| Description |
Personal story
This is a story told by Michael John at Raputput village, Makada on 2 November 2022.
Michael John tells the story of how he became a traditional healer, which goes like this:
When I was a child, I went about my life not knowing many things. I grew up and went to school. After finishing my schooling, I returned to the village and stayed here as part of the community.
One of my brothers approached me to work in healing sick people and others who are physically unwell. He gave me betelnut to chew, to induct me into the spiritual belief system of ‘ingiet’. I had to stay away from the village for some time, living in the secluded bush to prepare myself. This was my training to become a traditional medicine man, or ‘tena davai’.
[This Kuanua title literally means ‘tree expert’, from ‘davai’, meaning ‘tree’ or ‘plant’. Medicine men use various parts of different trees and plants to make their traditional medicines.]
My training involved interacting with spirits to learn and practice supernatural methods of healing. I also learned about the environment’s natural resources, such as lime, ginger, various plants, herbs, leaves, tree bark, roots, and fruits from trees.
I have been practicing traditional medicine for several years. I offer it as an alternative or supplementary means of healing sick people who visit health centres and aid posts, who may also be prescribed pharmaceutical treatments. Traditional medicine can be used independently or simultaneously with other prescribed medications to help with the healing process. When the prescribed pharmaceutical treatments are not helping people recover, we can use our supernatural connection with the spirits, or ‘ingiet’.
My uncle and brother arranged for me to work in and around the village as something like a private doctor. People pay me for my services, and I offer traditional medicine that has been provided to us thanks to the inspiration and knowledge of our ancestors. Just like employees are paid at the health centres, I am paid to help sick people recover and heal from illnesses, only my treatment is based on ‘davai’.
For situations where people get sick because they are possessed by evil spirits, I can treat them appropriately through a spiritual healing of the physical body. Spiritual warfare is used to release the sickness.
I am still practicing traditional medicine. I work alongside the health centre workers to treat people as a complement to modern medicine.
(Steven Gagau, May 2024)
(revised, Russell Barlow, May 2024) |
