SD1-269

Genre: Medicine/huru: Veronika Nanga, kampong Nitung, tells her 'huru' – 'huru bhapha' in the late morning 23 Sept 2015. Symptoms: swollenness that spreads all over the body's soft parts. The sign 'huru bhapha' is not hung, but 'haja' is placed on a stick that is put standing in the ground, to scare people from stealing fruits from the plantation. The trees are cut gently to be activated; part of the act of 'huru'. The cure uses 'haja' too, and small leaves, "boat things", chewed with areca nut, piper betel and lime, and applied on the swollen parts of the body. After the cure the victim 'peju' pays money, and they will have ketupat and fish. If not, the swollenness will reappear. Later she says that the young do not believe in these things anymore. They believe in modern medicine. And few people in Nitung do 'huru' nowadays. Nitung is a more modern, progressive village, people say. I was on a two days/nights visit to Nitung and hoped to finally record someone from that village. Veronika was the first one. I knew the family since I first arrived in Flores, so they are used to me, yet it is the first time ever for most people to be recorded. Veronika was not so shy. Recorded with the new AT lavelier mic (without problems), sitting the two of us by a table - in a room of a house belonging to the family, next to their own.The plenty confirmation parties and deaths during this month were my main obstacles. 'Huru bhapha' is a common 'huru', there are several recordings in the collection. Notes: haja, “wunu kena pou”. (huru bhapha. VN). Curse: stick sign of haja tree in the soil, cut at trees. Symptoms: swollen limbs, severe. Cure: chew with haja and “boat leves”. 3-4 days disappear, then peju, ngiru peju, last treatment with payment, must money, ketupat and fish.Palu'e, Flores, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia. Recording made in kampong Nitung Lea, Nitu Lea domain