Why Tuyul Cannot Break Into Banks: An Explanation

Tuyul is often associated with theft. The supernatural creature, depicted as a small child with a shaven head and a loincloth, is said to go from house to house stealing money. According to cultural scholar Suwardi Endraswara in his book Dunia Hantu Orang Jawa (2004), tuyul activity is not limited to cash; the creature is also said to be able to steal goods and valuable documents. The question then arises: does tuyul only operate in houses? Can the creature enter buildings or banks to steal digital balances? There are many answers on the internet to this question. Some say tuyul is afraid of metal, and money in banks is stored in safes. Another answer is that banks have supernatural guardians that are feared by tuyul. It should be remembered that these answers are only speculation. To understand the origins of the belief, one must go back to 1870. At that time, the Dutch inaugurated the open-door policy or economic liberalisation. This system replaced the previously implemented forced cultivation system. However, this replacement did not bring prosperity to the people. Jan Luiten van Zanden and Daan Marks in Ekonomi Indonesia 1800-2010 (2012) note that the new system gave rise to a new colonial regime that led to the takeover of people’s farms for large plantations and sugar factories. Ultimately, this situation left many people impoverished, including small farmers who became increasingly poor and had no power over plantation land. Conversely, a number of traders, both indigenous and Chinese, prospered under this system. They became the newly rich and left many farmers confused about the source of their wealth. Ong Hok Ham in Wahyu yang Hilang Negeri yang Guncang (2019) describes the lives of farmers with a subsistence system, farming enough for their own consumption. If there was surplus, it was given as tribute or sold. Thus, they viewed the accumulation of wealth as an open process, meaning each person needed to go through a clear process and effort visible to others. However, the wealth obtained by the traders had no visible origin or hard work. This gave rise to jealousy among the farmers, who called rich people who failed to account for the origin of their wealth as having obtained it through theft. Meanwhile, a society steeped in mystical views led them to see the theft as the result of cooperation between the rich and supernatural beings, including tuyul. From these accusations, Ong Hok Ham in Dari Soal Priayi sampai Nyi Blorong (2002) notes that traders and entrepreneurs lost status in society. These rich people were considered despicable for accumulating wealth through illicit means, when in fact it was due to changes in Dutch colonial policy. The same judgement also applied to transactions made by the traders. These rich people tended to buy goods that did not display wealth, such as gold or luxury items. But if they bought land or houses, they would be accused of keeping demons or tuyul. From there, the popularity of tuyul as a mystical subject connected to wealth has persisted to the present day.