A young Chinese Indonesian straddles modernity and tradition in Jakarta
A fashion model by day and a spirit medium by night, Arifin Kuriawan shows the strong bond to community despite attempts by politicians to divide people by race and religion
Arifin Kurniawan towers over his 55-year-old father’s prostrate figure. With his hand placed firmly on the older man’s head, the blonde-haired son barks out instructions in Hokkien.
Only moments before, the 21-year-old Chinese-Indonesian had cut his tongue deliberately with a sword – using the blood to write Chinese characters on rice paper. Bathed in an eerie red light, with statues of countless deities lining the walls and the air filled with chanting, the Fat Cu Kung shrine is Arifin’s domain tonight.
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Surrounded by kneeling adherents, he strokes what would appear to be a chest-length beard imperiously.
But on a normal day, the young man doesn’t speak Hokkien or even write Chinese. Neither does he have a beard.
You see, Arifin is a spirit medium and that evening, he was possessed by Guan Gong, a deity based on a historical general called Guan Yu who lived in the tumultuous “Three Kingdoms” era of ancient China. As part of a ritual blessing, Guan Gong (popular with both police and triads because of his unwavering loyalty and courage) entered his body.