Preserving Kenyah folk song through workshop
Many villages in rural Sarawak continue to lack access to technology. Despite the limitations, culture and traditions continue to play an important role in these communities. When describing the many Kenyah longhouses in the Ulu Baram of Sarawak, one can hear the melodies of numerous folk songs. Each rhythm sung kept the settlers entertained from generation to generation. However, […]
My 2,000km flight to Long Nawang
We know about every massacre that has taken place close to the present, but the ones in the distant past are like trees falling in the forest with no one to hear them. – Steven Pinker, Canadian-American cognitive psychologist On Nov 29, 2017 I flew to Long Nawang, to investigate the 1942 murder of 30 […]
Soothing melodies of Kenyahs strike a chord
KUCHING: Ethnomusicologist Dr Chong Pek Lin has a thing for the soothing sounds of the Kenyah community in the upper reaches of the Baram. She spent over 20 years researching and cataloguing Kenyah folk songs, about 100 of which were on the brink of disappearing into the oblivion. But the Covid-19 pandemic threw a spanner […]
Kenyah youth urged to master their culture
MIRI: There many ways that the younger generation of Kenyah can learn about their traditional culture, said State Legislative Assembly (DUN) deputy Speaker Datuk Gerawat Gala. Besides learning it from their parents, social media also plays a crucial role in exposing them to their traditional culture towards developing a sense of identity. The Mulu assemblyman […]
Second edition of Kenyah folk songs book published
KUCHING: The Dayak Cultural Foundation (DCF) announced its latest publication entitled ‘Folk Songs of Sarawak: Songs from the Kenyah Community’,which is the second edition, written by Dr Chong Pek Lin, who has been documenting the rich vocal repertoire of the Kenyah in upper Baram and Balui for over two decades. Well-known for their sape music […]
