Immerse in the rich cultural heritage of the Orang Asli in a first-of-its-kind arts event, Cerita Ori

The Orang Asli may be the earliest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia, but how much do we know about them? Most of us would admit that our knowledge bank is pretty empty.

These indigenous minority peoples of West Malaysia are part of the threads that make up the fabric of our nation’s identity, but sadly do not often appear on the radar screens of our collective consciousness. By and large, the Orang Asli have been sidelined and forgotten, which is a shame because there is much to learn from their rich scientific and cultural heritage.

The Orang Asli have retained much of their distinct identity and way of living, and come Jan 12 to 17 at The Annexe Gallery, you will have a chance to immerse yourself in the culture of these indigenous forest-dwellers at the first arts event of its kind called Cerita Ori. The event, coordinated by the Center for Orang Asli Concerns and supported by Krishen Jit-Astro Fund, Rimbun Dahan, Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan, Gerai OA and December ’99 Graduates of The One Academy, aims to strengthen and preserve the Orang Asli cultural identity and facilitate Orang Asli initiatives in self-development.

The six fun-filled days will afford participants both young and old the chance to explore different aspects of the Orang Asli culture, with a line-up of events that include dance and music performances, an art exhibition, a poetry reading session, arts and crafts workshop, a book launch and mini-bazaar from Gerai OA, a mobile, non-profit stall that carries items from 17 different ethnic groups in Malaysia.

One person who can attest to having learned much about our forests, the animals and flora and fauna found within, from the Orang Asli is zoologist Dr Lim Boo Liat. Lim’s second edition of the book, Orang Asli Animal Tales, will be launched at Cerita Ori on Jan 13. The book is a delightful collection of traditional Orang Asli lore of different forest creatures that Lim has gathered over the years spent working with the Orang Asli, whom he calls his friends and mentors.

The new edition — the first one was published 29 years ago — has an additional nine tales. There are such colourful tales as how the once-cruel tapir got its white band and became the timid animal that it is today, why the flying squirrel always hides its tail and flies only by night, and how friends of the slow loris protected him from the punishment of blindness ordered by the king for outraging the modesty of his daughter.

Lim says he first began interacting with the Orang Asli when he was working as a laboratory assistant in 1947 at the Institute for Medical Research in Kuala Lumpur, where he was tasked to trap animals for research on vector-borne diseases (transmitted between animals and humans). He enlisted their help to track down these animals, and his experience with them gave him a profound respect for these indigenous folks, whose knowledge about animal behaviour, plant life and the forest ecosystem were unparalleled. He also admired the deep sense of respect they had for the forest and everything living in it.

“In the process of getting their help, I developed very good friendships with them; they treated me as one of them,” Lim says. “Many a time I stayed with them, ate with them and went around the forest with them. At night, we sat and talked about their work and so forth. And they had a lot of stories to tell… stories relating to animals and plants in the jungle.”

Lim began compiling these stories and published them initially as a teaching tool. He says, “I gave talks in schools. I thought it was a good idea to teach students to understand and appreciate the animals with a story. Also, in every story, there’s a moral behind it.” These tales also gave readers a glimpse into the scientific and cultural heritage of the Orang Asli.

Beautiful illustrations done in ink by Pandak Basri, an Orang Asli artist, complement the new edition of the book, some of which will be on display at the art exhibition. Using photographs for reference, Pandak depicted the animals in a distinct Orang Asli perspective. “He did it in the way the Orang Asli see the animals. I thought that was fantastic. It’s very original,” says Lim.

Besides the book launch, the arts and crafts demonstration on Jan 16 is another highlight of Cerita Ori. The sculptures, masks and pandanus craft are from the Mah Meri village on Pulau Carey, and they each have a Moyang story behind them that reflect the taboos and beliefs of the community. Mah Meri craftsmen will be on hand at The Annexe Gallery to tell the stories related to each indigenous craft.

This week, be sure to make time for this unique event, and be enriched and inspired by the colours, sounds and tales of Peninsular Malaysia’s indigenous forest-dwellers.

Cerita Ori is held from Jan 12 to 17 at The Annexe Gallery, Central Market Annexe, Jalan Hang Kasturi, KL. Admission is free. For more information and schedule of events, log on to www.annexegallery.com or call (03) 5632 7982.

This article appeared in Options, the lifestyle pullout of The Edge Malaysia, Issue 788, Jan 11 – 17, 2010