Ghost Stories.

Ghost Stories. [Posted 25 Dec 2014, 426 views, 28 likes, 12 comments]

I have been exploring many parts of Indonesia for a long time, and come across several supernatural events. I recently visited a mineral exploration camp not far from Kupang, Timor where a ghost had become active. Many of the geologists and others in the camp are from Java and other Islands, where ghost traditions are a very deep part of the culture, and I was not so surprised to learn ghosts are also very much a part of Timor.

Several months back the commencement of exploration drilling was undertaken with a traditional ritual blessing, involving animal sacrifice with ensuing feast and various blessings. However it seems this ghost was not pleased, as the ceremony was held on the first drill site, with not so much emphases at the base camp. Thus slowly began the disturbed sleep of some of the crew. This built up slowly over time to noises above the house in the night and developed further. Locked doors & locked windows would open by themselves. Noises and rumblings would pass over the house. Some plates and glasses on a tray by the TV table moved by themselves. Disturbed sleep and falling out of bed continued. One crew member who had been living in the area for several years and was watching TV was suddenly pushed in the chest such that he fell backwards. Another senior staff woke from a bad dream where his legs were being pulled to find himself half out of bed and his legs dangling past the end of the bed. A giant was seen walking out of the bushes and over the house. In none of these events was the ghosts face seen, but one sighting referred to short pointy hair and pointy ears. Sometimes the hands were seen, but sometimes more like an animal hands. Most disturbances happened between 6pm and 4 am.

The team undertook to protect themselves with a ceremony of placing burnt items (sulphur, leaves etc) plus a battery, prickly pins etc in each corner of the house, and by the windows. But this did not seem to work. The exploration camp is rented from the land / house owner, and in Timor the bad spirits belong to the land / house owner, so it seems it is his annual duty to pacify the spirits with appropriate blessings.

I stayed in the haunted house for several nights, and as I had recently been reading a book on such Java traditions and beliefs, I offered the house spirit to partake in the aroma of some branded coffee I had brought for all the team to enjoy, and sniff the fried bananas. There was no disturbance for the several days I stayed there. However I stayed over for a second period, and this time I did not invite the spirit to enjoy the smells of our food. On my last night I awoke after midnight (as the generator was off) to hear a high flying commercial jet overhead in the still of the night. Then I heard a loud scraping noise like someone dragging a box across the tin roof (we have a giant tin roof shed next door, but not possible for man or animal to climb), and then I heard one of the crew having a bad dream..ah..aah.aah ..ahhh..HAAAR!!, and then it seems he woke, muttered some words and all was quiet. In the morning the bad dreamer said the ghost was pulling his legs !!!

I have known exploration camps in North Sumatra where the geologists had to stay in their tents for a few weeks with a tiger roaming through their camp. I have been in camps were crew or staff went “tropo”. I have been in other camps where staff went missing in the night and turned up later with their cloths inside out and not remembering a thing, and more strange things. Being in an exploration camp where ghosts are active is just another challenge the Indonesian geologist put-up-with to follow his profession.