Dukun
Sign in to savethumb|260px|A dukun preparing traditional medicine (Dutch East Indies|Dutch colonial period, 1910–1940)
~8 min read
Article
14 sectionsContents
- Becoming a dukun
- Range of roles
- Medicinal and curative
- Exorcism
- Divination and soothsaying
- Charms and blessings
- Spiritual communications
- Sorcery
- Society, belief and violence
- Fraud and assault
- 1998 East Java ninja scare
- See also
- References
- Notes
thumb|260px|A dukun preparing traditional medicine (Dutch East Indies|Dutch colonial period, 1910–1940)
Dukun is an Indonesian term for shaman. Their societal role is that of a traditional healer, spirit medium, custom and tradition experts and on occasion sorcerers and masters of black magic (witchcraft). In common usage the dukun is often confused with another type of shaman, the pawang. It is often mistranslated into English as "witch doctor" or "medicine man". Many self-styled dukun in Indonesia are simply scammers and criminals, preying on people who were raised to believe in the supernatural.