Pulo Lam Puyang is an island or locality of Acheh upon which stands a dreaded tree, called Ja Karieng, which is the subject of many vows among the Achehnese. In The Achehnese Vol. I, Snouck Hurgronje cites Pulo Lam Puyang in connection with the Achehnese belief in holy or dreaded trees and the practice of making vows at such spots.
The Dreaded Tree
The author compares a number of Achehnese local superstitions in which particular natural objects — trees, mountains, wells — are the objects of religious dread or of vows. He instances “Ja Karieng, a dreaded tree on Pulo Lam Puyang, the subject of many vows; Eumpie Lului, a mountain on the coast of the IV Mukims which plays a part in the rain-making superstition; Eumpie Blieng, a holy well in the IX Mukims which also helps to cause rain; and so on.” The Ja Karieng of Pulo Lam Puyang thus belongs to a class of natural objects — trees, mountains, wells — which the Achehnese regard as the seats of supernatural power.
Vows and the Holy Tree
The vows made at such a tree are a recognised form of Achehnese popular piety. The worshipper, in distress or in hope, addresses himself to the spirit of the tree, promising an offering or a sacrifice in return for the boon sought; and the tree, by virtue of the vows made at it, becomes the centre of a small local cult. The Ja Karieng of Pulo Lam Puyang is thus a typical instance of the way in which the Achehnese landscape is studded with sacred or dreaded objects, at which the popular religion — half-Islamic, half-pre-Islamic — expresses itself in vows and offerings.
See Also
Source
The Achehnese, Vol. I, by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje, translated by A.W.S. O’Sullivan, indexed by R.J. Wilkinson. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1906.