WITCHCRAFT AND BLACK MAGIC IN INDONESIA

MAGIC IN INDONESIA

Nicholas Herriman wrote in Inside Indonesia: “ Beliefs and practices that might be labelled ‘magical’ can be found throughout the archipelago – not least in the East Javanese district of Banyuwangi, sometimes referred to as the ‘Warehouse of Sorcery’. There, everybody is thought to be able to do a little magic. It could be as simple as securing good luck in a trip to the market by saying ‘In the name of Allah’. However, some people are thought to have acquired higher forms of knowledge and power. [Source: Nicholas Herriman, Inside Indonesia, April - June 2013, Herriman lectures in anthropology at La Trobe University /]

Witchcraft is prohibited in Islam. However, the practice is widespread in Indonesia. 2012 survey by the Pew Forum showed that 69 percent of Indonesian Muslims believe witchcraft is real. “Many people in Indonesia, including its top leaders, turn to soothsayers to consult about their careers, fortunes and marriages,” Endy Bayuni, senior editor at The Jakarta Post. Told Washington Post.

Sara Schonhardt of CNN wrote: “Indonesians believe in both good and bad magic, as well as the presence of the paranormal. They say Yogyakarta has a particularly strong spiritual presence because it is home to the country’s only Sultan, who they see as a medium between god and the people. Those who work at royal institutions often received monthly salaries between US$1 and US$2 as a symbol of devotion and respect for the Sultanate. It is this energy that strengthens the city’s magic.“Many think the more energy people put into believing in black magic the stronger it becomes,” says Antonia Suryantari, a 27-year-old English teacher who grew up in Yogyakarta. She says younger generations don’t place their faith in magic the way their parents do, [Source: Sara Schonhardt, CNN, April 22, 2010]

One traveler posted on Travellersjourney.com: “A belief in magic crosses cultural and religious barriers. Magic and the paranormal sit easily alongside a belief in Muhammed, Christ and the Hindu Gods. As a tourist, the easiest way to learn about magic in Indonesia is at the local markets in large cities. In places like Beringharjo Market, Yogyakarta, street traders sell magical talismen, oils, spells and clothing imbued with magical properties. You can also see evidence of the crossover between pre-Islamic beliefs and current Islamic beliefs in the Quranic verses and scrolls that are sold as talisman and sit in liquid vials or have been applied to clothing. Another place that you might see magic performed is at public ceremonies. Dukuns – the name for witch doctors in Indonesian – are frequently paid to control the weather. In large cities throughout Indonesia, dukuns are hired to ensure there is no rain at large public ceremonies and weddings. Dukuns may also be hired to control volcanic activity. The Sultan of Yogyakarta for instance had a Spiritual Gatekeeper for Mount Merapi who died in the last major eruption in 2010. [Source:ravellersjourney.com]

President Yudhoyono Says He Believes in Witchcraft

In 2014, Vishal Arora wrote in the Washington Post, “Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono may be the first Indonesian president to acknowledge publicly he believes in witchcraft. In a recently published memoir, he describes a “horror movie” style encounter with black magic at his residence. “Suddenly, my wife screamed,” writes Yudhoyono in the 900-page book, “Selalu Ada Pilihan” (There is Always a Choice). “There was this thick dark cloud hovering beneath the ceiling, trying to enter my bedroom. I then asked everybody to pray to seek Allah’s help. I closed the door to my room but left others wide open. The revolving clouds eventually headed out of my house.” [Source: Vishal Arora, Washington Post, January 21, 2014 ||||]

“Yudhoyono lives in his private residence, not at the 19th-century presidential palace in Jakarta, which is considered haunted, Bayuni said. Only two presidents, Sukarno from 1945-1965 and Abdurrahman Wahid from 1999-2001, made the palace their residence. In September 2010, Yudhoyono skipped a meeting of the U.S. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, partly because of “rumors of rampant witchcraft in the palace,” according to a WikiLeaks cable. ||||

“Yudhoyono believes in witchcraft, but perhaps only as a menace. His government last year proposed amendments to the 1918 Criminal Code, adding a clause that states using black magic to cause “someone’s illness, death, mental or physical suffering” is an offense with a punishment of up to five years in jail or 300 million rupiah ($25,000) in fines. ||||

Black Magic and Witchcraft in Indonesia

A “dukun santet” is a practitioner of black magic. In East Java people often hire a dukun santet to cast spells or bring harm to their enemies for fees ranging from a few cigarette to $500. A common practice, local people told Time, is for a sorcerer to conjure up an egg-sized green ball which flies through the air into the home of an enemy and kills them or makes them sick in accordance with detailed instructions written by the dukun santet . By one count more than 100 people a year are killed by mobs who accused them of being witches.

One traveler posted on ravellersjourney.com: “In Indonesia black magic is known as Ilmu Hitam and practitioners of the dark arts can be found on almost every island of this vast archipelago. The aims can often be the same as “white magic,” but the spells and rituals are very different. An exteme example is the kidnapping and beheading of babies who are born on certain days in the Javanese calender to bring wealth and luck to families whose houses the babies are buried in front of. Indonesian black magic can also be used against people. The Indonesian Intelligence Agency (BIN) famously contemplated using black magic to assassinate the Human Rights activist Munir Saib Thalin, before deciding on the more practical course of poisoning him. The practice of casting spells against a person is called Rapuh in East Java. Samples of personal items, such as clothing, hair and fingernails are often required for such spells to be successful.[Source:ravellersjourney.com]

Nicholas Herriman wrote in Inside Indonesia: “Sorcery and witchcraft are part of everyday life for millions of Indonesians. Personal ‘misfortunes’ (illness, loss of livestock, death of family member) are often attributed to perpetrators of black magic. Often the witch or sorcerer is believed to be someone close by. It could be a neighbour, family member or friend. Sorcerers are most commonly believed to be men. Neighbours, families, and friends sometimes suspect that the sorcerer’s motive is envy, jealousy, greed, and so on. Having lived in an East Javanese village for a year, I found that some of these traits could be found in everyone, and certainly the alleged sorcerers I knew did not stand out in this regard. I could only discern that disagreements and arguments often occurred amongst neighbours and relatives. If such altercations were frequently followed by misfortunes of other parties, an accusation of sorcery might result. [Source: Nicholas Herriman, Inside Indonesia, April - June 2013, Herriman lectures in anthropology at La Trobe University /]

“Local residents target ‘witches’ and ‘sorcerers’ with various forms of retribution, including ostracism, destruction of property, violence and even murder. Periodic outbreaks of sorcerer killings have occurred in many regions of Indonesia, including East Java in the mid-1960s and early 1980s, and North Sumatra in 1987-88. More outbreaks occurred following President Suharto’s downfall. In 1998, local residents killed around 100 ‘sorcerers’ in Banyuwangi and up to 150 more were killed in West Java in 1999. Subsequently, nine ‘sorcerers’ were killed by the residents of Malang, also in East Java, between 1999 and 2000. The killings may have subsided since the turbulent years of the early post-Suharto period, but they have by no means stopped altogether. In 2012, a man in East Java and an elderly couple were killed in Aceh under suspicion of practising black magic. Such reports are not uncommon. /

“In Banyuwangi, local residents continue to perceive certain ‘misfortunes’ to be a consequence of sorcery, and demand laws that address such practices. This is nowhere clearer than in the reflections of a local man called Abdul, who had killed a ‘sorcerer’ named Dillah in the period following Suharto’s downfall. ‘At the time I did it to Dillah,’ he told me. ‘It was like there were no rules from the rulers.’ Then Abdul gestured in the direction of the house of a neighbouring alleged sorcerer and said ‘he is my number two’, implying he was ready to move onto his next target. The ultimate fate of Abdul’s neighbour, and many other alleged sorcerers and witches in Indonesia, may well reside in the fortunes of the revised penal code.

Yogyakarta Black Magic Market

Yogyakarta’s oldest market still trades in spiritual goods — swords, stones and other talismans meant to bring wealth, health and most of all, protection. Sara Schonhardt of CNN wrote: “Down a narrow alleyway where strings of sun pierce the gaps between the overhang sit small, dusty trinkets, stones and oils. The haphazard collection, spread throughout various stalls, ranges from antique-looking Hindu symbols to pieces of green and red cloth emblazoned with Javanese Arabic. These charms are believed to protect their owners from deep-seated superstitions that many in Indonesia harbor. At Yogyakarta’s Beringharjo market, these talismans fill old wooden toolboxes or pushcarts that once plied the streets of the city at the heart of Javanese culture. [Source: Sara Schonhardt, CNN, April 22, 2010]

“Many of the charms, or penangal balak, are protective, meant to block spells or absorb bad spirits. They include Arabic prayers penned on cloth worn beneath one’s clothing, special stones or colorful glass rocks, and ginger roots hailed as antidotes to toxins. Yanto Sugiyanto, who has sold charms in Beringharjo market for 30 years, says he has seen little change in the popularity of his goods. People of all ages buy the talismans as collector’s items, he says, while turning a piece of small, yellow bamboo in his hand. Yanto’s small station hugs the wall of a building across the alley from two women who sell an Islamic-influenced collection of talismans. Scrolls with scriptures from the Qur’an float in liquid-filled vials on a shelf above distinctive Indonesian swords, or kris, thought to possess magical powers.

A box containing bamboo oil warns buyers that it’s a reproduction, as are most of the antique-looking items. The oil, which sells for around US$0.50, is popular because it is cheap and is meant to serve a plethora of purposes — from collecting debts to improving trade and farming. Other oils — such as sandalwood, citronella and jasmine — cure ailments and imbue users with intelligence or beauty. Nur, the owner of this shop, says these beliefs do not challenge Islam if the charms are used to improve one’s health or livelihood. Also available: susuk, brass or gold charm needles, that are inserted under the skin to treat pain or protect against injury or incident. Legend has it that susuk was the reason former dictator Suharto amassed such considerable political power and longevity, but a shaman must insert the needles in the body.

Nur says she gets the brass slivers from a factory, and that none of the charms have been activated. That requires a visit to a wise man who has studied the art of black magic, but it doesn’t seem to dissuade buyers, who still flock to this market to assuage their fears of evil forces. A nail sits among kris, traditional Javanese daggers thought to possess magical powers. Homeowners often hammer nails with Qua’ranic verses in to walls to prevent wicked spirits from entering.

Dr. Dynamo Jack

Of all people the Blair brothers met on their adventures in Indonesia "perhaps the most remarkable was 'Dr. Dynamo Jack,' an ethnic Chinese...[who] sent a powerful electric current...from within his own body. He claimed to have derived these powers from a Taoist master, a forest hermit...he had studied with for seven years." [Source: "Ring of Fire" by Lawrence and Lorne Blair, Bantam Books, New York ==]

"'I use acupuncture needles some of the time,' he told me, 'but usually just my hands, from a slight distance. Look I'll show you.' He stood up, undid his pants, lowered the top of his trousers and underpants, placed the flat of my hand on his bare stomach a few inches below his navel, and ordered me try to keep it there. I found myself having to lean against him with all my strength, and still my hand was being pushed away from his stomach by what felt like a dry but irresistibly strong jet of water. ==

“Then he exhaled, and my hand shot back to his stomach again, nearly sending him off his feet. 'That’s one of the two chakas I use to generate the energy, he said...'This is another.' I touched his outstretched hand. He inhaled and released such a powerful jolt through my arm that I howled and snatched it away." After shoving a bamboo chopstick through an inch of wood he told Blair, "It's very simple. Just a matter of practice. Like an electric eel we all have this Ying-Yang polarity." ==

Dr. Dynomo Jack's most amazing feat is his ability to create fire only using his hand. "'Very difficult to work with these energies when so far from the ground,' he told us. 'Hard to earth.' He then crushed our newspaper into a ball, held it in his left hand, pointed at it with his right, and ignited it into a blossom of flame. there was a sudden strong smell of ozone in the room, and I remember the scramble to get all the burning, floating pieces into the metal wastebasket before they singed the carpet." ==

Black Magic and Ninja Violence in Indonesian in the 1990s

In 1998, 300 people were killed in central and eastern Java by vigilantes, some of them masked and dressed in black like ninjas, and armed with sickles, machetes, swords and metal bars. Most of the victims were accused of being sorcerers or practitioners of black magic. But some were also believed to be targets of retribution by former communists or their families for violence in the 1960s. Some of the ninja murders were carefully planned, and carried by black-clad men who first cut the electricity to the victims home and then pulled up in a truck to make the attack.

Many of victims were killed around the East Javan town of Banyuwangi. Some victims had been cut into pieces and had their body parts hung from tree branches. Others had big "X"s slashed on their back. East Java has a long history violence and belief in sorcery. The area around Banyuwangi was also one of the first places where people lashed out against the Chinese in anti-Chinese violence around the time Suharto was ousted. It also is said to have one of the highest concentrations of “dukun santet” in Indonesia. One victim was a worker at a fish processing plant who was accused of dealing in black magic. To fend off such accusations he went as far as having an elaborate ceremony performed at a mosque to swear he had never engaged in sorcerery. All was for naught. A member of vigilante group that murdered him told Time, "His head was split open with an axe. He had been stabbed with a sickle— twice in the back and once in the side. His intestines were hanging out."

The ninja violence is believed to have been triggered by frustration over Indonesia's economic troubles around the time of Suharto’s resignation. Some of the ninja vigilantes are believed to have been Suharto loyalists attempting to stir up trouble, especially against members of the New Awakening (NU) political party. A Western diplomat told Newsweek, "Some of the killings, especially those of the NU religious leaders, seems to be deliberately planned and masterminded by elements of the national political and military elite. It is not unlike a military-style psychological-warfare operation aimed at sowing confusion and terror among the enemy."

Gory Violence Against “Ninjas”

Other victims of violence at that were people believed to be ninjas. Some said these ninjas practiced black magic and were able to conjure up disguises out of thin air and turn into cats and leap into trees to avoid capture. Others were victims of acts of retribution against the ninja-vigilante assassins. And others still were mentally retarded people or people accused of being strange.

Describing an attack on a railway worker in the Malang district of Java with a history of depression, Ron Moreau wrote in Newsweek, "Zaenel Arifin was confronted by nervous villagers in the grip of rumors that ninjas were in the neighborhood, prepared to kill. They crowded around Zaenal and began chanting 'ninja, ninja" when he could not produce identification."

Witness told Newsweek, "the vigilantes bound his hands and feet, and began hacking his body with curved knives and machetes used to cut sugar cane in Malang. One man chopped off Zanal's head, held in aloft and drank blood dripping from the neck to protect himself from the evil ninja spirit. 'The ninja is dead,' the crowd cried in victory. They paraded about with his head impaled on a knife, and dragged his body behind a motorcycle. for dozens of miles.”

Legislation Against Sorcery in Indonesia

Under a bill proposed in March 2013, anyone found guilty of using witchcraft to bring about "someone's illness, death, mental or physical suffering" could be punished with up to five years in jail or more than $30,000 in fines. Backers of the bill say it would prevent fraud by self-advertised shamans. The draft law is part of a major overhaul to Indonesia's Criminal Code, last updated in 1958. Many Indonesians questioned why representatives tasked with modernising the law chose to focus on a problem associated with medieval times. [Source: stream.aljazeera.com, April 1, 2013]

Nicholas Herriman wrote in Inside Indonesia: “From a ‘rationalist’ perspective, those accused of being witches and sorcerers constitute a vulnerable population, in need of state protection. And, to some extent, they get it. After all, those who kill sorcerers or witches are sometimes charged with murder. But this appears problematic to many Indonesians. Fearing witches and sorcerers, they wish to be legally protected from supernatural attacks. To address this problem, law-makers have introduced a draft penal code that will outlaw the practice of black magic. However, this is not as easy as it might sound. People in Banyuwangi say sorcery is mostly imperceptible – but courts tend to demand tangible evidence of criminal activity. So how are law-makers going about making sorcery illegal? [Source: Nicholas Herriman, Inside Indonesia, April - June 2013 /]

“The provisions highlight some fascinating contradictions. The banning of false superstitions seems to fit perfectly well with a modernist-rationalist agenda. Yet what the parliamentarians are trying to get at is not just false superstitions, but also supernatural acts that cause harm. To the extent this is true, the provisions outlawing magic seem paradoxical: an attempt to modernise the legal system is resulting in laws against magic. Moreover, if passed, the anti-witchcraft legislation may initially bolster confidence in institutions such as parliament, the police and the courts. So, apparently ‘illiberal’ legislation (because it encourages persecution) might strengthen the very institutions which are associated with ‘liberal’ ideas of governance. Indeed, in the villages of Banyuwangi prosecuting witches or sorcerers could be seen as a democratic measure, protecting the majority, who believe they have been, or might be, affected by black magic. /

“On the other hand, however, the provisions could create more violence. Granted, violence often results under current conditions and, in the short term, anti-witchcraft legislation could reduce violence. However, in the long term, the experience of other countries that have outlawed black magic, such as Cameroon, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu, suggests that such provisions are ineffective or counterproductive. In Papua New Guinea, for instance, a law failed to stop outbreaks of killings and led to the persecution of women: the law is being now considered for repeal. Similar problems may beset Indonesia if the provisions outlawing magic come into force. /

In the meantime, the debate stirred up by the provisions has apparently caused some consternation among parliamentarians. One of the Commission III members told journalists they should ‘make no mistake, sorcery is part of black magic. In the days of the prophets it was already around in other nations. It requires regulation.’ In an effort to better understand this phenomenon, members of Commission III announced they will be visiting Russia, England, France, and Holland in April 2013 to enquire further into these matters. One commentator on the Kompas webpage announcing this ‘study trip’ was not impressed. ‘Hehe,’ she wrote, ‘if they want to study sorcery why go to Europe? It should be to African countries where there is Voodoo… Who knows? Maybe they’ll all become victims.’

Indonesian Witch Doctor ‘Kept Girl in Cave as Sex Slave for 15 Years’

In August 2018, it was reported that an elderly village witch doctor in Indonesia had entrapped a 12-year-old girl and deceived her into having sexual relations with him for years by claiming to be possessed by a jin, or spirit, of a young boy, according to police. The woman, identified by authorities only as “H,” was rescued in Tolitoli regency, Central Sulawesi province. Acting on a tip-off, police discovered her—then 28 years old—in a rocky crevice in a near Bajugan village, where she had been kept during the day since her disappearance in 2003. [Source: Reuters, August 7, 2018]

At night, she reportedly stayed in a hut near the home of the 83-year-old man, identified by police as JG, though The Jakarta Post named him as Jago. Central Sulawesi Police Chief Muhammad Iqbal Alqudusy said the man had shown the girl a photograph of a boy named Amrin, whom she believed to be her boyfriend. She had been led to think that Amrin’s spirit had entered the elderly man’s body. Authorities stated that the suspect had used this deception to exploit her.

The woman later said she believed she had been having relations with “Jin Amrin” since 2003, though in reality she had been abused by JG. The man admitted to sexual relations beginning in 2008. Jago was charged under Indonesia’s child protection laws, which carried a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Police located the woman after her sister alerted neighbors that she might be nearby. According to The Jakarta Post, the sister had married the son of the shaman, who was known locally for his healing practices and claimed ability to channel spirits. The suspect had previously told the victim’s parents that she had left for Jakarta to find work.

Canadian Teacher Jailed for Allegedly Using Magical Powers to Abuse Children

A Canadian educator, Neil Bantleman, was convicted in 2015 in Indonesia on charges of sexually abusing children at the Jakarta Intercultural School. He and several co-defendants were accused of committing sexual assaults against students, leading to prison sentences ranging from seven to eleven years. Bantleman himself received an 11-year sentence after being found guilty on multiple counts. The charges stemmed from allegations made by the mother of a young boy who claimed he had been sexually abused at the school. Over time, families of nine boys came forward with similar accusations. Prosecutors charged Bantleman and another staff member, Ferdinand Tjiong, with raping three children, and both men were convicted on all counts despite inconsistencies in the evidence.[Source: Richard C. Paddock, New York Times, July 12, 2019]

The case drew controversy due to the nature of the accusations and supporting claims. Testimony included allegations that Bantleman used magical powers to commit the abuse and conceal it, along with references to “secret rooms” at the school—none of which were ever substantiated by police investigations. No physical evidence, such as recordings or medical findings, was produced to support the charges. Additional defendants, including five janitors and a teacher’s aide, were also charged and convicted. Some of them initially confessed but later retracted their statements, alleging they had been coerced under torture. Despite these claims and the lack of clear evidence linking the defendants, the court upheld the charges and imposed prison sentences.

A central and highly controversial aspect of the case against Bantleman involved allegations that he used supernatural or “magical” powers while committing the crimes. Testimony presented in court claimed that he could render abusive acts invisible and manipulate victims through mystical means—claims that drew widespread skepticism from observers. One of the key accusations came from a young boy who told investigators that Bantleman had used a “magic stone” during the alleged assaults. The child said the object had been conjured from the sky and used in a way that prevented him from feeling pain. However, no such object was ever found or introduced as evidence during the trial. Other claims included descriptions of “secret rooms” where the abuse supposedly took place—spaces that were said to appear and disappear. Police searches of the Jakarta Intercultural School failed to uncover any such rooms, raising further doubts about the plausibility of the allegations.

Despite the lack of physical evidence, these supernatural elements became part of the prosecution’s case. Critics argued that such claims reflected a reliance on fantastical narratives rather than verifiable facts, undermining the credibility of the charges. Defense lawyers emphasized that no recordings, objects, or medical findings supported the accusations. The inclusion of magical or mystical explanations also raised concerns about how the testimony had been obtained. The defense contended that repeated questioning by parents, police, and counselors may have influenced the children to develop elaborate stories they believed to be true, including elements of fantasy.

Even so, the court accepted the testimony and convicted Bantleman and others. The case became widely criticized internationally, not only because of the severity of the charges but also because of the role that unsubstantiated claims of supernatural powers appeared to play in securing the convictions.

Legal proceedings were marked by irregularities, including the absence of specific dates for the alleged crimes, making it difficult for the accused to present alibis. Expert testimony suggesting that children’s statements may have been influenced by repeated questioning was rejected by the court, and exculpatory medical reports were not accepted. Although Bantleman’s conviction was briefly overturned on appeal, it was later reinstated by the Supreme Court, which extended his sentence. He ultimately spent nearly five years in prison before receiving clemency in 2019 from Joko Widodo, allowing him to return to Canada. His co-defendants, however, largely remained convicted under the same charges.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 5: East/Southeast Asia:” edited by Paul Hockings, 1993; “Culture and Customs of Indonesia” by Jill Forshee, Greenwood Press, 2006; National Geographic, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Encyclopedia.com, Library of Congress, Indonesia Tourism website (indonesia.travel), Indonesia government websites, Live Science, The Conversation, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Google AI, Wikipedia, The Guardian and various websites, books and other publications.

Last updated April 2026