Nama Napsiah, 65, Jalio neighborhood residents, Ward, Sumberejo, Banyuwangi sub-district was once a massage therapist subscribed to by the army and police. Now, he is popular as a massage therapist who specializes in toddlers who get sick (demon possessed).
SIGIT HARIYADI, Banyuwangi
THAT AFTERNOON, an old woman sitting on the floor of a house in one of the alleys in Jalio Lingkungan, Kelurahan Sumberejo. On the thigh of that woman named Napsiah, looks like a child is lying down in a prone position. Napsiah's fingers continued to massage the two year old boy's body.
Napsiah's activity of massaging toddlers like that happens almost every day. Usually, customers use Napsiah services to massage their favorite toddler once a month. It was done as a precautionary measure, so that no muscles of the child are sprained due to the wrong position when being carried, and other reasons.
The work of massaging babies has been carried out by this woman who is affectionately called Mbah Meng since decades ago. So far, he admitted that he never took massage classes or studied the anatomy of the human body. even though, the work of massaging people requires expertise and knowledge of the human body.
“I never learned to massage on anyone. This ability of mine comes because of hereditary factors. My grandmother is a traditional birth attendant as well as an expert in massaging babies and toddlers,said the woman who has been married four times. By some customers, Napsiah is also known to have the ability to heal a toddler who is possessed by a jinn.
Because of that, every time the baby is fussy, customers always take him to Napsiah for treatment. He also doesn't deny that he has the ability to "repel" the spirits that infest the toddler's body. "To heal a sick child, prayers must be read","Said the mother of nine children. The woman whose hair is still not very gray explains, the characteristics of a child who gets sick is usually fussy, hot body temperature, cold feet, and his eyes are always closed.
“If you experience such symptoms, it is almost certain that the child is involved,he explained. Meanwhile, Napsiah did a new baby massage activity when her energy was no longer able to be forced due to age. In his youth, he often serves body massage services for adult men and women. Even, not infrequently he is invited to the army or police mess, to massage the body of personnel who are less fit.
He explained, Massaging the adult body requires a lot of energy. Because that's when he's old, and the energy has decreased, Napsiah chooses to be a baby massage specialist. "I just
serve babies or toddlers who come to my house. Because, if I was invited to massage at the customer's house, I'm afraid of catching a cold," he said innocently. Napsiah added, There's a difference between massaging a baby's body and an adult's. Adults certainly know the location of the sore muscles.
Adults can also say to the masseur, which part is sick and needs special treatment. Otherwise, baby can't tell the masseuse which part of the muscle hurts or sprains. “When massaging, my hands can tell by itself which part of the baby's body is sick,"concluded the woman who admitted that she had been married twice. (radar)
