MUKAH: Around the 1960s until the 1990s, the sick in the Melanau community would usually undergo a pebayoh ceremony (a traditional Melanau treatment method) to seek treatment.
In fact, I myself have undergone this ceremony and often saw it from the 1970s to the early 1990s.
At that time, the famous bayoh (shaman) were the late Petran Lebai, the late Aseh and also the late Ajit.
Pebayoh is usually used to restore the spirit of the sick person as well as to summon and persuade unseen beings that cause the illness.
Bayoh, usually an elderly woman or man, will be called to menyilok (seek) the spirit using a genang (drum). During menyilok, a candle will be lit —if the flame is dim, it means that the spirit of the person being treated has gone far away from his body and the disease he/she is suffering from is very serious.
This traditional ceremony is usually performed at night, and begins with the beating of the genang (from slow to lively).
While drumming, bayoh will recite mantras and call out the names of certain unseen beings in the suket language with the first being appearing, ipok (bayoh’s assistant), followed by other beings. At this point, the bayoh will ask for help (from the summoned beings) to cure the illness of the person he/she is treating.
Young betel nut flower will be used to sweep the whole body of the person being treated to drive away the evil beings.
For me, pebayoh is seen as a dramatic ritual as there will be a fight between the bayoh and aggressive beings.
After a person is successfully treated, he/she will feel healthy or cold, and must also follow some taboos such as being forbidden to hold bamboo and leave the house for a day. If any of the conditions is violated, the person will be re-infected by the same illness.
In addition, the bayoh will usually ask for a chicken, needle or knife as well as cash as a reward for his/her services.
Beginning in the early 2000s, the pebayoh practice began declining and forgotten as the number of bayoh has decreased due to religion and modern medicine.
