Aspects of Supernaturals & Malay Magic

I was chatting with a friend of mine the other day when she brought up a fairly interesting topic. It quickly became the subject of our discussion for the rest of the night. While I am fairly knowledgeable in the area of this particular subject, I’ve never thought to ever blog about it. Partly because I perceive it as taboo to the general public, and also partly because a degree of fear of being ridiculed due to the extensive research I’ve made in the past in regards to this topic and thus, it has become important to me to just let other people desecrate the culture of what I had learned. However, after much thought, I decided to blog about it anyway. My friend’s right about this one. If anything at all, this ought to be an interesting read.

I suppose, I am somewhat lucky to be born in an era to be able to witness the transition where the lasts of the kampungs gave way to modern HDB flats and or the Malays minority eventually embraced the system of secular education. With such transition taking place, there could be only change. The liberation of a generation that challenged customs; breaking culture limits and even birthing of a new one.

Back in the 70s to the early 80s, where these changes are taking place, the native words Dukun and Bomoh, together with the foundation of its belief, were rapidly losing ground just like the thick vegetation of Singapore’s tropical rainforests. Along with it, an elite profession of sorts faded, and was almost reduced to a mere urban legend while it is interesting to find that these esoteric art practitioners once played an important part in the social and economic life of the native Malays. Yet in a way, it is good that these changes took place as beliefs in magicks and superstition would only conjure up an enemy against progress.

Future installments of blog entries will cover inter related topics to the Bomohs & Dukuns in the following order:

1. Invulnerability
2. Black Magic
3. Spirits, Sprites & Spooks