Miri-based ‘Tuyang Initiative’ is driven by the motivation to ensure the culture and tradition of the races in Sarawak are not forgotten. As indigenous people themselves, they feel a deep sense of responsibility and pride not only in what they do, but also in ensuring fair and honest representation.
Building opportunities for indigenous communities
It is essential to uphold our culture and tradition so that they will not be forgotten. While getting caught in the waves of the new era, we are often taught to not forget who we are and where we come from.
The beauty of Sarawak is that our distinguished arts and culture helped create the harmony of the state. Holding onto this tapestry, a Miri-based social enterprise called the Tuyang Initiative made it an objective to uphold the preservation of traditional practices.
Co-founder Juvita Tatan Wan said that the Tuyang Initiative was inspired by a challenge stemming from the loss of a family member. “My father, John Wan Usang, and I saw how the loss had impacted the family in an emotional way and also their livelihood. This is despite the fact that they are skilled people, rich in cultural heritage and unique to the world.”
Feeling motivated, the father-daughter duo started brainstorming ways to become an enabler and create opportunities for the local community.
Established in 2017, Tuyang Initiative’s earliest projects included an exhibition and showcase at the Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival in Klpac (2018) and the curation of artefacts and experiences at the opening of Ethnobotany Garden and Centre at Singapore Botanic Gardens (2018).
They also debuted and sold out their original Kayan-Kenyah language musical theatre piece “KELUNAN” in Damansara Performing Arts Centre (2019) and opened for one of the oldest arts festivals in Singapore, the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) in a collaborative body of work with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra for an original piece titled “MEPAAN” (2022).
Helping hands for the community
Choosing the name ‘tuyang’, which translates from the Kenyah language as “friend”, Juvita disclosed that the arts management company works with various communities such as Iban, Lun Bawang, Kenyah, Kayan, Penan and others.
“We feel that the name is appropriate; we want nothing else but to assist friends in our various communities. Essentially, we work with cultural practitioners who want to work with us across the different Borneo indigenous communities, even in Sabah,” she said.
According to the Kenyah lady, the purpose of the Tuyang Initiative is to build and facilitate opportunities for Borneo indigenous communities to generate meaningful livelihoods through the practice of their cultural heritage.
“Our initial focus is on our cultural practitioners’ active involvement and growth in the creative and cultural industries. That means, formally, through Western categorisation such as crafts, performing arts, visual arts and others.
“But as cultural heritage is so broad, we see it expanding into other fields such as food, agriculture and more. The long-term impact would be for our communities to deeply benefit from the continual practice of our culture — not anyone outside,” she added.
Here are some notable ways that the Tuyang Initiative has helped the community:
1.Training and development — hiring of young people from the various Dayak communities, honing skills in producing, performing arts or community management, learning about budget management and projects for craft-based practitioners. Tuyang is always looking for people in different roles, so do reach out if you are keen to work with them.
2.Facilitate connections and opportunities for projects and jobs (sometimes, due to rural connectivity issues or when it becomes hard to comprehend a client’s brief, we assist in the facilitation of those conversations to ensure rates are fair).
3.Inspiring young people from the community to explore their cultural heritage through the works we do, for example, the book we published (Dayak Lore) and the international shows and exhibitions we get to be a part of.
Invitation to be part of the World Music and Dance Festival, Japan
Most recently, the cultural band ‘Lan e Tuyang’, a community band under the umbrella of the Tuyang Initiative, was invited to perform at the World Music & Dance Festival in Japan. Started by Malaysia’s Living National Heritage, Sape’ master, Mathew Ngau Jau, the band and the social enterprise aim to get to the international arena this year.
However, they are bogged down by misopportunities and have tried fundraising since September last year. “Despite being a legitimate social enterprise and having an amazing international track record, we were still unsuccessful in fundraising or securing any state, national or corporate sponsors.”
Relying on crowdfunding to get the band to perform at Hakodate, Japan, in early August, those who want to help can visit the website at: https://www.simplygiving.com/appeal/tuyangtojapan.
The band also comprises other notable practitioners such as Adrian Jo Milang, a 26-year-old Kayan oral tradition practitioner from Uma Awe, Sungai Asap, as well as Salomon Gau, a 60-year-old multi-instrumentalist and traditional Kenyah dancer from Long Ikang, Baram.
“We also have an Iban elder, Suzy Imbah from Kapit, Pangeran Sakai, a Lun Bawang elder from Ba’kelalan, as well as many other practitioners,” said Juvita.
Hoping to share Sarawak with the world, she felt that performing at the World Music and Dance Festival could be an effective way to meaningfully connect with the Japanese audience.
Importance of preservation
Born and bred in Long San, Baram, Juvita believed that it was pivotal to raise awareness about our culture in foreign lands, as there are still many who do not understand us.
“We have to remember that the narratives of who we are as Dayaks have been written by others for so long, and oftentimes the words used to describe us were not only done through the lens of an outsider; they were also damaging and enabled the perpetuation of stereotypes.”
“That was the double-edged sword when we, a people of oral traditions, learned to read and write in English. Some of us read the negative narratives and believed them. In the course of learning the international language, the beauty of our unwritten languages and metaphors also gets left behind and then forgotten,” she said.
Hence, with the opportunity presented to go abroad, Juvita commented that it is one of the easiest ways to break the barriers and repair any misconceptions.
“And more importantly, I hope it inspires the next generation to not give up on their own culture and, better yet, to actively pursue learning about it from their elders so they can represent it in the future, make a livelihood from it, and thrive from it.”
As for the future of the Tuyang Initiative, the social enterprise hopes to be able to continuously work with the local community to think about meaningful and responsible livelihood generation.
“I also hope to hand the reins over to the young people that we have trained in the many roles with us here, be it as community managers, responsible arts managers and creative producers — or creative entrepreneurs in the space of crafts,” she said.
Those who want to know more about the Tuyang Initiative can visit their website at https://thetuyang.com or visit their social media, Facebook and Instagram under the name ‘The Tuyang Initiative’.
