Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Group : G5
The Malay bomoh has always been a controversy in Malaysia. Past Prime Ministers
such as Tun Dr Mahathir has criticized the Malay faith in particular animism that it is
devaluing the concepts of Islam. Not only that, Tun Dr Mahathir described the Malay custom
mainly the bomoh as a conservative and rural system which will limit them from the
Beliefs of the Malay bomoh has existed hundreds of years ago with the proof of
written sources from various people which includes people from foreign countries. The
practice of bomoh can be seen in all states of Malaysia and the few main ones include Perak,
Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang. The movements performed by shamans (bomoh) during
the séances were similar in form and meaning. 1 This proves that the practice of shamanism in
Malaysia is nationwide and originates from the same source which at the same time, shows us
The duties of a bomoh comes in various ways such as healing illnesses, dealing with
personal problems and supernatural spirits. Shamans/bomoh would conduct the séances by
summoning spirits into their bodies and entering a tranced state in which a ritual partner
(normally a friend of the shaman) would do the dialogue and duets with the shaman who is in
1
Connor, Linda H. Samuel, Geoffrey, Healing Powers and Modernity : Traditional Medicine, Shamanism, and
Science in Asian Societies, Greenwood Press, 2001, p. 42-43
a tranced state after he has been controlled by the spirits. Boiled eggs and boiled rice are part
of the usual offerings for familiar spirits. Seances conducted in Malaysia are normally
Malaysia would be by the bomoh, Pak Long, in which he used spirit offerings such as coins,
betel-pepper leaf, a cigarette, raw rice and a string in one dish and boiled rice and boiled egg
to deal with a health problem faced by a 3 month old pregnant woman. 2 As the séance is
further carried out, the areca palm branch which is part of the ritual’s item held by Pak Long
begans to shake and then he took on the form of Awang Mindung Pengasuh which is the
bomoh’s body internal protective forces. Pak Long’s body was then possessed by another
spirit which was Wak Kedi Bomoh, an ancient healer who determines the causes of the
problems and summons the spirit which has the closest relation to the patient seeking for
help. The summoned spirit would then inform the patient of the true cause of her problems
such as the person behind it and whether the perpetrator has paid for the services or not. Pak
Long was then taken over by the genie of the crossroads who would agree to help with a
price. If the patient recovers, the genie of the crossroads would be paid. 3 After another few
different spirits came and went, the spirit that was behind all the difficulties appeared which
was Sir Oil or commonly known as orang minyak. A form of payment was demanded for him
to leave the patient alone was requested and after a session of bargaining, the offerings were
agreed on. The séance was then closed with the recitation of a spell and massaging the
patient’s abdomen. Soon after that, the patient fully recovered but the recovery from her
illness was claimed to be related to the skills of a physician rather than the work of a
shaman/bomoh.
2
Connor, Linda H. Samuel, Geoffrey, Healing Powers and Modernity : Traditional Medicine, Shamanism, and
Science in Asian Societies, Greenwood Press, 2001, p. 44
3
Connor, Linda H. Samuel, Geoffrey, Healing Powers and Modernity : Traditional Medicine, Shamanism, and
Science in Asian Societies, Greenwood Press, 2001, p. 45
It is clearly shown here that people of the new generations tend to have lesser beliefs
in the Malay customs of shamans and bomohs. The criticism of various iconic figures such as
Tun Dr Mahathir towards this custom has apparently brought about a great influence on the
modern lifestyle.
Group :
Another important aspect that should be taken into consideration of the Malay
bomoh’s séances and rituals are the offerings. These form of offerings are crucial in making
deals with the spirits that will help or stop harming the person requesting for help. The failure
to compromise on a certain bargain may cause the deal to be cancelled by the spirit. In some
cases, there are people who attend the shaman’s/bomoh’s services but did not complete the
payments or offerings due to disbelief of the effectiveness of the ritual. There are stories in
which these people were harmed and disturbed by the spirits who did not receive the
As for Pak Long, after the séance conducted for the pregnant lady, he did not hear
from them anymore. A few days later, he began falling sick and was sent to the hospital but
the cause of his illness could not be determined. When Pak Long began feeling better, he
decided to go home but as he was reaching the same spot near his house, he began feeling the
same illness again. An emergency séance was immediately called and other shamans/bomoh
from the village were asked to help Pak Long. When the spirit was summoned, it was
discovered that the spirits were angry because the offering promised to them were not
properly given. It was from their point of view that it was Pak Long’s responsibility to ensure
that all proceedings were conducted carefully and fairly. The spirits were then explained to
by the other shamans that Pak Long was only a medium of communication between the
patient asking for help and the spirits and it was the patients who should be held responsible
for not keeping to their words. The spirits saw the truth behind the shamans explanation and
left Pak Long, returning his energy and health back to normal. When the séance was over,
Pak Long insisted on paying the other shamans for their services because he knew that any
Based on the information given, it is very clear that one who deals with
shamans/bomoh should not take the offerings lightly. Even for the non-believers of animism
and shamanism, a certain level of respect is necessary in the matter of payments and
offerings. If a deal has been made, it is purely ethical for one to stay true to their words and
ensure that it is done fairly. Pak Long can be said to be a lucky man as he is experienced in
handling such matters when attacked by spirits but if a person who has absolutely no
knowledge about shamanism and is attacked by spirits, he may suffer for a life time without
knowing the cause to it. Shamanism of the Malays in the 21 st century may be seen as
something ridiculous to the eyes of non-believers but it has been proven on separate
occasions that these séances and rituals are actually effective in solving problems.
The Malay bomoh in summary involves trances, spirits and offerings. While stories of
shamans and bomohs are commonly told to children, it is difficult to find an actual
shaman/bomoh in Malaysia today due to the rapidly development of science and technology.
The newer generations of Malays begin to lose the belief in their custom as hard facts, data
and statistics are not present in proving the effectiveness of a shaman’s success. To give
4
Connor, Linda H. Samuel, Geoffrey, Healing Powers and Modernity : Traditional Medicine, Shamanism, and
Science in Asian Societies, Greenwood Press, 2001, p. 45-46
additional problems, cases of fake shamans today cheating and preying on the public is so
common that people just find it hard to believe in the custom of shamanism in Malaysia.
References
2001