In Malaysian, Bruneian and Indonesian folklore, Bunian people or Orang bunian () are supernatural beings said to be invisible to most humans, except those with "spiritual sight". While the term is often translated as "

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", it literally translates to "hidden people" or "whistling people". Orang bunian are described as beautiful, dressed in ancient

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

n style, and nearly identical to humans in appearance. Some mythological accounts describe the lack of a

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. Modern depictions of Orang bunian deviate from the traditional folklore by including elf-like features, pointed ears,

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-influenced attire, or modern Minangkabau long-coat clothing.

Folklore

Orang bunian are said to inhabit the deep

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s or high mountains in

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

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, far from human contact, as well as near human communities, and are even said to share the same houses as human families. According to legend, their social structure is similar to that of humans in the ancient Malay Peninsula, with families, clans, and royalty. As with other mythical beings in Indonesian folklore, Orang bunian often have supernatural powers, and must be appeased with certain rituals and customs before humans are allowed to trespass areas which they inhabit. Orang bunian are generally regarded as benevolent, befriending and assisting humans, particularly magicians (''

dukun Dukun is an Indonesian language, Indonesian term for shaman. Their societal role is that of a traditional healer, spirit medium, custom and tradition experts and on occasion Magician (paranormal), sorcerers and masters of black magic. In comm ...

'' or '' bomoh'') and shamans (''pawang''). They are said to be able to intermarry with humans, and bear invisible children. According to some tales, men had married Orang bunian women, but later decided to leave the bunian community and return to the families they had left behind. However, after returning to human society, they found that many years had passed and everyone they once knew had died. These narratives have been compared to Urashima Taro and

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Folklore

See also

References

Further reading