MALAYSIAN BOMOH
ORIGIN OF THE BOMOH
There is a legend about how the bomoh originated. It was popular in Kelantan many years ago and perhaps is still remembered by the older generation there.
It seems that a son (Akmal Hakim) was born to a man named Abdul Kutok and his wife Siti Ajam in a place called San in Arabia. Abdul Kutok was the chief of all the saints and holy men.
When Akaml Hakim was young, the trees would speak to him and tell him if their roots, leaves and barks could be used for making medicines for curing diseases. The trees even advised the boy how to combine the leaves and roots of certain trees with others that could even bring the dead back to life.
For as long as Akmal Hakim lived in San, there were no daths amongst its populations. He became famous for his medicine his medicines and cures. He also became proud and boastful of his healing power that displeased Allah (Almighty God).
Later Akaml Hakim decided to go to another country to seek more fame and fortune. To do so, he had to cross a river. Allah decided it was time that He punished Akmal Hakim for being selfish and greedy and commanded the Archangel Jibraail (Gabriel) to upset the boat that would take Akmal Hakim and his books of prescriptions for various medicines, across the river. When this happened, the books sank to the bottom and were destroyed. But the pages of some books were carried away by the river and reached other countries. It was from the prescriptions on those pages that people learnt the techniques of making medicines to cure diseases and became known as pawangs and bomohs.
The bomoh while using his knowledge of herbs to cure diseases , also identified some plants as having planted by "iblis" (the devil). Some of these were known as "kepas hantu" a shrub with perfumed seeds and "akar kemenyan hantu" a climbing jungle plant that is known as "akar lidah iblis" or the devils tongue. The roots of the river weed "akar kemang hantu" is used in the treatment of diseases affecting the nose.
BOMOH'S EVOLUTION
The bomoh's original role was that of a healer and their expertise was first and foremost an in-depth knowledge of medicinal herbs and tajul muluk or Malay geomancy. This was supplemented by Sanskirt mantera (mantras) owing to the ancient Hindu-Buddhist influence in the region.
The bomoh's craft remained largely unchanged even after Islam became dominant until Islamic revival in the 1970s and 80s. Bomoh were then seen as deviant from Muslim faith because of their invocation of spirits and potentially harmful black magic they were accused of practicing. This period saw a drastic decline in authentic bomoh and many fraudulent shamans filled the void. As a result, bomoh today looked at with suspicion even though they are stil commonly consulted for personal reasons.
Malay metaphysical theory holds that the body, and in fact the universe itself, is made up of the four classical elements of earth, water, fire and wind. Illnesses are often said to be caused by an imbalance of these elements. To restore this balance, patients are advised to bath in cool water to which lime juice is added. The bomoh also works with rituals and incantations, called jampi.
Some bomoh use cemeteries to summon spirits to fulfil requests by supplicants, while others only deal with a single spirit. It is said that sometimes the bomoh selects the spirit, while at 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. Bomoh who have a particular religion may incorporate their religious practices into their craft.
