Never forget: Wonderful indigenous art on display in KL

Terabai (war shield) at Manah, Galeri Petronas, from the collection of Petronas (Universiti Teknologi Petronas). [Artist and year unknown]-- SIA HONG KIAU/The Star

Amid the sago fronds trailing from ceiling to floor, the fierce wood carvings, and the talons of eagles and monkey skulls hanging on the wall, half-forgotten stories of shamans, myths and magic lurk at an exhibition at Galeri Petronas in Kuala Lumpur.

To much of “modern” society, the indigenous world is one cloaked in mystery, often served up in exotic packaging and blanketed in the warm glow of romanticism. But wait!