: Women are said to seek this power to achieve eternal youth, beauty, or wealth.
In the last decade, the has experienced a cultural resurgence. While it terrified the Dayak for centuries, the internet turned it into a pan-Indonesian phenomenon.
: A Kuyang is vulnerable while her head is detached. If her empty body is found, one can hide it or place sharp objects inside the neck cavity. When the head returns, it will be unable to reattach, leading to the spirit's death at sunrise. Cultural Impact and Media Kuyang
However, in Kalimantan, witness testimonies are overwhelming. Doctors in rural hospitals report treating pregnant women with inexplicable scratch marks on their abdominal walls. Police have investigated cases of "vampire attacks" where victims had severe anemia with no physical entry wound.
: A schoolteacher named Bimo moves to a remote village in Borneo with his pregnant wife, only to find they are being targeted by a local Kuyang . : Women are said to seek this power
: She is believed to target pregnant women to consume the blood of the unborn or newborn.
Many homes place sharp thorns from the Durian tree on the roof. A flying Kuyang, trailing its intestines, will inevitably snag its organs on the thorns. If the organs are torn, the Kuyang will die before it can reintegrate with its body. : A Kuyang is vulnerable while her head is detached
The most potent source? and newborn life force.