Not surprisingly, there are many different varieties of traditional medicine in Indonesia, all associated to a greater or lesser degree with the diff erent ethnic groups and the historical processes that have shaped this archipelagic nation. -more details;Among the various patterns are mixtures of older elements (from hunter-gatherer stages) and knowledge gained during the diff erent historical periods.They display not only the influence of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam,but also that of the colonial era and the period after independence.
The oldest and most widespread system, and one of which is best understood, is the jamu system of herbal medicine. It originated in Java, and probably dates back to the construction of the world-famous Borobudur in the late eighth and early ninth centuries. In the course of time, jamu spread not only to the whole island of Java and to neighboring Bali, but also to many of the other islands. This dissemination was greatly furthered by the policy of resettlement, which dates back to the period of Dutch colonial rule. Under this policy, which was known as ‘colonization’, 200,000 people were moved away from rural Java during the period 1905-1940. After independence in 1945 the scheme was continued, as part of the Indonesian government’s Transmigration Program. Between 1950 and 1994, upwards of 7 million people left Java and Bali as participants of transmigration, some 7% of them with government support (Department of Information, 1996).
Today, jamu plays a decisive role in the national development; it is an important component of national health care and plays a major role in the economy of the rural areas. As a result of the continuous exchange of information between various cultural groups, traditional systems of medicine are not static but dynamic, regularly incorporating new knowledge and uses. While all the various systems are based on more or less the same plant material, users are limited by what is available in their own locality and the existing knowledge with regard to their use. This has resulted in an interesting series of often complex patterns of use.
from : Indonesian Ekspor New
The oldest and most widespread system, and one of which is best understood, is the jamu system of herbal medicine. It originated in Java, and probably dates back to the construction of the world-famous Borobudur in the late eighth and early ninth centuries. In the course of time, jamu spread not only to the whole island of Java and to neighboring Bali, but also to many of the other islands. This dissemination was greatly furthered by the policy of resettlement, which dates back to the period of Dutch colonial rule. Under this policy, which was known as ‘colonization’, 200,000 people were moved away from rural Java during the period 1905-1940. After independence in 1945 the scheme was continued, as part of the Indonesian government’s Transmigration Program. Between 1950 and 1994, upwards of 7 million people left Java and Bali as participants of transmigration, some 7% of them with government support (Department of Information, 1996).
Today, jamu plays a decisive role in the national development; it is an important component of national health care and plays a major role in the economy of the rural areas. As a result of the continuous exchange of information between various cultural groups, traditional systems of medicine are not static but dynamic, regularly incorporating new knowledge and uses. While all the various systems are based on more or less the same plant material, users are limited by what is available in their own locality and the existing knowledge with regard to their use. This has resulted in an interesting series of often complex patterns of use.
No comments:
Post a Comment