|
Sabah’s Folktales Storybooks |
Not only did the stories come from the parents of pupils at SK Tiga Papan in Kudat, they were brought to life by Sabahan artists Jainal Amambing and Antud Didi, who both happened to be there.
The workshop took place last October as a community project to get parents involved in their children’s education by telling stories they had heard when they were young. It also aimed to promote reading and preserve the Rungus language and culture through stories.
Didi (as he’s known) came to the workshop because he was a former pupil of SK Tiga Papan and had been invited by a school friend. As for Jainal, British Council’s English Language Teacher Development Project (ELTDP) manager Fiona Wright happened to have his telephone number and she gave him a call, inviting him to attend.
“He’s a famous artist in Kudat and I didn’t really expect him to come, but he did. During the workshop, Jainal and Didi were listening and recognised the stories being told by the parents. Being artists and illustrators, they were keen to help us with the Storybook Initiative,” she explained.
Anna White, an ELTDP mentor, said the parents told stories “about all kinds of things” in their preferred languages, including Rungus.
“The teachers helped to write them down. At the end of the workshop we had collected 18 stories. Some were famous Rungus folktales and some were about the history of the area,” she said during an ELTDP symposium in Kuching, Sarawak recently.
From the stories collected, several were chosen to be made into books with the help of villager Lorinna Konsiong, who transcribed the Rungus tales and translated them into English. The team of teachers, mentors, and illustrators then worked together to come up with storyboards, paintings, and text suitable for young children.
They also received advice on the publishing process from Linda Lingard of Oyez Books, who had attended the first ELTDP symposium two years ago and was enthusiastic about publishing local stories.
The team started with two books, which were published by Oyez Books in time for the Kuching symposium in March, while a third, The Magical Melon, was launched officially, together with the first two, yesterday in Kudat; there are plans for two more in the pipeline.
The first two books are I Am Itut-Itut, a story about a forgetful farmer who makes an unexpected discovery when he sets a trap to catch a thief, and Tasu To The Rescue, about a dog thta helps its family by scattering padi seeds in the garden.
Both are famous Rungus folktales and Jainal, 47, knew immediately that he wanted to illustrate the Itut-Itut story when he heard it at the workshop.
“This is a very old story, it’s a classic tale and I’m very familiar with it. In fact, these folktales are like bedtime stories. Parents told them to their children when it was time for them to go to bed, back in the days before we had radio or television.
“We all know these stories because they have been passed down from one generation to another,” he said.
Jainal drew on Rungus culture to illustrate the tale, incorporating things like traditional costumes, baskets, and the parang (machete). Mount Kinabalu, a landmark he always features in his work, can be seen in most of the book’s illustrations, which portray the landscape of Kudat.
“I painted banana trees, watermelons and papayas as these are crops that the Rungus grow,” he said.
An award-winning artist who has illustrated a number of books, Jainal was glad to be part of the Storybook Initiative, as it involved the preservation of Rungus folktales and culture.
“At the same time we can use the books as educational materials for children. Pictures can attract children’s interest and attention to the stories,” he said.
In a 2011 interview with Star2, the artist, who works in the naïve style, explained how books for children must have clear messages and how “you have to be colourful – children love colours”.
He is listed in the 2004 book Under The Spell Of The Moon: Art For Children From The World’s Great Illustrators and, apart from several local awards, has won recognition in the prestigious Noma Concours for Picture Book Illustrations, organised by the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for Unesco in Tokyo (second prize in 2000, runner-up prizes in 2004 and 2002, and the Encouragement Award in 1998 and 2008).
While Jainal has attended workshops when he could over the years, he began as a self-taught artist – a situation Didi is familiar with. Also self-taught, Didi, 27, illustrated his first book with Tasu To The Rescue. Like Jainal, he knew the tale but initially found it difficult to visualise the text as pictures.
“The dog doesn’t realise he’s helping the family. He wants to help but he doesn’t know how. It took some time for me to figure out how to illustrate the dog wanting to help his master,” he said.
He sought advice from Jainal and eventually produced seven paintings for the book, which took him about two months.
Didi, who also illustrated The Magical Melon for the project, said he preferred the paintings in the second book.
“I think the second one is better because I felt more comfortable and confident about doing it. When I was asked to do this project, it was the first time I’d picked up a brush and paints since Form Five.
“But I want to keep drawing after this and I want to keep improving my skills, especially after I saw children enjoying the book and my pictures,” he said.
Written in rhyme, the stories are aimed at children aged six to nine years old. The original Rungus text is printed at the end of the books, which come with audio CDs in both languages.
The British Council’s ELTDP director Tricia Thorlby said the project is a great way for children to see their lives and culture depicted in picture books, thereby promoting literacy.
“It’s important in early reading that children are able to have visual literacy first. Picture books are not just nice things to look at, they’re important to children’s success in reading and we’re thrilled that local illustrators are working with us on the books,” she said.
Thorlby encouraged parents to read books together with their children, getting them to look at the pictures and talk about what was going on in the story.
“We want the public to understand that looking at pictures is the beginning of reading. Also, children like repetition so the books can be read over and over.”
Added White: “We’re hoping that when parents look at these books, they will look familiar. This is their world, and hopefully it will inspire them to read the books with their children.”
Source: The Star Online
