this balance, patients are advised to bathe in cool water to which lime juice is added. The ''bomoh'' also works with rituals and incantations, called ''jampi''.A Dictionary of Malayan Medicine, {{ISBN|0-19-638149-5}} ===Spirits=== Some ''bomoh'' use [cemeteries](/source/cemetery) to summon spirits to fulfill requests by supplicants, while others only deal with a single spirit. It is said that sometimes the ''bomoh'' selects the spirit, while other times, it is the spirit who selects the ''bomoh''. Spirits are said to be able to heal the sick, seek missing persons or even investigate reasons for bad luck. Spirits can also be used to attack people, cause sickness and misery and many other bad things. ''Bomo''h who have a particular religion may incorporate their religious practices into their craft. Traditionally, healing rituals of some ''bomoh'' involved music and dance, such as the ''main puteri'' or ''main peteri'' (a trance-dance from [Kelantan](/source/Kelantan) and [Terengganu](/source/Terengganu) often connected to [mak yong](/source/mak_yong)), the ''main lukah'' (a fisherman's dance from [Pahang](/source/Pahang)), and the ''main saba'' (which re-enacts the heavenly princesses [''puteri kayangan''] dancing around a saba tree). The music is played by an assistant called the ''tuk minduk''. ==In popular culture== === The bomoh of the flight MH370 === In 2014, shortly after the disappearance of [Malaysia Airlines Flight 370](/source/Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_370), Dato Mahaguru Ibrahim Mat Zin, who proclaimed himself as the ''Raja Bomoh'' (King of ''Bomoh'') with his male assistant, appeared in public offering to locate the missing plane by conducting a series of rituals at the [Kuala Lumpur International Airport](/source/Kuala_Lumpur_International_Airport).{{cite web|url=http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/raja-bomoh-at-klia-to-help-find-missing-plane-bernama|title='Raja Bomoh' at KLIA to help find missing plane – Bernama|work=[Bernama](/source/Bernama)|publisher=[The Malaysian Insider](/source/The_Malaysian_Insider)|date=10 March 2014|access-date=22 October 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022125538/http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/raja-bomoh-at-klia-to-help-find-missing-plane-bernama|archive-date=22 October 2014}} The ritual involved using a pair of [bamboo](/source/bamboo) binoculars to view the inside of a traditional fish trap.{{cite web|url=http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/03/10/missing-mh370-bomoh-vows-result-with-fish-trap-hook-bamboo-binocular/|title=Missing MH370: Bomoh vows result with fish trap hook, bamboo binocular|work=Bernama|publisher=[Free Malaysia Today](/source/Free_Malaysia_Today)|date=10 March 2014|access-date=22 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140724045849/http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/03/10/missing-mh370-bomoh-vows-result-with-fish-trap-hook-bamboo-binocular/|archive-date=24 July 2014|url-status=dead}} Ibrahim claimed that the plane was suspended in the air amongst three locations which were the [Philippines](/source/Philippines), [South China Sea](/source/South_China_Sea) and on an unidentified country and it was hidden by the [''orang-orang bunian''](/source/orang_bunian) ("the Bunian", a supernatural race resembling humans, akin to elves in Malay legend).{{cite web|url=http://www.sinarharian.com.my/semasa/raja-bomoh-turut-bantu-cari-mh370-1.258857|title='Raja Bomoh' turut bantu cari MH370|author=Hasniza Hussain|language=ms|publisher=[Sinar Harian](/source/Sinar_Harian)|date=10 March 2014|access-date=22 October 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://news.asiaone.com/news/malaysia/missing-mas-flight-shaman-arrives-help-find-missing-plane|title=Missing MAS flight: Shaman arrives to help find missing plane|author1=Lavanya Lingan|author2=Hashini Kavishtri Kannan|work=[New Straits Times](/source/New_Straits_Times)|publisher=[AsiaOne](/source/AsiaOne)|date=10 March 2014|access-date=22 October 2014|archive-date=11 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211121319/http://news.asiaone.com/news/malaysia/missing-mas-flight-shaman-arrives-help-find-missing-plane|url-status=dead}} Beside the ritual, Ibrahim Mat Zin also stated that 100,000 [seni gayong](/source/seni_gayong) martial artists had performed prayers for the missing plane and its passengers. A few days later he and his four assistants, three males and one female came to KLIA, bringing along a water gourd, holy [Zamzam water](/source/Zamzam_Well) from [Mecca](/source/Mecca), a small surat [Ya Sin](/source/Ya_Sin) book and several other items to conduct another ritual.{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/mh370-malaysian-shaman-performs-ritual-help-find-missing-malaysian-airlines-flight-islamic-religious|title=MH370: Malaysian Shaman Performs Ritual To Help Find Missing Malaysian Airlines Flight, Islamic Religious Department Shuts It Down [VIDEO]|author=Dennis Lynch|work=[International Business Times](/source/International_Business_Times)|date=13 March 2014|access-date=22 October 2014}} This time, Ibrahim Mat Zin used two [coconut](/source/coconut)s and knocked them against each other with his two bare hands while shouting [takbir](/source/takbir).{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/03/13/with-satellites-unsuccesful-in-plane-search-malaysian-shaman-tries-coconuts/|title=With satellites unsuccessful in plane search, Malaysian shaman tries coconuts|author=Terrence McCoy|newspaper=[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)|date=13 March 2014|access-date=22 October 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-26564562|title=#BBCtrending: Malaysia's 'Bomoh' and the superstitious search for MH370|author=Sam Judah|publisher=[BBC News](/source/BBC_News)|date=13 March 2014|access-date=22 October 2014}} Then, his three male assistants sat on the "magic carpet" and using a number of "magical artifacts" such as a walking stick, a basket and two coconuts, and thus started the infamous scene, while local and international photographers took a few shots. Ibrahim Mat Zin claimed that the purpose of the ritual is to weaken the spirits' hold on the plane.{{fact|date=September 2019}} The incidents drew international attention, eventually becoming the subject of an online game application called ''Bomoh: Rescue Run'' developed by a company named [Triapps](/source/Triapps), which surpassed more than 100,000 downloads in [Google Play](/source/Google_Play).{{cite web|url=http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/bomoh-inspired-app-gets-more-than-100000-downloads|title=Bomoh-inspired app gets more than 100,000 downloads|author=Pathma Subramaniam|publisher=[The Malay Mail](/source/The_Malay_Mail)|date=18 March 2014|access-date=22 October 2014}} [Minister for Youth and Sports](/source/Ministry_of_Youth_and_Sports_(Malaysia)) [Khairy Jamaluddin](/source/Khairy_Jamaluddin), who was not amused by the activities of the ''bomoh'', tweeted in regards to the incident: "Somebody should arrest those magic carpet bomohs. Memalukan (humiliating)". He even resorted to contacting [Jamil Khir](/source/Jamil_Khir_Baharom), the Minister for Islamic Affairs, to deal with the bomoh.{{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/03/12/Missing-MH370-arrest-bomoh-kj/|title=Missing MH370: Someone should arrest 'magic carpet bomohs', says Khairy|work=[The Star](/source/The_Star_(Malaysia))|date=12 March 2014|access-date=24 November 2014}} Meanwhile, the [Malaysian Department of Islamic Advancement](/source/Islam_in_Malaysia) had issued a [fatwa](/source/fatwa) that Ibrahim Mat Zin's methods contradict Islamic teachings.{{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/03/12/Missing-MH370-Bomoh-not-islamic/|title=Missing MH370: Bomoh's methods contradict Islam, says Jakim|work=The Star|date=12 March 2014|access-date=24 November 2014}} Some netizens had also pointed out the similarities of the antics of the ''bomoh'' with a scene in the [P. Ramlee](/source/P._Ramlee) movie ''[Laksamana Do Re Mi](/source/Laksamana_Do_Re_Mi)'' where the main characters ride on a flying mat, while the bamboo binoculars session once held by Ibrahim Mat Zin to locate the missing plane mimic Re's magic single vision binocular in the movie. === Strained relations between Malaysia and North Korea === {{main|Malaysia–North Korea relations}} In 2017, the very same ''Bomoh'' from the flight MH370 ritual conducted a ritual in what he perceived to protect Malaysia from North Korea in wake of the strained tensions between the two nations.{{cite web|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/raja-bomoh-conducts-beach-ritual-to-protect-malaysia-from-north-korea|title=Raja Bomoh conducts beach ritual to 'protect' Malaysia from North Korea|publisher=The Straits Times|date=13 March 2017|access-date=14 March 2017|archive-date=14 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314075237/http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/raja-bomoh-conducts-beach-ritual-to-protect-malaysia-from-north-korea|url-status=dead}} ==See also== * [Dukun](/source/Dukun) * [Malaysian folk religion](/source/Malaysian_folk_religion) * [Pawang](/source/Pawang) ==References== {{reflist}} {{Mythology of Malaysia}} Category:Malay culture Category:Malaysian ghosts Category:Malaysian mythology Category:Asian shamanism Category:Magicians (supernatural) Category:Traditional health care occupations Category:Austronesian spirituality --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bomoh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomoh) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomoh?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.