The lesser known festivities of Malaysia that are no less essential and equally beautiful. Living in a multi-ethnic and multicultural country can be a blessing. You get exposed to ways of living, traditions, art, music and food that differs from your own roots. Perhaps best of all, as is the case in Malaysia, you get […]
An Unseen Wind
What can we learn from Animism? And how relevant are its teachings today? Given the emergence and dominance of world religions within Malaysia, you’d be forgiven in forgetting that Animism was once the thriving belief system amongst the inhabitants. The State doesn’t officially recognize Animism but it’s still practiced in various guises, mostly by native […]
Seeds for Commodities
The common narratives of globalization and modern consumerism sees less dominant cultures struggle. Is this the case in Malaysia? We find ourselves in a time when a simple swipe and tap of the finger on our smartphones can buy us virtually anything. Delivered to our front door in a matter of days, it’s effortless. We […]
Lands Taken, Lands Returned?
A Time to Swim (2017) is a documentary that tells the struggles of Mutang Urud, an indigenous activist from the Kelabit tribe of Sarawak. His active opposition to land grabbing and encroachment of ancestral lands in the 90s led to his exile from the country. Upon Mutang’s return to his home village more than 20 […]
The Sound Upriver
Music is more than simply learning the songs, lyrics and techniques of playing. The stories and the connections to ancestors and traditions past that music embodies is just as, if not more, important that the creative and performative processes. That is what Alena Murang, a Kelabit artist and musician, believes the essence of her work […]
Definition: undetermined
Who are the indigenous of Malaysia? Who classifies and how are they categorized? What comes to mind when you hear the terms indigenous or native? People who are stuck in time? Static in their way of living and traditions. Primitive and living in the jungles? Dark-skinned and uneducated? For so long these were but a few, unflattering perceptions of indigenous people throughout […]
Ritual ceremonies & cultural preservation
Ask any Malaysian and they will most definitely know the term Satu Malaysia (One Malaysia) – they may even throw in some personal anecdotes for good measure. Although the term may no longer be canon these days, I can’t help but feel it never truly grasped the extent of cultural diversity within the nation. The […]
Weaving Modernity 