Dukun
Dukun A dukun is an Indonesian-Malay term for shaman. In Malaysia, they are often referred to as bomoh, but dukun is the more ancient term. Their societal role is that of a traditional healer, spirit medium, custom and tradition experts and on occasion sorcerers and masters of black magic. The dukun is the very epitome of the kejawen or kebatinan belief system indigenous to Java. Beneath the thin superficial practice of Islam, very strong and ancient beliefs of animism, ancestor worship and shamanism run through the people of the Nusantara. While modern medicine along with revivalist Islam and Christianity have undermined the dukun's prominence, they remain highly respected and somewhat feared figures in Indon-Malay society, even in the most orthodox Islamic areas. In the pre-colonial past, dukun were exempt from paying taxes, as with Hindu priests and Buddhist monks. Many highly prominent and highly educated Indonesians, even those with Western doctorate and masters levels degre...