Women blamed for 'curse' in Karangpoh

By Sri Wahyuni

YOGYAKARTA (JP): At a glance, 35-year-old Sutardi looks like any other country man. Solid, dark sunburn-skinned, inexpressive. Only when you approach, do you find the differences.

Sutardi, a resident of Karangpoh sub-village, Semin subdistrict, Gunungkidul regency, some 60 kilometers east of here, is intellectually disabled. He does not have a Mongoloid- type face nor does he physically reveal his illness.

He is not like other people of his age. He, for example, cannot count the number of fingers on his right hands. He cannot differentiate one simple geometric shape from another. He cannot speak clearly and properly.

"He is indeed intellectually disabled," Sutarti, a teacher at the School of the Disabled (SLB) Darma Putera, told The Jakarta Post.

Karangpoh, the area where Sutardi lives, has a population of some 500 people, and 60 of them, or more than 10 percent are intellectually disabled. While Semin, with a population of 54,644, is home to about 600 intellectually disabled people.

A scientific explanation as to why there are so many intellectually disabled people in the subdistrict has not yet been formulated. Local people believe it a curse passed on from generation to generation, starting from Sonto Sentiko, believed to be the ancestor of the inhabitants of Karangpoh sub-village. The "curse" has so far reached Sonto's fifth generation. Sutardi belongs to the fourth generation.

Sutarti, who once joined a team collecting data about the intellectually disabled people in the subdistrict, says that about three-fourths of the 600 affected people in Semin belong to Sonto's generation. They exclude those living outside the subdistrict.

"They all have an I.Q. of between 0 to 50," Sutarti said.

She said a person with such an I.Q. -- which is only a step higher than an idiot -- can only be taught to achieve an intellectual capability as high as that of a second grade elementary school student. Yet, with adequate learning and training, they can be trained to master simple skills including cooking, washing or even cultivating land and carpentry.

Sutarti said that what was puzzling was that most of the intellectually disabled people in Semin were not born with the so-called Mongoloid face. She said that the males especially do not show sexual aggressiveness as intellectually people usually do.

"They do not even sexually react looking at other girls changing clothes in front of them," Sutarti explained.

She said that she was also puzzled by the fact that none of Sonto's intellectually disabled generation was born through the male hereditary line. She said it appeared that the "illness" was passed on only through the female line.

"This is what has made local people believe much more that the curse does exist," Sutarti said.

The tale told among locals says that Sonto once annoyed a mysterious mad woman and that the woman cast a curse saying that Sonto's future generations of women would pass on generations of her (mad) trait.

"In fact, people here usually call disabled people 'mad people'. Indeed, they act like ones, especially those who ones on the street," said Sutarti.

Mrs. Tarmo, a member of Sonto's third generation, is an example. All seven children from her first husband are intellectually disabled. Mrs. Tarmo herself is normal. Dami, one of her intellectually disabled daughters, has two daughters and two sons. All are intellectually disabled. Dami's stepfather is the father of her children. They all now live under one roof.

Kasmo, a male, on the other hand, has no intellectually disabled children or grandchildren. He happens to only have three sons so he doesn't need to worry about the possibility of having intellectually disabled grandchildren. The same thing happened to the late Sumar, another male descendant of Sonto's. None of his five children are affected.

Sonto, as Kasmo recalled, had seven sons and no daughters. That's why none of Sonto's grandchildren are intellectually disabled. The "curse", therefore, started when one of his female grandchildren began delivering babies. There started Sonto's intellectually disabled generation.

"Karangpoh is now labeled as the sub-village of intellectually disabled people," Kasmo said.

Bio-technologist Prof. Abdul Salam M. Sofro, Ph.D, of Gadjah Mada University, said that interaction between genetic factors and environmental factors might explain why the phenomenon occurs in Semin, especially in Karangpoh.

He said that the fact that none of Sonto's intellectually disabled generation were born through the male hereditary line suggested a big possibility that the X chromosome (sex chromosome) factor might account for the phenomenon.

"If the cause is the autosome (any chromosome which is not a sex chromosome) factor, the chance for the male and female generations to generate intellectually disabled heirs would be the same. But it's not the case in Karangpoh," he said.

Abdul Salam further explained that a person having a weak X chromosome could produce an intellectually handicapped generation. Such intellectually disabled people are usually described as having a syndrome caused by a brittle X chromosome. "Of course we need to conduct a genealogy trace to make sure that the main cause is indeed a genetic factor," Abdul Salam said.

The environmental factor that may account for the Karangpoh phenomenon is mineral, for example the lack of iodine. Yet, according to Abdul Salam, the environmental factor would only affect those who have a brittle X chromosome. Those with strong ones would not be affected by such a factor.

Abdul Salam said that Semin's intellectually disabled people are not born with a Mongoloid face because they are not suffering Down syndrome. That Semin's intellectually disabled males are not sexually aggressive could be because they produce only a half dosage chromosome X. If that is not the case, then their Y chromosome might have blocked the individuals from producing enough X chromosome. Other people usually have the double X chromosome. In regard to what is happening in Semin, Abdul Salam suggested that the intellectually disabled people should be provided with a life of better quality, including the provision of appropriate education.

"It's through education that the intellectually disabled can at least eventually take care of themselves," he said.

A preventive measure can be carried out by preventing local people from marrying others belonging to the same generational line. This is important to avoid the occurrence of the genetic factor that could lead to the birth of other intellectually handicapped children.

"The intervention of experts in this case is needed, especially to give local people counseling about the matter," Abdul Salam said.