Land Of The Hornbill

Land of The Hornbill

mountains and mighty rivers

here my heart belongs

balqis
Sept6'12


**I am from Sarawak,  one of the east states of Malaysia, which is also known as "Land of The Hornbill".

Sarawak is on Borneo island and it is the largest state in Malaysia. We have the oldest rainforests here and nature is always very close to our hearts.


Yahoo Image

The Tale : Puteri Santubong

The tale of Princesses Santubong and Sejinjang,
Beautiful princesses in heaven, Kayangan Sakti,
Whose rare beauty was beyond compare,
But Santubong the prettiest of them two.

If love could bring happiness and joy,
So could it bring destruction and death,
The tale of siblings who became enemies,
Over a fight for a prince's heart.

In the kingdom of Kayangan Sakti,
The Dewa ordered Sejinjang to go to earth,
To a place called Land of the Hornbill,
Where there was trouble to no end.

Princess Sejinjang became the rightful ruler,
Her responsibility  to bring peace and order,
All her subjects pledged their loyalty,
So in peace they lived but awhile.

The princess loved pounding paddy everyday,
Engrossed in her passion, her duty neglected,
Once again, trouble occured, fighting was everywhere,
Dewa was astonished on seeing it happened.

Since on earth, not a news was  from Sejinjang,
The Dewa decided to send Princess Santubong,
To aid her sister to restore peace again,
Down to the magnificient land she went.

The siblings were glad to see each other,
Before long, trouble occured between them,
Both in love with  handsome Prince Murud,
So eager, neither  wanted to be defeated.

Now, the fight was between the princesses,
Jealousy and hatred seen on their faces,
Prince Murud chose pretty Princess Santubong,
Furious Sejinjang attacked her without mercy.

The Dewa witnessed the whole incident,
Furious, his orders were not carried out,
In anger, he pronounced a mighty curse,
In a flash of lightening, it all happened.

Princess Santubong turned into Gunung Santubong,
Princess Sejinjang turned into Pulau Kera,
Prince Murud turned into Gunung Murud,
A tragic end to a love triangle.



*Puteri Santubong is one of  Malaysian popular folktales.
I wasn't able to tell it in details. What I wrote are free verses.
The mountains and island exist in Sarawak.


Some translations :
Puteri = Princess
Dewa = God/Deity
Kayangan = Heaven
Gunung = Mountain
Pulau = Island
Kera = Monkey


Image at flickr photostream.  Credit to unsunghero.

The Sound of Sape

Sape is a traditional string instrument of the "Orang Ulu" ethnic group of Sarawak. It looks quite simple but produces a beautiful and complex music. We are watching Jerry Kamit playing the traditional song of the Orang Ulu with his sape. He is a well-known sape player who used to perform all over the world. During the Rainforest World Music Festival which is usually held in Kampung Budaya, Kuching, Jerry is among the world's artists performing a superb sape music. The Rainforest World Music Festival is such a dazzling event where artists from across the globe participate in it.

I like listening to this music because it reminds me of our diverse culture. In the state of Sarawak, there are more than 40 ethnic groups each with its own unique culture. Nature is so close to my heart and this music also reminds me of nature.  I am proud to be a Sarawakian staying in "The Land Of The Hornbill"  with the oldest rainforests in the world.