Indigenous Medical Tradition in a Frontier Society of Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Diseases pose big challenges to human beings. In Indonesia the development of modern medical systems was parallel with the growing presence of western colonialism. Under the independence state of Indonesia, modern medical system continued to grow. Until today, the improved modern health facilities, however, are not yet accessible for all people and across the country. And even worse, the available modern medical system has often increasingly become unaffordable. Only the rich and urban dwellers basically have the privileges to enjoy. Meanwhile, having no other choices, many commoners particularly those who live in rural areas have to rely largely on indigenous medical systems. Despite their importance for the commoners, the role of indigenous medical systems has not been sufficiently understood. The practices have often been overlooked and considered superstitious, irrational, and less valuable from modern, official health standards. Even though the extent to which the indigenous methods of diseases control were effective is problematic, the fact that their use was sustained through generations gives an indication that in some cases, the indigenous medical traditions had rational values for their user. Drawing upon documents and interview materials, the paper seeks to explore indigenous medical tradition in the Eastern Salient of Java. The area used to serve a frontier region, which had long been contested by the Hindu kingdoms of Bali and Islam kingdoms of Java. The major objectives of the paper are: (1) to examine the indigenous conceptions about diseases and their causes among the people in the region; (2) to elaborate the ways in which the problems of diseases are contained and various elements involved in the disease control; and (3) to investigate the origins of healing profession of the traditional healers. The paper employs a combination of historical and anthropological approaches. This combination will enable to demonstrate how the indigenous medical systems and their elements might have changed and sustained through generations.