Why Don't Tuyul Steal Money from Banks? Experts Reveal a Surprising Answer

The existence of the ‘tujuyl’ is often linked to thefts in homes, yet we never hear reports of this bald-headed, loincloth-wearing child creature stealing from banks. To this day, there have been no recorded cases of banks losing money due to tuyul. Internet searches suggest various assumptions, such as tuyul being afraid of metal or banks being guarded by spirits that tuyul fear. However, these are merely assumptions.

Another piece of information provides a potential reason why tuyul never steal from banks, tracing back to 1870 when the Dutch inaugurated the ‘Open Door Policy’ or economic liberalisation, replacing the Cultivation System. While this new policy appeared to be a breath of fresh air that could potentially bring prosperity, the reality was far less sweet. In ‘Indonesian Economy 1800-2010’ (2012), Jan Luiten van Zanden and Daan Marks reveal that the system led to the takeover of smallholder plantations to be converted into large-scale plantations and sugar factories.

As a result, the lives of the community worsened, particularly for small-scale farmers in Java, who grew poorer as they lost control over their plantation lands. Traders, however, were the primary beneficiaries of this system, with both indigenous and Chinese traders becoming the ‘new rich’.

This drastic change left farmers bewildered, questioning the origins of this new wealth. It is important to note that at that time, farmers practised a subsistence system. According to Ong Hok Ham in ‘Wahyu yang Hilang Negeri yang Guncang’ (2019), they farmed merely enough for their own consumption, while any surplus was given as tribute or sold.

This led them to believe that wealth should be accumulated through transparent processes. They believed that the effort and process of becoming wealthy should be visible to others. Conversely, the wealth of traders could not be traced through such visible means, making them unable to prove the origins of their riches.

Consequently, feelings of envy and jealousy arose among farmers towards the new wealthy class. As George Quinn notes in ‘An Excursion to Java’s Get Rich Quick Tree’ (2009), farmers believed that wealth must be accountable. Because the wealthy could not account for their riches, farmers accused them of theft. For a society deeply rooted in the mystical world, theft was perceived as a form of collaboration between the wealthy and invisible beings, including the tuyul.

This belief was spread so widely that it caused traders and entrepreneurs to lose their social status, as revealed by Ong Hok Ham in ‘Dari Soal Priayi sampai Nyi Blorong’ (2002). They were regarded as lowly because they were thought to possess wealth through unlawful means by allying with demons. This also impacted how the wealthy conducted transactions; they tended to purchase assets that did not overtly display their true wealth, as purchasing land or houses would lead to accusations of keeping demons and tuyul. These accusations ultimately contributed to the popularity of the tuyul as a creature capable of increasing wealth in a short period.