The Rain Shaman

THE

RAIN SHAMAN

Rain shamans or “pawang hujan” are people who are believed to be able to “move rainy clouds” to prevent or make rain. Despite the modern era and technology, rain shamans still exist performing rituals in Indonesia, especially around Java. They are needed in outdoor events, such as weddings, festivals, ceremonies; also around construction sites.

Rain shamans’ rituals came from Betawi and Javanese folk traditions passed down through generations way before Hinduism and Buddhism entered Nusantara (Indonesia). The rituals would include meditations, giving special offerings (sesajen), and casting prayers or spells.

The ritual guides are written in primbon, which is an agreement between the Javanese ancestors and the “spirits of nature”.

However, the rain shaman, all over Indonesia, has different methods in each regions. There are several rituals that have been assimilated with religions, such as Hinduism or Islam. There are also shamans who mix the ritual traditions from different regions.

Though this ritual is considered as a cultural heritage, what happened at the Mandalika MotoGP was condemned and criticized badly by Indonesian netizens on the internet.

Percentage of Religion/Belief Followers in Indonesia (June 2021)

Religion distribution map in Indonesia (2010)

Religion POV Islam

Christianity

According to Ustaz Buya Yahya, a Muslim Imam, he said to hire a rain shaman is haram by law.

He suggests his followers to pray directly to God, instead of believing the rain shamans.

Another Imam, Ustaz Khalid Basalamah, said that this shamanism uses jinn (genies) power to alter weather.

Gilbert Lumoindong, a Christian Priest, said that this shamanism is a work of the evil spirits that will bring a dangerous curse to the nation. He also added that it was embarrassing that the government still believes in rain shamans, which makes Indonesia seems like a primitive country.

Science and Tech POV Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) BMKG had predicted the rain duration accurate to what happened. Therefore, they claimed that the rain stopped not because of the act of the shaman.

According to them, the rain shaman ritual is a local folk tradition and is not to be associated with science.

National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) BRIN did weather modification technology on the day of the race, responding to the rain forecast from BMKG. This was done to decrease rainfall.

“As an Indonesian, I am embarrassed to see this woman hitting weird bowl, the stupidity can be seen live by world leaders and millions of eyes. It’s better for you to queue for cooking oil, Ms. Shamans and their believers are all stupid.”

“If this sin is let to be continued, doom will come upon all of the citizens of Indonesias, not just the rulers.”

“Maybe this is just one of the gimmicks so that Mandalika can be noticed internationally.

Indonesia is so unique.”