By Marina Aman Sham | GDF Communications Director
We are excited to report that Dusun community researchers in Buayan continue to be engaged in work to document and celebrate their heritage. They and their peers are using their knowledge to build and sustain new collaborations. In our last report, Dr. Shinobu from Gakushuin University in Japan told us about preparation by the DISSOLVA Borneo Project 2016, discussing their ambitious summer plans. In a 9-page report she recently shared with GDF, she summarised 10 projects carried out during their trip to Buayan, from 4 - 22 August this year. We wanted to share a few highlights with you.
Master artist Panglok Sulap and collaborators led an art workshop in the community during the group’s visit. The themes of the artwork came from the community researchers’ oral history project, “The Legends of Ulu Papar,” supported by this GlobalGiving project. The three legends illustrated were Buayan Suyan; Batu Gayatas; and Lotong Moninimbar. Village residents and students all helped carving the large wood panels to create three stunningly beautiful wood block prints. They were printed onto white canvas cloth, and were mounted in a month-long exhibition in the Penampang Public Library in Donggongon. Visitors and community members also created and installed wood block prints, using designs adopted from the folklore story illustrations earlier developed by Ulu Papar community researchers.
The community also shared an Ulu Papar folktale theatre performance with visitors, and work continues toward the Legends of Ulu Papar’s publication as a book. It is with great happiness that these stories are now being brought to light, through posters in exhibitions, pictures on signposts and in a multi-language publication.
Local residents and visitors also collaborated on improvements to the Biocultural Heritage Centre, which houses some of the results of the decade of mapping and biocultural documentation work of community researchers. They constructed a sustainable wastewater treatment system, and performed other needed renovations at the centre to cater to the specific needs for exhibition, office space and storage. In addition, they laid the groundwork for a native plant nursery and garden storage area for reforestation purposes. Finally, TOMUYA, the dynamic youth organisation of community researchers and others who took the lead to organise activities during DISSOLVA’S visit, advanced in its goal to formally register with the Registry of Societies.
We are so pleased by the continued community–based work and collaborations happening in Buayan, facilitated by community members, Gakushuin University and the partners they work with. Trained community researchers were given the support to act: to discover more of the local histories that are part and parcel of who they are. This work continues to blossom and send out new shoots in no small part because of your generous donations to this campaign.
Photo credits:
Photo 1: Inanc Tekguc
Photos 2 & 3 are extracted from Shinobu's report on the Gakushuin University Overseas Outreach Programme DISSOLVA Borneo Project August 2016 Programme
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
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