The Awas! Mawas! collective and residents of Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Bumbun, Pulau Carey in Selangor are set to welcome the masses to their giant puppet parade this Sunday. Photo: William Koong
Did you know that Malaysia's Orang Asli has its very own version of Bigfoot, also known as the "Mawas"?
Well, you have a good chance of encountering one at the Awas! Mawas! parade at the Mah Meri village of Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Bumbun, Pulau Carey in Selangor this Sunday (Dec 29).
(Pulau Carey, a hidden gem approximately 75km from Kuala Lumpur, lies south of Port Klang and west of Banting).
The Mawas, a towering symbol of folklore and tradition, is one of five giant handmade puppets set to captivate audiences at this community event. Each puppet brings a unique story to life, inviting attendees to explore the rich cultural heritage of the Mah Meri community.
Residents of Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Bumbun hard at work putting together the giant puppets that will star in the 'Awas! Mawas!' parade. Photo:: William Koong
Organised by local artist collective Awas! Mawas! – comprising sculptor William Koong, multimedia artist Fairuz Sulaiman, performance artist Forrest Wong, puppet maker Malin Faisal and artist-poet Ayam Fared – the parade is part of a larger project where the group collaborates with various Orang Asli communities.
The main aim of the project is to introduce indigenous stories to the masses and shine a light on the current issues affecting Orang Asli communities through the art of puppetry.
“The Mawas is an ape-like mythical creature that appears in Orang Asli folklore, and is also known as a guardian of the jungle," says Koong.
Besides the giant puppets, residents will also dress up in masks representing smaller characters for the 'Awas! Mawas!' parade. Photo: William Koong
“We decided to name the project Awas! Mawas! to warn people that the Mawas is coming and he’s bringing his friends from the folklore world to give a timely reminder about the importance of cultural preservation and ecological balance,” he adds.
The parade (open to the public) will begin at 5pm, starting at the Orang Asli Craft Centre in Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Bumbun. It will end at the Mah Meri Cultural Village (nearby), where a short theatre sketch will be staged, narrated by the Mawas.
Community-led storytelling
A key part of the project, funded by Yayasan Hasanah, is the fact that the stories told and the characters featured are all crowdsourced from the community itself.
The artists worked closely with the Mah Meri residents of Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Bumbun over a period of two weeks – one week to decide on the story and characters, followed by another week to build the puppets for the parade.
“The process of crowdsourcing from the community is very crucial, because at the core of Awas! Mawas! is the belief that our role as artists is to act as a tool to help the community share its stories to a wider audience,” says Koong.
'For Awas! Mawas! we spoke with residents of all ages, from young children to adults, to discuss the issues they care about and what could be done about them,' says Fairuz. Photo: William Koong
For this community project, Fairuz brings his experience in facilitating arts-based workshops through Sekolah Main Wayang, a multimedia theatre programme targeted at underprivileged youths that he's been a part of since 2015.
“It’s not just about making puppets – Sekolah Main Wayang’s strength also lies in collecting stories from communities.
“For Awas! Mawas! we spoke with residents of all ages, from young children to adults, to discuss the issues they care about and what could be done about them. We then worked together to weave a story around what was discussed and designed characters to tell the story,” adds Fairuz.
The 'Awas! Mawas!' project involved workshops with the local community, where the artists and residents sat together to come up with the characters and storyline for the parade. Photo: William Koong
Next month, a second round – involving community workshops, a parade, and a theatre sketch – will be conducted at Kampung Orang Asli Pulau Kempas in Banting, with the Temuan community.
A combined parade joined by both Orang Asli communities and the puppets they created is also expected to take place in Kuala Lumpur in February, followed by an exhibition.
The first Awas! Mawas! parade takes place this Sunday (Dec 29) at 5pm. Those taking part in the parade will be gathering at the Orang Asli Craft Centre in Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Bumbun starting from 4pm.
More info here.
