Banyuwangi's 'santet' can charm, not hurt<\/p>\n
Text and photos by Antariksawan Jusuf<\/p>\n
The killing of several alleged practitioners of black magic in
\nJava's easternmost regency of Banyuwangi last year has many
\npeople identifying the regency with black magic and little else.
\nUpon the return to his birth place during the Idul Fitri
\ncelebration last month, The Jakarta Post contributor Antariksawan
\nJusuf found there is more to tell about this culturally rich land
\nbesides black magic. The local rituals and the language for
\nexample. He wrote his observations in the three related articles
\nbelow.<\/p>\n
BANYUWANGI (JP): A seven-day traditional music and dance
\nperformance was held at several popular tourist sites in
\nBanyuwangi, two days after the Islamic Idul Fitri celebration at
\nthe end of January.<\/p>\n
Bright, cheery faces greeted visitors in almost every corner
\nof this sleepy town on the easternmost tip of Java.<\/p>\n
There was no sign of hatred and simmering anger from the
\nnotorious murders in September and October last year.<\/p>\n
Urbanites and villagers alike drew a macabre picture of what
\nwent on during those months. As night fell, roadblocks and
\nbarricades were erected every 10 meters. In the virtual curfew,
\npeople armed with sickles and anything they could find questioned
\npassersby.<\/p>\n
Frightened locals became irrational in their security
\nmeasures. White or red vans with a number plate beginning \"B\",
\nsignifying Jakarta, or \"L\" (Surabaya) were the target of
\nsuspicion because of the circulating rumor they bore the public
\nenemies: ninja-clad murderers.<\/p>\n
They were believed to be behind the killing spree whose
\nperpetrators remain a mystery to this day. Some argued the
\nmurderers were professional because of the killing methods. But
\nthe targets were so diverse, from leaders of the Muslim
\norganizations Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah and alleged black
\nmagic practitioners (dukun), to public figures and even farmers.<\/p>\n
In the first spate of murders, the victims were cast as black
\nmagic practitioners. The authorities ultimately claimed only 38
\nof 117 victims were dukun, even though it was almost impossible
\nto find physical evidence behind the crimes.<\/p>\n
When news of the terrible deaths spread nationally, Banyuwangi
\nbecame identified as a hotbed for black magic, known in
\nIndonesian as santet.<\/p>\n
Are all the witchcraft rumors and accusations true?<\/p>\n
\"Actually, it is a complete misunderstanding,\" said novelist
\nand observer Hasnan Singodimayan. \"Santet in Banyuwangi refers to
\na love-philter spell used mostly by men to attract the opposite
\nsex, while in Indonesian the word means black magic.\"<\/p>\n
In Banyuwangi, santet stands for mesisan kantet, meaning \"let
\nthe opposite sex follow\", he said. Magic spells, such as Sabuk
\nMangir, normally last for only 40 days.<\/p>\n
Hasnan's novel Kerudung Baju Selubung (Veil as a Cover) was
\nmade into the TPI television series Jejak Sinden (Trace of a
\nSinger) last year. The novel tells about black magic employed by
\na woman to harm her former husband's new wife. Hasnan used
\ncomplete black magic verses in the novel.<\/p>\n
His story attests to the Banyuwangi people's familiarity with
\nblack magic.<\/p>\n
\"Black magic is not an exclusive phenomenon to Banyuwangi. But
\nhere the number of black magic practitioners is so small. It is a
\nproduct of overexaggeration which is typical of people of
\nBanyuwangi,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hasnan did not deny there were victims of black magic, but \"it
\nis not as many as suspected\".<\/p>\n
According to Ahmad Siddiq, a Muslim elder and head of the
\nKertosari Muslim boarding school, black magic in Banyuwangi
\nvaries in intensity. It ranges from a simple spell to make
\nsomebody unable to utter a word in a middle of a speech, to a
\nhigh level of magic with victims penetrated by foreign objects in
\ntheir body, from iron nails and broken glass to frying pans.<\/p>\n
Siddiq provides assistance for people affected by black magic
\nand other nonphysical diseases. On average, he treats one patient
\na day.<\/p>\n
During the time of terror in September and October, he was one
\nof the Muslim leaders threatened with death by alleged ninjas. He
\nalso lent a hand by blessing several young people so they were
\nable to fight and capture ninjas. These young people did arrest
\none alleged ninja and handed him over to the police.<\/p>\n
People believe the ninjas possess supernatural powers that
\nallow them to easily escape an ambush.<\/p>\n
To rid people of spells, Siddiq takes a glass of clean water
\nwhich has had incantations intoned over it. He also asks the
\nperson to read a certain passage in the Koran.<\/p>\n
If a person is afflicted with magic that is too strong for
\nSiddiq to overcome, he recommends one of five dukun. These dukun
\nperform special black-magic cleansing rituals.<\/p>\n
\"There are dukun who can cure a person by physically taking
\nout the foreign objects from a patient's body,\" he said.<\/p>",
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