Poisoning, sorcery and healing rituals in Negeri Sembilan

Abstract

M. Peletz Poisoning, sorcery and healing rituals in Negeri Sembilan In: Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 144 (1988), no: 1, Leiden, 132-164 This PDF-file was downloaded from http://www.kitlv-journals.nl MICHAEL G. PELETZ ' 'AlaVd-din [the Sultan of Malacca from about 1477-1488] died in the prime of life, probably before the age of thirty, and it was soon rumored among his subjects that he had been poisoned. The fourth and last section of the paper addresses certain of the therapeutic and other features of the healing process in light of well known essays by Levi-Strauss (1963a, 1963b); in addition, it outlines some of the differences between dukun cures and the treatment provided by modern medical personnel, and also raises issues of broader concern. During the 19th century, their social structure received organizational expression in a system of matrilineal clanship; their primary economic activities were subsistence-oriented wet-rice cultivation and the collection and sale of forest products.2 Malays living in 19th-century Negeri Sembilan defined themselves in relation to the Shafi'i branch of Sunni Islam, even though their religious beliefs and practices incorporated numerous elements of the Hindu- The data for this essay were collected during 16 months of fieldwork (December 1978 to May 1980) and subsequent archival research in Kuala Lumpur and London. 134 Michael G.Peletz Buddhist and pre-Indic traditions that prevailed among Malayan peoples prior to 'the coming of Islam' around the 12th century. [...]they conceived of Allah as the ultimate locus and origin point of sanctity and spiritual power, but they also viewed supernatural forces and essences as being broadly diffused throughout their environment.