Pemilikan Raga (pɛ.miˈli.kan ˈɾa.ɡa)

"Of course your mind and spirit are your own - but the body you inhabit belongs to me" - Maharani Suryanata

Pemilikan Raga is a traditional practice in the city of Kendari that allows for the sale and ownership of bodies. This is a condition which is similar to slavery in many aspects, but in other ways has more in common with land ownership. The owner may not direct or control the actions of their "tenant" who inhabits the body, but they can charge rent, conduct inspections, and in some instances even sue for an eviction.

A debtor selling their possessions

History

Dukuna Siring and Corpse Medicine

The practice of Pemilikan Raga originated with the value bodies have in Dukuna Siring, the traditional medicine practiced in and around Kendari. Long before the practice of body ownership was adopted, individuals would donate their bodies to practitioners of Dukuna Siring for use in their remedies, as a way to give back to the community after death.

As Kendari rose to become one of the great commercial centers of the Great Ring, the merchants that ruled it instituted laws regarding debts and repayments that included the auctioning of all assets belonging to a person who died while indebted, unless their family and friends could pay for them. Nobody is quite certain who first included the body of the deceased as an asset to be included in the auction, but it became a standard part of the process long before the establishment of the Kingdom of Lahat. A small group of merchants arose who dealt in the purchase and disposal of dead bodies, providing an unprecedented supply of materials to the practitioners of Dukuna Siring. This made their cures far more common and affordable, and solidified the use of this form of Folk Magic throughout the Kendari region.

Looking to the Future with Hak Bangkai

The next step towards Pemilikan Raga was when some merchants began to purchase rights to the corpses of those who were still living. Known as Hak Bangkai, this practice allowed someone to cede the right to their body after death for a payment while they were alive. It furthermore was established that a parent could sell the rights to the eventual corpses of their children, although the potentially long wait did keep the price of child Hak Bangkai fairly low. To many, it seemed better to be able to feed living children than to have the right to bury ones that had starved.

But the merchants who engaged in Hak Bangkai found that it was quite different from owning corpses. Their future assets were being currently inhabited by living people, many of whom were not inclined to keep the merchant's profits in mind during their everyday activities. Most importantly, these merchants had to make sure that the bodies they had purchased would remain accessible to them after death. They persuaded the Kendari council to issue edicts limiting the ability of individuals whose bodies were not their property to travel without the permission of the owner, or to engage in professions likely to result in loss of the body (such as sailors). These were followed by more laws intended to protect the investments of the Hak Bangkai merchants. They were given the right to issue fines to their "tenants" if they engaged in activities that would reduce the body's value in Dukuna Siring. This included the consumption of alcohol or other substances that were believed to degrade the body, or engaging in professions which were seen as unclean. Fines could also be charged if the tenant allowed the body to be damaged, especially if a part of the body was lost. The merchants demanded the right to inspect their property whenever they wished, and would send their agents to check up on their investments at random intervals to ensure that their rules were being obeyed.

The Transition to Pemilikan Raga

The last step towards Pemilikan Raga was when merchants who were impatient with how long certain of their tenants remained in their bodies began to pursue the right to evict them and realize their investments. While illegal evictions had occurred from almost the beginning of Hak Bangkai, the merchants wanted a legal route they could employ, so that their political enemies could not leverage evictions against them in court. They pressed the Kendari Council to create such a process, and after a large amount of money changed hands, the councilors established the rules that transformed Hak Bangkai into Pemilikan Raga. While it did not make evictions an easy process (as the councilors believed that frequent evictions was likely to cause riots), it did provide a mechanism to pursue it in cases where the "tenant" was particularly negligent or flouted the restrictions laid upon them. However, it also established the ability of the owner to charge rent of the continued occupancy of the body, in order appease those merchants who were impatient for the return on their investment.

This, more than anything else, transformed the practice into what it is today. Pemilikan Raga merchants often own dozens or hundreds of bodies, whose "tenants" are required to pay rent for remaining in them. The rents are entirely at the discretion of the merchant, who can pursue legal actions up to and including eviction in cases of non-payment. Many of their "tenants" pay their rent entirely via labor, working in their merchants' homes and businesses for little or no recompense beyond the right to continue inhabiting their bodies. The ownership of the body itself can be sold without consultation of the "tenant", and attempt to steal the body from its owner is punished harshly, typically with summary eviction.

When debtors' auctions occur now, the bodies of those in debt are considered one of their most valuable assets, along with the bodies of any minor children they are responsible for. Sometimes a person will sell their body to a speculator in order to avoid an auction in which their children will be included, or will transfer the guardianship of their children to a friend or relative who is not in danger of being declared destitute. Just as often, a guardian will sell the rights to the bodies of those minors in their care in order to avoid poverty or simply to line their pockets. While in theory anyone can purchase the rights to their own body back again, the price is set at the discretion of the owner, and it is high enough to make most attempts impossible.

Primary Related Location

Kendari

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