Balinese masseurs mix old and new therapy

Balinese masseurs mix old and new therapy

Ni Luh Dian Purniawati, Contributor, Kuta

As the sun rises, I Wayan Sudra prepares himself for the work
day, although the clock has not yet struck seven.

Someone has already been waiting a few hours outside Sudra's
bale (bedroom). Within 15 minutes, Sudra is ready to serve his
first client.

He appears with a tender smile and approaches his guest. "Are
you feeling better now?." The young man grins. He had an accident
three days ago, breaking his collarbone.

"I feel alright but there's a little pain here," he says as he
points to his right shoulder. Sudra touches it gently and the man
shouts out loud.

Sudra keeps rubbing and touching the man's shoulder,
attempting to set his broken bone by massage. To distract his
patient's attention from pain, he chats with him, often in a
humorous vein. They discuss various hot topics from tajen
(cockfighting) in the village to political rifts.

Sudra, popularly known as Pak Sirkus, is one of many
traditional masseurs in Bali.

A resident of Tibubeneng village in Kerobokan, 10 kilometers
west of Denpasar, Sudra started his profession as a balian manak
(a traditional midwife). An unusual job for a man, some might say
-- but not in Bali.

In l972, the Kerobokan area, now crowded with luxury villas
and restaurants, was a remote village with only few asphalt roads
and almost no healthcare facilities.

Thirty years ago, women preferred to deliver their babies at
home and hired balian manak for help. Even in the 1980s,
Denpasar only had a few hospitals and community health centers,
most of which were unreachable by rural women.

Sudra helped women deliver their babies with his traditional
medical knowledge inherited from his parents and grandparents.

After developing his massage skills he later roamed Bali's
beaches as a traditional masseur.

In Bali, there are many people like Sudra. They are called
balian tulang or bone setters. There are many other types of
balian -- shaman or traditional healers.

There are the balian uwut the name originating from urat or
muscle, which refers to a masseur who has mastered the
traditional knowledge of human anatomy and is capable of healing
muscle strains or any other bodily stiffness.

The Balinese also recognize balian ushada (shamans whose
traditional medicinal knowledge is based on ancient lontar or
papyrus inscriptions) and balian tenung (soothsayers who
spiritually heal people affected by black magic).

The balian uwut, especially, still play a significant role in
traditional Balinese medicine. Despite the fact modern doctors
are practicing in rural areas, people still choose to go to
balian uwut for help.

Researchers from the Teachers's Training Institute (IKIP) in
Singaraja, North Bali carried out a comprehensive study of balian
uwut, interviewing balian uwut and their patients throughout the
island.

The study revealed the perceptions of most Balinese toward the
balian had changed little during the past few decades, with many
still seeking their help.

This is especially true in rural areas, where balian offer the
best alternative medical source for villagers despite the
prevalence of doctors and puskesmas (community health centers),

In urban Denpasar or in other big cities in Bali, many people
still rely on balian for medication and flock to them to attend
to their spiritual welfare.

This is not surprising if one knows the Balinese character.

The traditional Balinese view of illness is an imbalance or
disharmony between the tangible and intangible worlds, between
individuals and the larger surroundings. When a man falls off his
motorbike or crashes a car, he associates the misfortune with his
Hindu religion and customs.

Balinese often assume accidents occur because they have done
something inappropriate or have violated a religious taboo.

While this diagnosis may not be valid for medical doctors,
with Western-adopted knowledge, the balian provide the answers
their patients want to hear.

In addition to physical treatments -- massage or loloh
(herbal medicines) -- balian seek spiritual guidance to find the
cause of a patient's sickness.

Receiving this holistic treatment gives patients a sense of
spiritual and physical wellness they might not get at a clinic.
And many Balinese swear by balian, who they say give quick,
decisive cures for ailments.

Such treatments attract not only local patients but also
foreigners.

Arthur Karvan, an Australian living in Bali, frequently visits
Cokorda Gede Rai, a noted balian, in Negari village in Gianyar.
He said he prefers to go to Cokorda for medication than visiting
doctors nearby the village. He consider the balian's traditional
medication more suitable to his needs with less side-effects.

The provincial government realizes balian are important
doctors to many people in Bali. To introduce them to more modern
and hygienic methods and complete their medical know-how, the
province's health agency has regularly provided special training
to many balian.

Hamidah, a balian uwut from Singaraja, expressed her
enthusiasm over the training. "I now know various types of
medicines such as antibiotics, analgesic pills and other
relieving medications."

"In addition to my herbal concoctions, I often give my patient
light analgesic pill to ease their pains," Hamidah said.

Karvan said a balian tulang practicing near Besakih temple in
Karang Asem had already employed modern medical equipment like X-
rays to determine the position of broken bones.

His patients came from countries as far away as the United
States, Japan and Italy.

"He receives at least 40 patients every day. Each of the
patients are treated comprehensively," Karvan, who visited the
balian when his wrist was broken, said.

Sudra, however, has never studied Western medicine but has
gleaned knowledge from his parents passed down from the ancient
lontar scripts.

"I am also lucky to have a number of friends, medical doctors
of different specialties," Sudra said. He was often involved in
scientific discussions with his doctor friends.

Sudra also admits he frequently sends his patients to doctors.
"There are many cases that cannot be solved by balians. On the
other hand, doctors often recommend their patients to go to a
balian when they can heal their patients' illnesses," he said.

It is almost midnight when Sudra finishes his work. Instead of
going to bed, he strolls down to a nearby beach to go fishing.

"It's a way to relax and regain energy after a busy day," he
says.