Personalistik, Etiologi Penyakit, dan Sistem Perlindungan Diri: Menyingkap Perspektif Tradisi Masyarakat Melayu Kedah (Personalistic, Disease Etiology, and It’s Relationship with Self-Protection: Kedah Malay Cultural Perspective)

Abstract

ABSTRAK: Makalah ini bermatlamat merealisasikan hasrat bidang Antropologi Kebudayaan yang menyarankan agar seberapa banyak kebudayaan sesebuah masyarakat di dokumentasi untuk rujukan masa hadapan kerana sistem ilmunya semakin menyusut akibat ditelan oleh perkembangan agama dan perubahan sosial. Tujuan makalah ini ialah untuk mengkonstruksi kembali hakikat sistem personalistik tempatan, hubungannya dengan etiologi penyakit, dan kaitannya dengan perlindungan diri masyarakat Melayu Kedah. Asasnya kerana sistem ilmunya dihakis oleh faktor-faktor di atas itu sehingga masyarakat kontemporari tidak akses lagi dengan asas nenek moyang itu. Data dikumpul menggunakan pemerhatian ikut dan kajian kepustakaan. Pemerhatian ikut serta dijalankan di Kampung Keledang, Baling, Kedah selama lapan bulan, dari Jun 2016 sehingga Mac 2017 dengan menemu bual 10 warga tua, tiga dewasa dan dua anak muda. Adalah didapati personalistik/ hantu merupakan entiti yang paling ditakuti oleh masyarakat Kedah tradisional. Entiti itu menyakiti manusia sebagai membalas dendam dengan cara mengganggu roh, menindih tubuh, menggigit tubuh, menghisap darah, merasuk manusia, menawan semangat, menyekat darah, menyerang jiwa, dan meludah. Manusia menghindari personalistik dengan cara mengadakan ritual menghalau, ritual memagar rumah, ritual menjaga kampung, mandian semangat, amalan memukul tubuh, amalan mengesan sihir, amalan menepuk pinggang, amalan menyimpan kacik/besi, membaca mantera, membaca petanda alam, memakai tangkal, serta mengamalkan petua dan pantang-larang tertentu ketika mengunjungi hutan.

Kata kunci: Personalistik; hantu; etiologi penyakit; perlindungan diri

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study had been to realise one of Cultural Anthropology’s objective to document as many as cultures as possible for future generations. Society’s system of knowledge is gradually lost as a result of religious and social change. The main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between personalistic entities and the human diseases and it’s relationship with self-protection. This study utilized data obtained by the participant observation and library research. The main field work segment was carried out during an eight-month period, from June 2016 until March 2017 in the Kampung Keledang, Baling, Kedah. During this period, in-depth interviews were conducted on 15 selected Malay informants, of which 10 informants consisted of the elderly individuals and other informants include three adults and two adolescents. This study found that ghosts are considered dangerous entities by the Kedah Malay community. Sick given to human as a revenge. There are numerous ways how the ghosts can make humans sick. These include harassing as a means of getting attention, lying as applying physical pressure on the human, biting on the body, blood sucking, spirit possession of humans, disrupting the strength of the human spirit, restricting the blood flow within the body of the human, attacking the soul of the human, and spitting on the human. Self-protection practiced by the Malay community to avoid sick including the ritual menghalau, ritual memagar rumah, ritual menjaga kampung, bathing ritual (mandian semangat), amalan memukul tubuh, black magic detecting ritual, amalan menepuk pinggang, amalan menyimpan kacik/Besi, using of the mantra, refer to the nature, tangkal, and using of the taboos in the forest.

Keywords: Personalistic; ghost; disease etiology; self-protection