ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the multiplicity of the author's ritual directives, as they interweave the disjointed components of contemporary Temiar life in the nation-state of Malaysia, where 'Pure Products Go Crazy'Drawing upon a decade of research among Temiar rainforest dwellers of peninsular Malaysia, the chapter shows how the affective power of such healing rituals are embedded in complex historical and social relations. Temiar healing performances, though often oriented toward a particular individual's suffering at a particular moment in time, are also social healings addressing the scars of history. Temiar cultural history and social relations are crystallized in their healing songs and dances, received during dreams from the animated 'spirits' of their physical and social environment. Dreamers, given the leeway of individual revelation in this relatively egalitarian society, dream their songs in response to personal and historical experiences. Through the discourse of illness, the medium Abilem confronts the problems faced by Temiars in a polyethnic nation-state.
