The last couple of weeks were packed with a “road show” of workshops as we were in the phase of verifying the community maps mapped out by villagers from the 10 case studies areas. It was an enjoyable time working with Yusri Ahon, vice-president of the Indigenous Peoples Network of Malaysia (JOAS) for Peninsular Malaysia as well as Shafie Dris, film-maker and winner of last year’s Freedom Film Fest for his documentary titled Hak Dinafikan(Denied Rights).
Below are some images from the recent trips to Kuala Koh in Taman Negara, Kelantan, home to a community of semi-nomadic Batek people. They are one of the communities mapping out their traditional land. Community-mapping is important as it is done by the community living there and it helps define the boundaries of their land.
Despite high illiteracy within that community, the Batek are very aware of their rights as an indigenous minority and articulate it well, opting to maintain their integrity and pride for their culture and heritage than to assimilate into the mainstream population. Here’s a glimpse from the last couple of trips.
A young Batek girl by the Pertang river. The community living there depend on the river for cleaning and bathing.
Good roads leading to the village, as it is the road to the Taman Negara Kuala Koh (Kelantan) headquarters
A family relaxing in a typical palm thatch shelter.
Preparing a meal over firewood.
Sitting by the doorsteps of government given brick houses which cramps 3 families into one tiny house. Traditional houses are often built alongside these houses as many do not like staying in the brick houses which have poor ventilation can be very hot and stuffy.
Abu, an elder in his 80s still strong and fit, chopping firewood.
Entertainment in the village that depends on power generators for electricity.
The forest canopy in Taman Negara (National Park), one of the oldest rainforest in the world. (below) The headman of Kuala Koh showing one of his fruit trees, now within Taman Negara.
A team leading the way to map their boundaries, walking through the Taman Negara National Park which was established on their traditional land.
Alfa (middle), a Temiar from a village not too far away, helping to teach the guys from Kuala Koh how to use the GPS.
(left) The headman of Kuala Koh showing one of his fruit trees now within the Taman Negara National Park
Playing around in the mid-day sun.
Seeking shelter from the sudden downpour.
The Batek are one of the 19 Orang Asli ethnic groups and are classified under the Negrito division of the Orang Asli.
Typical decorations and adornments for Batek women
I was in Sabah in September last year on a trip with a craft network, and met an elder who hand-spins cotton into thread, the way they used to do it way back then.
She was really lovely and gave me some cotton seeds to plant. They looked like little black rocks with white cotton candy puffed around it. I considered planting it in the balcony of my 20-story high apartment but I think it would not survive under my care. So until I’m ready to green my apartment, I’m contented just looking back at these photos.
Over the weekend, I took some product photos for Elevyn using my gorgeous sister in-law as a model. The products will be launched under a special project called INFLUENCE.
INFLUENCE is a UNHCR-ELEVYN special project that brings together urban designers, refugees and Internet users to come up with a range of contemporary, high-quality handmade items which will be sold in limited quantities via the web.
Follow Elevyn’s Facebook page to be the first to know when it launches!
I daresay I’ve probably missed a number of opportune moments to take river shots. We go to the river to bathe in the evenings and I normally leave my camera behind out of sheer exhaustion from travelling, fear that I might slip and dunk my camera into the water and other thoughts such as making sure my sarong does not come loose and float away (we bathe in the open with a sarong wrapped tightly around).
Here are some photos from times when I brought my camera with me.
The top photo was taken during our filming of Drowned Forest and Damned Lives, a campaign documentary against the construction of the Kelau dam which would relocate two Orang Asli (indigenous minorities) communities without their free prior and informed consent. We took a bath in the Kelau river and just as we were done, some Felda settlers came fresh from slaughtering a cow and were washing parts of the cow (like the intestine in the man’s hands) in the river.
These series of river shots below were chosen and edited as such since it was not appropriate to show children in the nude.
These shots of the river are from Kg Mengkawago. It’s a rural village where the villagers are dependent on the rain and river for water. Unfortunately illegal logging upstream has polluted their river, jeopardizing their water source, worst felt during the drought.
Ma Engi sews bags and dolls for Mang Tha, a social enterprise which helps refugee women generate income for their livelihood. Mang Tha means sweet dreams in the Chin language.
For Mother’s day last month, I did a small shoot for Elevyn for our Mother’s for Fair Trade campaign. The concept was to show that despite how different our lives may be, we essentially all find common ground in our endearment for our mothers.
We invited the public to send photos of themselves with their mom with a note to all mothers, as did our shop partners, Mang Tha a Chin women’s refugee group and Tompoq Topoh, a Mah Meri Orang Asli women’s group.
Here are some photos which I shot of the Chin refugee women in their homes in Kuala Lumpur.
Refugees fleeing from Burma come to Malaysia in hopes that UNCHR would help resettle them to a country in the West. Here in Malaysia they struggle to make ends meet as they are treated like undocumented migrants by the authorities, subjecting them to be exploited by employers and the authorities alike. There are over 27,000 Chin refugees residing in and around the capital city, Kuala Lumpur.
More on the Mothers for Fair Trade campaign on Elevyn’s blog here and KLue’s write up here.
A fantastic talk by David Griffin on the power of photojournalism.
….to be a great photojournalist, you have to have more than just one or two great photographs in you. You’ve got to be able to make them all the time. But even more importantly, you need to know how to create a visual narrative. You need to know how to tell a story. So I’m going to share with you some coverages that I feel demonstrate the storytelling power of photography.
In December last year, I attended the first ever Penan Festival (Pesta Penan). Hosted by Long Iman, a village near the UNESCO heritage site, Mulu National Park, the 3-day event was organized to celebrate the Penan culture and to nurture solidarity amongst the Penan community.
In addition to that, the organizing committee from the community backed up the Non-Timber Forest Product Exchange Program, also wanted to change the public’s perception that the Penan people who were traditionally nomadic hunter-gatherers, “do not have any culture”.
Coming from an NGO background, I’ve always been supportive of the efforts of the Penan people in setting up blockades to prevent loggers from destroying their native land. It therefore came as a surprise to me when I was told that within Sarawak, many of the locals do not share that empathy and view the Penan people as backward and uncivilized.
While there are many different takes on the issue, I for one have the utmost respect for their community’s consistent display of strength, dignity and humility as they battle injustice in the name of development.
Here are some photos from the festival which celebrated Penan music, traditional costumes, dance, music instruments and legends which are interestingly not solely unique to them, but very similar to all other indigenous groups in Borneo.
Beating on the Atui, a traditional musical instrument.
Demonstrating how to play the nose flute.
After the blowpipe competition during the Pesta Penan (Penan Festival), where the winner shot bullseye twice, the kids went to the backyard to do a little blowpipe practicing...Looks like the only one not having fun is their pet monkey!
Mending his fishing net while waiting for walk in customers. He converted the bottom of his house in the longhouse into a grocery shop...It takes at least one day to get to town to buy the supplies by boat from Long Iman, so the items are a little pricey.
I decided to start a blog to share a little more through photography and writing. Many of the first few entries would be a reflection of places I’ve been to in the last few years through my work with indigenous and marginalized communities.
