The Melanau ethnic is one of the biggest in Sarawak living in the Mukah area. Some are Muslims and some Christians. Those that still practice animism worship the Ipok ‘spirit’, the manifestation of the strength and power of nature. Ipok consists of Ipok Laut (Sea Ipok), Ipok Balau (Jungle Ipok), Ipok Sarauang (Sky Ipok) and Ipok Iyang (Soil Ipok). On the first night the faith healer is alone in his house after being told that someone has fallen ill. The faith healer bargains with the ‘spirit’ including obtaining the spirit’s requests for the Bebayoh ritual. The second day involves the sick and the faith healer at the faith healer’s house or at the sick person’s premises depending on the spirit’s request. On the night itself the faith healer informs the sick person’s family about the spirit’s requests. The preparation begins in the evening of the following day. The Seladai Dance is then performed. The substances for the Bebayoh ritual are young leaves such as the betel nut leaves, jasmine flower, incense, a drum, candle, and glass fragments on a white cloth. Incense is burnt to start the ritual with mantras recited by the faith healer in the language of the faith healer’s spirit and that of the Ipok, at the same time hitting the drum used to detect the sick person’s illness. The candle is lighted inside the drum and then placed on the faith healer’s face. Other musicians play the rest of the musical instruments such as drum, kulintangan and gongs. After detecting the illness, the faith healer swallows the candle. The betel nut leaves are then swayed on the sick person’s body. The Ipok’s spirit enters the sick person’s body to cure him. Then the sick person steps on the glass fragments. The Seladai dance is then performed by seven unmarried couples with the faith healer circling the dancers with the isem pesai (a kind of young leaves). The sick person has to undergo abcentism like he is forbidden to consume stingray and shark, as well as beans and eggs. On final evening (the seventh day) is the end of the treatment. The sick person has to prepare the ‘payment’ to the faith healer that includes gold, a small spear (made of bone – as the spirit’s food), and a live chicken.

Jhakri or Dhami is a local name for the person who does the traditional ritual to cure the patient. During ancient times, in the absence of medical science, people used to treat the patient through traditional therapy by performing a ritual known as Chhimta, Jhakri. The history of becoming a Jhakri is related to the story of Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati. Goddess Sati took birth on earth as the daughter of King Himavat and Queen Mena. Narad Muni, (a storyteller who carries news and enlightening wisdom) came to look at the baby and declared she is destined to marry Shiva. While growing up, she would lose herself thinking about Lord Shiva. So when Parvati was of marriageable age, she went to the Himalayas to perform penance and appease Lord Shiva and marry him. Lord Shiva was impressed by her devotion and knew about her desire, and he married her. \n\nAfter living together for years, one day Lord Shiva was seriously ill and couldn't be cured for so long. Gradually Lord Shiva came to know that the main cause was because of Parvati. She is believed to be witchcraft (Sondray in Dzongkha and Bogshi in Lhotshamkha). Then Lord Shiva shared with his in-law. His in-law conveyed the idea that her soul/mind will become cleansed if the witchcraft gets out of her soul. The situation was unfathomable to solve, in the course of time Lord Shiva and his in-law tried with an idea to cease the witchcraft of Parvati. One day Parvati was stirring over something out of her attention. Suddenly, his in-law shouted in front of her and said PHAAT!!! Perceptibly, she was horrified by sound and her witchcraft dissipated. So it is said that the evolution of Jhakri started from that moment. So this story was shared by most of the interviewees. \n\nMoreover, it has another continuous story to be shared as per Mr. Singh Bir Pradhan, a senior citizen of Dzomling chiwog. Once there came a person called Jangali (another name for Jhakri) to meet Lord Shiva who was seriously ill for so long. So Jangali sat to the right of Lord Shiva and Parvati to the left. Jangali came with the Tiger grass (Botanical name: Thysanolaena latifolia) to treat Shiva by using the leaves. The treatment was akin to showing the magic. Jangali swallowed that leaf in his mouth and showed it from his bottom. Then Parvati was asked to swallow the tiger grass leaf. As she swallowed the leaf, it stuck halfway down her throat, and was finding it difficult to swallow completely. Then the Jangali asked her to cough out the leaf with full force. When Parvati coughed out with full force the leaf came out and along with it witched. As a result, the leaf left a mark on Parvati’s teeth. So this is a story regarding the evolution of Jhakri.\n\nTo become a Jhakri is not the core profession of a person who can endure or learn it. Rather it's the prophecy given by Lord Shiva who has the virtue to treat people whenever they are sick. When a person who is destined to be a Jhakri, is born with the wisdom of Jhakri, he usually suffers from various illnesses at a young age. The symptoms include frequent stomach ache, headache, dizziness, back pain, and shivering body which cannot be controlled. In a few cases, the person destined to be a Jhakri even has hallucinations. They will not know the causes yet the illness continues for three to four years. According to Mr. Manbir Khadal, 65-year-old Jhakri said that if a person is destined to be a Jhakri, he behaves very strangely even when in the mother’s womb. He also added that Manbir’s mother had experienced extensive fetal movement and unusual shivering from the premature baby. \nThe divination of a Jhakri will be only born to the person who stays clean, mentally pure, and physically healthy. It sometimes can be related to a person reincarnated as a great lama or Truelku in Buddhism since Jhakri will also be able to predict the past life of a person. Mr. Manbir Khadal also says that with time Jhakri is rarely born. “The current Jhakris’ are all born before 1990. Some of them already immigrated to other countries after the 1990s problem in southern Bhutan”. \n\nLocals shared the importance of having Dhami in their locality because if the patient is sick for a long duration, they get other ways of treating when hospital medicine does not cure them. So, the practice of the Jhakri ritual is still believed and endured by the people across the country as per Deo Maya, the wife of Dhami Manbir Khadal. She says that if a person is suffering from dizziness, and back pain when they are grieved by the local deities/divinity, and if the illness is caused by the evil spirits, they instantly come to visit her husband to do the ritual. \n\nMr. Manbir Khadal had been living in his current village, that is lower Dzomling, for his entire life and his parents too. After he was recognized as a Jhakri, he treated countless patients from different parts of our country. From this we can conclude that the people balance their beliefs in both medical science and spiritual therapy. He said, “A few weeks ago, a quadriplegia (paralyzed from the waist down) girl with her family came to do the Jhakri ritual at my house. When she was coming down towards my house, her guardian was carrying her on his back. After doing the Jhakri ritual, she was alright and able to walk without support.” which means we can say that people still believe in the traditional healing therapy practice in this modern world.

Confectionery, shirapazlik — is the field of crafts in which local sugar products, local sweetnesses and candies are prepared. Anciently it was developed in Eastern countries, especially in the Middle Ages it became widespread.Kholva — is prepared by adding oil, sesame, nut, almonds, flour and others into the boiledsyrup. In order to improve its taste cacao, cacao powder, raisin, sukaus, vanillin, lemon acid and others are also added. According to the ingredients, used in preparation, kholva is divided into such types as bodroq (fried maize) kholva, maghiz (kernel) kholva, nuts kholva, sunflower kholva, sesame kholva, peanut kholva, pashmak kholva. One of the sweetnesses — Pashmak (candyfloss) — is famous in the Central Asia from the ancient times. Pashmak contains sugar, vinegar, premium wheat flour and animal fat. From ancient times it was as a medicine for the treatment of lungs and bronchus

Confectionery, shirapazlik — is the field of crafts in which local sugar products, local sweetnesses and candies are prepared. Anciently it was developed in Eastern countries, especially in the Middle Ages it became widespread.Kholva — is prepared by adding oil, sesame, nut, almonds, flour and others into the boiledsyrup. In order to improve its taste cacao, cacao powder, raisin, sukaus, vanillin, lemon acid and others are also added. According to the ingredients, used in preparation, kholva is divided into such types as bodroq (fried maize) kholva, maghiz (kernel) kholva, nuts kholva, sunflower kholva, sesame kholva, peanut kholva, pashmak kholva. One of the sweetnesses — Pashmak (candyfloss) — is famous in the Central Asia from the ancient times. Pashmak contains sugar, vinegar, premium wheat flour and animal fat. From ancient times it was as a medicine for the treatment of lungs and bronchus

Confectionery, shirapazlik — is the field of crafts in which local sugar products, local sweetnesses and candies are prepared. Anciently it was developed in Eastern countries, especially in the Middle Ages it became widespread.Kholva — is prepared by adding oil, sesame, nut, almonds, flour and others into the boiledsyrup. In order to improve its taste cacao, cacao powder, raisin, sukaus, vanillin, lemon acid and others are also added. According to the ingredients, used in preparation, kholva is divided into such types as bodroq (fried maize) kholva, maghiz (kernel) kholva, nuts kholva, sunflower kholva, sesame kholva, peanut kholva, pashmak kholva. One of the sweetnesses — Pashmak (candyfloss) — is famous in the Central Asia from the ancient times. Pashmak contains sugar, vinegar, premium wheat flour and animal fat. From ancient times it was as a medicine for the treatment of lungs and bronchus

Confectionery, shirapazlik — is the field of crafts in which local sugar products, local sweetnesses and candies are prepared. Anciently it was developed in Eastern countries, especially in the Middle Ages it became widespread.Kholva — is prepared by adding oil, sesame, nut, almonds, flour and others into the boiledsyrup. In order to improve its taste cacao, cacao powder, raisin, sukaus, vanillin, lemon acid and others are also added. According to the ingredients, used in preparation, kholva is divided into such types as bodroq (fried maize) kholva, maghiz (kernel) kholva, nuts kholva, sunflower kholva, sesame kholva, peanut kholva, pashmak kholva. One of the sweetnesses — Pashmak (candyfloss) — is famous in the Central Asia from the ancient times. Pashmak contains sugar, vinegar, premium wheat flour and animal fat. From ancient times it was as a medicine for the treatment of lungs and bronchus

Confectionery, shirapazlik — is the field of crafts in which local sugar products, local sweetnesses and candies are prepared. Anciently it was developed in Eastern countries, especially in the Middle Ages it became widespread.Kholva — is prepared by adding oil, sesame, nut, almonds, flour and others into the boiledsyrup. In order to improve its taste cacao, cacao powder, raisin, sukaus, vanillin, lemon acid and others are also added. According to the ingredients, used in preparation, kholva is divided into such types as bodroq (fried maize) kholva, maghiz (kernel) kholva, nuts kholva, sunflower kholva, sesame kholva, peanut kholva, pashmak kholva. One of the sweetnesses — Pashmak (candyfloss) — is famous in the Central Asia from the ancient times. Pashmak contains sugar, vinegar, premium wheat flour and animal fat. From ancient times it was as a medicine for the treatment of lungs and bronchus

Confectionery, shirapazlik — is the field of crafts in which local sugar products, local sweetnesses and candies are prepared. Anciently it was developed in Eastern countries, especially in the Middle Ages it became widespread.Kholva — is prepared by adding oil, sesame, nut, almonds, flour and others into the boiledsyrup. In order to improve its taste cacao, cacao powder, raisin, sukaus, vanillin, lemon acid and others are also added. According to the ingredients, used in preparation, kholva is divided into such types as bodroq (fried maize) kholva, maghiz (kernel) kholva, nuts kholva, sunflower kholva, sesame kholva, peanut kholva, pashmak kholva. One of the sweetnesses — Pashmak (candyfloss) — is famous in the Central Asia from the ancient times. Pashmak contains sugar, vinegar, premium wheat flour and animal fat. From ancient times it was as a medicine for the treatment of lungs and bronchus

Confectionery, shirapazlik — is the field of crafts in which local sugar products, local sweetnesses and candies are prepared. Anciently it was developed in Eastern countries, especially in the Middle Ages it became widespread.Kholva — is prepared by adding oil, sesame, nut, almonds, flour and others into the boiledsyrup. In order to improve its taste cacao, cacao powder, raisin, sukaus, vanillin, lemon acid and others are also added. According to the ingredients, used in preparation, kholva is divided into such types as bodroq (fried maize) kholva, maghiz (kernel) kholva, nuts kholva, sunflower kholva, sesame kholva, peanut kholva, pashmak kholva. One of the sweetnesses — Pashmak (candyfloss) — is famous in the Central Asia from the ancient times. Pashmak contains sugar, vinegar, premium wheat flour and animal fat. From ancient times it was as a medicine for the treatment of lungs and bronchus

Confectionery, shirapazlik — is the field of crafts in which local sugar products, local sweetnesses and candies are prepared. Anciently it was developed in Eastern countries, especially in the Middle Ages it became widespread.Kholva — is prepared by adding oil, sesame, nut, almonds, flour and others into the boiledsyrup. In order to improve its taste cacao, cacao powder, raisin, sukaus, vanillin, lemon acid and others are also added. According to the ingredients, used in preparation, kholva is divided into such types as bodroq (fried maize) kholva, maghiz (kernel) kholva, nuts kholva, sunflower kholva, sesame kholva, peanut kholva, pashmak kholva. One of the sweetnesses — Pashmak (candyfloss) — is famous in the Central Asia from the ancient times. Pashmak contains sugar, vinegar, premium wheat flour and animal fat. From ancient times it was as a medicine for the treatment of lungs and bronchus