Meteorite or ‘magical’ healing stone? Indonesian social media lights up again over another alien rock landing
- Local residents who found a meteorite that crashed to earth in southern Sumatra put it into a tub of water, hoping its essence would cure their ailments
- It was the second instance that a meteorite hitting Sumatra has made the rounds on social media, with the first, in August, causing a firestorm over its value
Local residents in the area where the meteorite fell last week in Lampung, the southernmost province of Sumatra, apparently found the still-hot stone, placed it in a tub of water, then took bottles of the water home to drink or pour over their bodies as a disease preventive or curative.
“They believe that the stone is a magical stone, and that the water can bring blessings and good luck and is magically useful for maintaining health,” said Roni Pamungkas, a 23-year-old local resident who encountered his neighbours absconding into the night with their exotic elixir.
Edi Kurniawan, the head Astomulyo village, where the 2.2kg rock landed, said that most of local residents considered the meteorite sacred because it fell on an auspicious night under local animist belief, and came in answer to the prayers of a homeowner who had long battled kidney disease.
“A person [in Astomulyo] who is considered to have spiritual abilities suggested putting the stone in the water so that the water could be used for healing,” he told This Week in Asia.
Meteorite makes man a millionaire – but only in Indonesian rupiah
After hearing of the incident through social media and the news stories, a research team from the Astronomical Observatory of the Sumatra Institute of Technology (ITERA) went to the house of the local resident, Munjilah, who possessed the rock, taking samples and confirming that it was, indeed, a meteorite.
ITERA researchers Robiatul Muztaba and Danni Gathot Harbowo, both experts in geological engineering, said the rock contained several metallic elements – one known as “stony-iron” – and was black on one side, due to friction it encountered on its passage through the atmosphere.
But, Robiatul said, there was no truth to the belief that the meteorite held curative powers, and in fact could be “dangerous” to the human body because it potentially contained radioactive elements.
The stone is now considered to be the joint property of all of the villagers in Astomulyo, who can sell it if they choose, Edi said.
But after multiple media outlets reported that the rock was worth substantially more than the 33-year-old was paid for, perhaps as much as US$1.7 million, Josua went into hiding because of the extreme media attention he received before eventually returning home.
While it is still unclear what price was ultimately paid for the meteorite, it is now listed on the website of the Meteoritical Society, a US-based non-profit research organisation, as “Kolang” after the name of the district in which it fell.
