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Thursday, March 13, 2008




I'm Francis and I'm going to summarize the book I read called :" The bomoh: Magician and spiritualist"

This book is about the witch doctors, or bomoh. It describes how the bomoh acquires his ilmu, or knowledge, and how intricate every single ritual is. It is read that this knowledge cannot be explained, and it is also not contained in books. It must be spiritually inherited and the recipient of this ilmu is sworn to secrecy regarding the origins and the meanings.

People would approach them to control weather, cure mysterious illnesses, exorcise evil spirits, conjure charms for success in love, business and gambling, create talismans to give the wearer control over influential people and to receive protection from enemies. They are also approached for protection by pregnant women seeking to protect their child.

There is however a strong opposition to supernatural practices in Islam, some people who had age old and deep rooted animistic and Tantric (Hindu/ Buddhist writings of mystical nature) still carried on.

It is interesting to note that a tolerant attitude adopted towards them, as evident in The Ninety-Nine Laws of Perak written in the 18th century, noting that the Muslims must feed the bomoh.

There are two classes of bomohs, the first being the hereditary bomoh peseka, whose knowledge of the supernatural far surpasses that of the initiated pawang, but his knowledge would suffice in simple procedures, but he would not suffice in the event of fatal illnesses, divination and séances.

This book is interesting and it would make a good read.



[3:14 PM]


Posted at 3:14 PM, 0 Comment(s)


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