They believe that every unnatural death must be the work of a witch. Singai Tribe, the head of Tais village, was once a witch.
By
AGUSTINUS WIBOWO
·4 minutes read
AGUSTINUS WIBOWO
The tombstone of a child thought to have died from magic.
The Morehead area in Papua New Guinea’s Western Province, which borders Indonesia, is famous for its tribal wars, headhunting in the past, and its witchcraft. Belief in witchcraft is still predominant.
At the tip of Tais village, in the village cemetery complex, I found the broken, grass-covered tombstone of Pali Abai. Pali was a little girl who died at the age of 5, while swimming in a pond in the west of the village. She was not sick, nor were there any bite marks. She did not drown either. Pali was found dead with a broken neck.
I spoke with her father, Abai, a young man in his twenties. "Pali\'s death was the work of the sanguma," he said, adding that he did not yet know the culprit. Sanguma in the Tok Pisin language means a witch with black magic. "So I can\'t take revenge [because I don’t know the culprit]."
They believe that every unnatural death must be the work of a witch. Singai Tribe, the head of Tais village, was once a witch. He explained that Papuan witches could kill victims without even touching them.
Mysteriously, the family of the victims can get evidence to be brought to court.
Singai explained, witchcraft in PNG can go both ways. The witches can send bala (bad things; disease or death) and their victims can detect the identity of the perpetrator also through witchcraft. Mysteriously, the family of the victims can get evidence to be brought to court.
What if the process leads to the wrong person? "It can\'t be wrong. The results of our rituals must always be right,” said Singai confidently.
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The common belief among the people of PNG, that death is related to witchcraft, can be very problematic. They often blame the sanguma for the deaths of relatives they consider “unnatural”. That includes accidents, snakebites or serious illnesses. In fact, diseases that can be explained scientifically, such as AIDS or tuberculosis, many people still believe are due to witchcraft. `
AGUSTINUS WIBOWO
Witchcraft equipment.
While in Daru, I often saw posters of public service messages from the government and NGOs, which reminded residents that “Sanguma cannot cause TB”.
In terms of health, the southern part of Western Province, and especially Daru Island, is very tense. In this area, MDR-TB (multidrug-resistant tuberculosis) is spreading. It is a type of tuberculosis that is resistant to the two strongest antituberculosis drugs. This disease has spread very widely, causing many deaths.
Doctor Sila Wainetti, the mother of Sisi Wainetti, my host in Tais, is a social worker for the NGO World Vision. She explained that the most virulent tuberculosis disease in the world can firmly stay in Daru due to poor sanitation and dense population.
"Moreover", said Sila, "the wantok system allows 20 to 30 people to live in one house, even in stilt houses, or sleep on boats."
That is the most rational explanation for why this disease is rampant. However, the belief that a disease such as tuberculosis is the work of witches does not help the efforts to treat the disease at all.
"Residents don\'t care about cleanliness, but instead carry out rituals that are not useful," said doctor Sila. "Worse still, for fear of being hit by witchcraft, they choose to live close together, with people of their class. That is why the disease spreads even more viciously."
Allegations like this can lead to enmity between villages, and even tribal wars.
Another problem with witchcraft in PNG, is that often the accused is a resident living in other village. Allegations like this can lead to enmity between villages, and even tribal wars.
Not infrequently someone is accused of being sanguma and can cause brutal mass actions, which are no less horrific than the "witch hunts" during the Middle Ages in Europe. As for the truth, no one can prove it. One could accuse another of being a witch simply out of jealousy or wanting to take revenge.
AGUSTINUS WIBOWO
Village atmosphere in Papua New Guinea.
PNG is one of the few countries in the world to enforce the Witchcraft Act. This law actually aims to prohibit all black magic activities. However, this law is often used as an excuse to justify violence. A murderer may call his victim a “witch”, and under this law, he gets leniency. In 2013, PM Peter O\'Neill repealed this controversial Witchcraft Act.
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Witchcraft is often associated with black magic. But actually, magic in anthropology is an important part in the cultural and religious development of mankind. In traditional society, there is always the role of the shaman, that is, someone who “connects” human life and supernatural spirits. In the pre-science period, the shaman also held a dual function, as a religious leader as well as a doctor.
(This article was translated byKurniawan Siswoko).
