The Cost of Prejudice

Golda Mowe, the author of Iban Dream (Monsoon), Iban Journey (Monsoon) and The Nanobots (Oyez), guest blogs today...

The Cost of Prejudice

(or how a very, very, very bad movie turned me into a scrupulous author) 

By Golda Mowe

Golda Mowe - in the background is an antique pua kumbu,
one of the cloths which 'must not be named'

I remember the excitement in Kuching in the early 2000’s when an American crew came to Sarawak to film The Sleeping Dictionary (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sleeping_Dictionary).  The city was abuzz with activity and the few artistically inclined friend I had, talked about the project incessantly.  I wished that I was part of the excitement too but I had the responsibilities of a proper day job at the time.

The movie came out in 2003, but for some reason or other I did not get a chance to watch it at the cinemas. So how was it, I asked a Chinese-Sarawakian friend who had watched it. His eyes glazed over and he said, he did not know what to make of it. It seemed to be a love story, he said, but something was not quite right. I did not think much of it at that time, but when I came across the VCD a couple of years later those words came back to me.

I am still glad I watched the movie alone, because the level of cultural bias I saw first shocked then enraged me. Never mind that words used in the first few dialogues in so-called Iban was unrecognisable to me, but the portrayal of the Iban woman in the form of ‘Selima’ was all wrong.

First and foremost, no self-respecting Iban woman was going to ‘offer’ herself to a man at HIS HOME. The Iban lifestyle may be basic compared to the Western one, but we still have our etiquettes and taboos. The man must come to the woman first, in a practice called Ngayap. 

Jessica Alba plays the role of Selima in The Sleeping Dictionary

According to custom, the man would sneak into the bed of the woman he was interested in at night, to try to woe her, after everyone else had gone to sleep. In its simplest detail the practice may appear to go against the norms of Western values. Yet what few bothered to ask is, where was the rest of the family? In the same room with her. Even if a young woman were to sleep in the loft, away from her parents, she would never be sleeping alone. Hence if a man was to visit, there would be a ‘chaperone’ nearby, albeit one who pretended to be asleep to allow the couple some semblance of privacy.

Ngayap is practical in the close-knit longhouse community where harmony is critical to survival. This secret form of courtship meant that the man would not lose face if a woman was to reject him.  Only after she had consented to be wooed, would he send his family to meet with hers and ask for her hand.

Yet this movie did not appear to have considered anything else other than the point that a man can sneak into a woman’s bed. Since this was contrary to Western values, it was turned into some form of white man’s fantasy of having a child-like beautiful Eurasian woman come willingly into his bed. The Sleeping Dictionary continues to nettle me, even today.  It reminded me of all the derogatory accusations that had been flung my way because of my Iban heritage.

Admittedly, the Iban culture is confusing in many ways. On one hand we are careful about how we use words. It is not unusual to come across a piece of woven cloth or carving that ‘must-not-be-named’. Once the artist has passed on, the name as well as the meaning of the work is often lost to posterity. Yet when it is time to speak, to assert their rights, even the highest Iban leader must listen to the person who brought forward a charge, regardless of age, gender, or status. The late Temenggong Tun Jugah’s amazing memory for case details and points of application of Adat Law during such court sessions made him a legend among the Ibans to this day.

1.  Iban Dream (https://books.google.com.my/books?id=BcKJAAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false) 

Among the Ibans, dreams are also treated as actual happenings and our legends are full of such occurrences. For example, Uyut anak Kalanang, is said to have dreamed of visiting a strange longhouse. In his dream, he was asked to choose a charm, and he selected one of the most powerful. The charm, he was told, would make him as well as his descendants into great war leaders. When he woke up, he found himself holding the charm in the palm of his hand. Uyut is famous for his decades long battles around the mouth of the Rajang Delta. His son, Linggir Mali Lebu, went on to become a terrible torn in James Brooke’s side until he joined the White Rajah in 1854. Linggir’s son-in-law, Garan, also became a famous war leader.

Pua Kumbu weavers sometimes get their ideas from dreams, but my great-grandmother (it is said) got hers directly from a spirit she met in the jungle. She won't talk about the spirit, but people suspected because she would leave the longhouse empty-handed then return two days later with her mouth all red from betel quid, as though she had been visiting. Right after that, she would start to tie her threads.

The hill myna is regarded as an omen-bird

Meetings with gods and powerful spirits are not just limited to dreams because animals are also considered to be spiritual messengers. For instance, between 1843 to 1861, the legendary warrior, Rentap (Libau) fought against the Brookes and their soldiers numerous times and won. However, in the third battle at Sadok Hill in 1861, a hill myna came to perch near Rentap and broke into song. Rentap then told his followers that the bird was the earthly form of the goddess Kumang and that she had come from Panggau Libau to warn them that they would not win this battle. Hence before the arrival of Charles Brooke and his soldiers, the Iban warriors under Rentap abandoned the Sadok fort.

Artistic rendition of  the Iban goddess, Kumang

The more I immersed myself in the legends of past Iban heroes, the more magical the jungle of Sarawak became. Each layer of leaves became like curtains hiding this world from the invisible world. A few more steps forward, and the sun bear would suddenly stand up on its hind legs and speak to you like a man. With her plaintive call, the greater coucal would invite you into her filthy home and ask you to eat from her table. Break a fern and a wave of fragrance will assail your nostrils. Do you not think it strange how fern could turn the rotting stench of composting matter into this fresh jungle perfume?

2.  Iban Journey (https://books.google.com.my/books?id=zPjnCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT2&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false). 

This was the jungle that my Iban grandparents had taught me to appreciate. And this is the jungle I eventually wrote into my books Iban Dream (http://www.gmowe.ws/IbanDream.html) and Iban Journey (http://www.gmowe.ws/IbanJourney.html). Many things have changed since the days of awe and wonder. Everything now is only appreciated based on their commercial value. Even the role of Iban women as child-bearers and seed-planters, which were once equal to men who were hunter gatherers, are now devalued. And maybe because of that, the practice of ngayap, which was once started to preserve the harmony of a community and at the same time give a woman the right to decline without peer pressure, is now used to condemn her and to portray her as a woman of low morals.

This is just one instance of prejudice caused by cultural misinterpretation. Imagine how many more there are in the world.

Author’s Bio

Golda Mowe is a writer from Sarawak who loves making up stories from across all genres.  Her novels Iban Dream (2013) and Iban Journey (2015) are published in paperback by Monsoon Books.  Two generations ago, she would have had to travel dozens of miles between longhouses to get her muse heard, but now she is more than happy to settle for http://www.gmowe.ws/stories.html.

The Golden Seal

THE GOLDEN SEAL
A short story by Golda Mowe.

Seal at Kepy Cape Town Scuba Diving School by Tim Sheerm (from Wikimedia)

Timon drifted between sleep and waking as he clung onto the floating crate. He couldn’t tell how long he had been adrift but he now felt so numb he could not even feel his legs. Maybe he should just let go and stop fighting the inevitable, he thought, but each time he attempted to do so, a primal fear would set in and make him cling harder to the crate.
He was glad he went out alone on the boat. Then again, if he had not quarrelled with his wife Marie, he would not be out at sea during stormy weather. He chuckled and coughed at the same time as he thought about how a silly argument over the placement of a single cushion on a newly bought sofa could lead up to a shipwreck at sea. Too late he realized that Marie was perfectly beautiful because she was a perfectionist. She admitted during their last argument that she married him because she thought he was the perfect project to work on. He was a handsome man who had bad hair and bad taste in clothes. He needed a woman’s touch, she thought.
A seal poked her head out of the water and stared at him. Timon smiled and reached out a hand to try to touch her. The seal re-submerged. Timon put his hand down and lay his cheek on the wet crate. He started to drift off to sleep once more. He woke up with a start when he felt something hit his head. It was a freshly killed sardine. Without giving it a second thought, he grabbed the fish with one hand and started biting into it. The ironic taste of blood filled his mouth. The more he bit, the hungrier he became for the sardine. He even crushed the head between his teeth and chewed on it like it was fruit.
The same seal poked her head out of water again to watch him. Timon’s gaze met hers and he said, “Thank you.” His voice sounded strange to him because it sounded like a cross between a squeal and a cough.
“You are welcome,” she said.
Timon almost released the crate with shock. “You can speak,” he said with wonder.
“Of course I can,” she said. “So can you.”
Timon chuckled. Again the sound that came out of him sounded alien, or rather sounded like a sound he had never thought he would be capable of making. It must be because he had not had any water to drink for a while, he reasoned.
The seal said, “Come swim with me.”
“I can’t. I will drown.”
“Don’t worry. I will take care of you.”
At that point Timon realised that he could be hallucinating. But if he was, he decided, it was a really good one. So he let go of the crate and moved towards the seal. He felt himself gliding through the water. The seal turned and swam away, and Timon chased after her. His clothes began to peel off him as they dove deeper and deeper. Then they went up and up until they broke through the water surface to gulp in air. After a while, Timon realised that he could hold his breath for long stretches of time without any problem. And more amazingly he could keep up with the seal. They crashed into a school of sardines.
Timon turned this way and that, reaching out with his flippers to try to catch one, but he could not grab hold of a single one. The female seal gave him a fish she caught and he reached out with his mouth. Then they dashed into the school again. This time Timon used his mouth to catch them, the way he saw she did.
After they both had their fill of fish, the seal swam ahead. Soon Timon found himself at the cliff edge. He was ecstatic. He was finally back on land. He tried to walk, but felt the sharp edges of the rock scrapping against his belly. He looked down, and saw fins where his hands should be. Then he looked behind him and saw a flipper in place of his legs. Timon’s breath caught in his throat as the horror of his new form finally registered in his mind.
“Look, Mommy,” a little girl called out and pointed from the cliff edge. “A golden seal.”
Timon tried to call for help, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was the seal call. He looked up with despair as people got out their cameras or phones to take pictures of him.
The female seal said, “Don’t do that. They will think that you like the attention.”
“What have you done to me?” Timon asked vehemently.
“You ate the fish I gave you. So you are now my husband.”
“But why?”
“You seemed interesting,” she said. “I wanted something different from all the other males.”
“Oww!” Timon yelled. Then he turned with a roar at the male seal that bit him. “What are you doing?” he demanded.
The other seal only glared at him then turned away. The female explained, “He just wants to show you what he can do to you if you ever try to approach any of his females.”
“I don’t want to.”
“It doesn’t matter. You are a male. Males don’t like males.”
Timon was livid. “Why did you change me? Why can’t you just be with the other males?”
The female settled her chin on the rock and closed her eyes. Then she said, “Because I don’t like any of the other males. They are arrogant and promiscuous. I would rather have a male that stays with me all the time instead of one that roves about the other females.”
“Well I can do that too,” Timon said then added a little more sheepishly, “Rove about, I mean.”
“Of course you can,” she said, “but you will not last a day. The males will tear you to pieces. If you are lucky, a marine biologist might save you. Then he will put you in a cage where you will be cold and fed dead fish with stale tasting blood.”
A new kind of fear entered Timon’s mind. A kind of fear that he had never considered before in his life. He lay down next to the female, and she snuggled up to him. He watched the surf crashed into the side of the rock and he felt the spray rain back down on him. He thought it strange that he did not feel cold. Then he realised that this was the life he had always wanted to live. Lazing about on the beach, and swimming whenever he felt like it. Maybe he should give it a try after all. But he must remember to stay out of the way of the other males.

Bio - Golda Mowe hails from Sibu, Sarawak, a Malaysian state located on the island of Borneo. She is an Iban, a tribe native to Sarawak, and a graduate of the prestigious Waseda University of Japan. Golda is a published author with two books to her credit - Iban Dreams (a folklore based fantasy fiction) and The Nanobots and Other Stories (a collection of sci-fi short stories for tweens.)

 You can read more of her stories at the following link: http://www.gmowe.ws/Golden_Seal.html#.VU1rMastnqk.facebook

Looking Back at AFCC 2013

My second excursion to Singapore for the Asian Festival of Children's Content 2013 was a great deal more organised than the first in 2012. A big thank you to Kota Buku and the Singapore Book Council for arranging everything - transport and lodging especially. And I wasn't alone this time - my daughter and several other delegates, including Razin Abdul Rahman senior manager at Kota Buku, illustrator/artist Yusof Gajah and his wife, Zakiah; and authors Teoh Choon Ean and Ain Maisarah, were on the same bus. Ean handed be a leaflet announcing The Calistro Prize - 'Celebrating the creation of Malaysian stories for Malaysian children and teenagers.' Interested? Go to www.calistroprize.wordpress.com

So how was AFCC 2013? This year, I actually had an agenda in mind and a whole list of people to meet. I also needed to recce the venue because the Conference was being held at the National Library - an enormous building compared to the cosy colonial style Old Parliament House which served as the venue last year.

The big news first: The Hedwig Annuar Book Award (HABA) went to Edmund Lim, author of Where's Grandma and Tan Zixi, illustrator. The SingTel Asian Picture Book Award (SAPBA) was awarded to two different books: Debra Chong, author of If I Were; and Baasansuren Bolormaa, illustrator of  Old City. The talented Baasansuren Bolormaa is from Mongolia. I believe the AFCC is going to be the platform to discover new talent from all over Asia.

Illustration from 'Old City' by Baasansuren Bolormaa 

However, the shock was the fact that the Scholastic Asia Book Award (SABA) was not awarded this year. Alas - rumour has it that there were no submissions. Perhaps the requirement for six hard copies was too daunting... Ean and I both decided that we will not fail to make a submission this time around. SABA 'recognises children's writers of Asian origin and their efforts to celebrate Asian life and experiences, and share them with the rest of the world.' For more info: www.scholasticbookaward.asia or afcc.com.sg

The first talk I attended 'YA - A Malaysian Perspective' featured Teoh Choon Ean and Golda Mowe. Ean talked about the steps she followed to write a YA fiction in two weeks flat! Known as the 'uncrowned queen of short stories,' she admitted that she is also known as the 'lazy writer' because she only writes when there is a prize to be won! According to Ean, the important points to consider when writing Fiction are: Character, Plot, Setting, Theme and Style. In YA literature, style is subordinate to the story-telling i.e. when it comes to word smithing vs telling a good story, the latter always wins (a good case in point being the Twilight saga. However, the Hunger Game books have both style and great plot) So what goes into the YA novel? Fast-paced plotting; the plot is the story structure. The theme often focuses on the challenges of youth - the writer needs to be aware that a young adult is facing certain situations or events for the first time in his/her life. We also need to consider the inspiration for a story. Apparently, her observation that "teenagers live their lives as if they have the nine lives of a cat" led to her first YA novel. She wove nine separate short stories into a novel called Nine Lives using an umbrella concept which linked them. Being more comfortable with short stories myself, I find this idea could be put to good use. According to Ean, a survey in 2005 revealed that Malaysians above the age 10 read only two books a year, which was the same figure in 1995. 

http://www.gmowe.ws/IbanDream.html

Golda Mowe, the author of Iban Dream, talked about her struggles to write and publish her book - a process, we are told which took five years! One of the major obstacles she faced was her own mastery of the English language; she realised that ESL (English as a Second Language) was not enough and she needed to acquire First Language proficiency - which she did, undoubtedly.  Iban Dream was finally published by Singapore-based Monsoon Books and she was the only Malaysian author to have a book launch at AFCC 2013. I admit to feeling slightly alarmed that her book was also based on legendary Sarawak and there seemed to be parallel plot lines to The Jugra Chronicles. But since I started reading it, I think they are completely different. Golda, being of Iban descent, herself has an insider's understanding of Iban culture. One of the fascinating thinga she mentioned in her talk is the papan turai. Apparently it is a storyboard (in the literal sense, made of wood), used to pass down knowledge, history, customs, myths and legend to the next generation. And reading her book is like being immersed in the legendary Sarawak of old, where gods and demons walk among men. Her writing style is quite intricate and literary; and she writes about tribal practices like animal sacrifices and head-hunting without flinching  - as I said, she is fearless! Although Iban Dream is being positioned as a YA novel, I feel it verges on full-fledged Adult Fiction.

Talking about adult fiction, it appears that Malaysia is finally on the world literary map. Malaysian author, Tan Twan Eng not only garnered the Man Asian Literary award early this year for his book, The Garden of Evening Mists, he was also awarded the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, for the same book last week. While celebrating his success, Facebook friends felt that the book could have been better conceived - the setting in Japanese-occupied Malaya in WWII, was a bone of contention in particular.

Grandma Lim's Persimmon is a Malaysian-published book which debuted at AFCC 2013. Authored by Singapore-based Sunita Bhamray and illustrated by South African Marjorie van Heerden, this charming picture book, published by Linda Tan Lingard's Oyez!Book represents a multi-national effort. Linda, who is also a literary agent as well as a publisher, talked about marketing and selling the rights to your book internationally during her session 'Marketing Your Books and Selling Rights - How a literary agent can help you.



Back to Malaysian Speakers at AFCC 2013 - Next came Ain Maisarah and her Pink brand of books. All her books used to have pink covers and the titles usually start with 'Aku mahu...' (I want ...) being targeted towards the chick lit market. Ain Maisarah has been described as a publishing phenomenon, having book sales in six digit figures (book sales in these numbers are rare in Malaysia). She embodies her image in person too - I noticed on the bus that she was carrying two pairs of expansive looking pink stiletto high-heeled shoes in a plastic bag by hand. I normally cram all my shoes into my suitcase...

Ain Maisarah and her husband own their own publishing company and recently rebranded her books as Blink (Blue + Pink) when they decided to expand their market to include boys. I also observed that Ain Maisarah had something in common with best-selling Singapore author Adeline Foo (The Dairy of Amos Lee) - they are both charming and spoke in soft, almost girlish voices - could this be the secret of their success? (Wink!)

Can you see me now?

The highlight of AFCC 2013 was of course Malaysia Night, the inaugural Cultural night which celebrates the AFCC Country of focus. A group of students from Sekolah Seni Johor (Johor Art School), in bright colourful costumes, put up a dance drama based on Jainal Amambing's book, The Proud Butterfly and the Strange Tree. The guest of honour was HRH Raja Zarith Sofia, a noted children's book author and gifted illustrator herself. Emilia Yusof, the guest illustrator for AFCC 2012, presented her with an original painting of her story book character. Emila Yusof was the guest illustrator for AFCC 2013.

I managed to meet up with both Marjorie Coughlan and Corrine Robson from www.papertigers.org Surprising fact: even though Papertigers.org is based in San Francisco, Marjorie is British and lives in York, UK while Corrine is based in Vancouver, Canada. Apparently, there is an office in San Francisco which maintains the website (which is fantastic). Marjorie presented a paper on the fine art of reviewing children's books while Corrine is on the Project Splash! Asia committee. I had tried to get Eight Treasures of the Dragon included in the Project Splash! Asia anthology by Kenneth Quek, AFCC Festival informed me that it was too late as the booklet was already in print.

Also spoke to two extraordinary story-tellers: Kamini Ramachandran and Rosemarie Somaiah. Both are riveting speakers and have compelling presence. If you need a spokesperson to front your campaign - hire a storyteller! Another surprise, Kamini was born and raised in Malaysia. My daughter bought a copy of Rosemarie's book The Never Mind Girl and other stories. Kamini is contemplating writing a book based on the Ramayana, but I will not divulge anymore of her ideas here...

What else? Renee Ting,  President and Publisher of Shen's Books revealed  that out of 2,000-odd children's titles published in the US, less than 100 are Asian themed. She divided the books into 10 categories: Non-fiction, Folklore, Historical Fiction/Memior, Big Issues, Focus on Culture, Immigration/Emigration, First Generation hyphenated American, Multi-Ethnic, Ethinicity/Culture as Setting and Ethnicity as Non-Issue. Using this system, The Jugra Chronicles will probably fall into the Historical Fiction + Culture as Setting.

According to Renee, Asian themed children's books did not gain prominence until Grace Lin was awarded a Newbery Honour. She also mentioned that a successful book serves as a Mirror - where readers can relate to the characters or see themselves in it and/or serves as a Window - where readers look out into another world and see something new.

I heard from Ean that Vatsala Kaul Banerjee's talk 'Child's Play - Editing Children's Book' was really good. Unfortunately, I was late (attending a story-telling session by Rosemarie Somaiah) and was turned away at the door - apparently the room was packed, with people sitting on the floor! Vatsala Banerjee is the Publishing Director at Hachette India. Maybe I'll get Ean to guest blog about it.

Stunning cover illustration by Yusof Gajah

I could not miss Yusof Gajah's talk about his life and his art. He was quite an engaging and amusing speaker. He is one of those lucky people who achieved success early in life - he recalled seeing a poster with his art on it in the subway station in Tokyo. Apparently he couldn't help himself and had to take one of the posters home! He also won the Nami Concours (held on Nami Island, South Korea) with his first ever submission and is now a judge on the Nami panel. Yusof Gajah encouraged other illustrators to participate in similar contests to make a name for themselves. Yusof Gajah also participated in the Illustrations Review session at AFCC 2013 with author/illustrator Naomi Kojima and Shirin Yim Bridges.




Then the people I only get to meet once a year when we congregate for the AFCC - Linda Tan Lingard, Norhayati Razali, Daphne Lee, Salwah Shukor, Mohana Gill and Peter Duke. And old friends Gwen Smith and Tan Vay Fern were there too. I had a chat with fellow introvert, Salwah, about the difficulties of  standing out in a crowd. I also asked her how she coped in a profession where one is expected to be quite forceful (she is a lawyer). She said she preferred negotiations to going to court... Salwah and her friend, Roshni Menon, have their own publishing company, SmallPrint, which was apparently set-up because they could not bear the pain of rejection, at this point in their lives! SmallPrint's first publication is a little gem called Three Green Dreams, by Roshni Menon.

I also managed to chat with Daphne Lee, who mentioned that she is acquiring the rights for her books from MPH Publishing and plans to republish them. I asked her how she managed to accomplish this - she said she just had to ask them for it! Daphne, Marjorie Coughlan and Anushka Ravishankar participated in a session entitled Asian Themes in Children's Books.

The lovely people at my talk - I noticed an audible
sigh of relief when I mentioned that I was going to
post my paper online! 

So how did my talk go? Better than expected, considering my fear of public speaking. The attendance was better than expected too. Very grateful to Tan Sri Dr Asiah Abu Samah,  the Chairman of Kota Buku; Norhayati Razali, Dr Gwen Smith, Teoh Choon Ean, Tan Vay Fern and Golda Mowe for the support! Many thanks to Kenneth Quek for printing out my paper - I tend to forget my facts, occasionally. The moderator for my session, Ken McKenzie asked a pertinent question. He said he always had to struggle on "whether it was right to change/re-tell folklore, which may be considered sacred to the people they originated from, to make them relevant to young people today?"  I admitted that I went through a similar struggle when I first started re-telling folktales. Where the stories really what the original storyteller (panglipur lara in Malay) intended or something which I made up? But in the end, I had to do it of course. But I think Kamini Ramachandran had the right answer - she said that 'you honour the stories you right about." Absolutely, we honour the stories by keeping them interesting and alive for a new generation; otherwise they will just fade away.

After my talk, I made a dash for the Women's Restroom. Came to a complete standstill when I entered the doorway and saw men ... I wondered, perplexed, "Why are all these MEN in the Women's Restroom?" A voice in my head said, "Duh, you're in the Men's Restroom!" I turned around and dashed out and made a beeline for the Women's Restroom next door!