Music and the invisible world: Music as a bridge between different realms

Abstract

Among the Wana people of Morowali, Central Sulawesi, music serves as a connection between the human world and the hidden world of spirits and emotion. For this reason, music has a central role during the momago, the main Wana healing ritual. Music makes it possible for shamans to tap power from mythical time. By examining the momago, I will clarify the role and the importance of music for Wana rituality. During the ritual, music serves as a ritual marker and, with its relation with the hidden world, calls the spirits, transforms ordinary time into mythical/ritual time and helps shamans to get into trance. Moreover, it contributes to the playful atmosphere that characterises Wana rituals and that allows the healing of the patient and the community through emotional catharsis. To explore the role of music in this shamanic ritual, this paper will analyse the structure and the aim of the momago, a ritual in which shamans and music join forces in the effort to find the soul of the patient and save his/her life.