Life Inspired spoke to sape musician Alena Murang, who has made preserving the culture and music of her people her mission, as well as jazz vocalist Janet Lee, who has been performing for almost two decades, and continues to persevere through good and bad times.
When it comes to the signature “sound” of Sarawak, few come close to being as recognisable and iconic as the strums of the sape', a traditional instrument of the Orang Ulu people.
Created for the purpose of healing physical, spiritual and emotional ailments, the lute instrument of the highland tribes of Borneo still serves this purpose today, in the digital age, as musician Alena Murang strives to preserve the music of her tribe through her artistry.
The 31-year-old musician is the first woman to perform and teach the sape' professionally, and has graced many a world stage with her soothing and captivating tunes.
Born to a Kelabit father and English-Italian mother, as a child Murang was exposed to traditional dances and music, taking up the sape’ at the age of 11. (The Kelabit people are one of the smallest groups indigenous to Borneo, with a population of roughly 6000 people.)
It would be years before she became a full-fledged performer, but the cultural significance of the music from her elders was constantly at the back of her mind.
“I went to all the Rainforest World Music Festivals (held annually in Kuching, Sarawak) since 1998, and as a teenager, I would tell my mum how I thought it would be cool to be like them, travelling musicians performing on stage, ” recalls Murang during an interview at her studio in Zhongshan Building, Kuala Lumpur.
“My mum said, ‘go talk to them, not all of them are full-time musicians’, and I remember talking to them and discovering that one of them was a doctor, one was a teacher and so on, ” says Murang, who dons vibrant prints from local designer Wynka during out shoot.
“It was never really an option to become a sape’ player unless you work at Sarawak Cultural Village, ” adds Murang, who also sings in Kelabit and Kenyah and paints.
After completing a degree in business management in Manchester, England, Murang worked at a management consulting firm for two years, before foot surgery rendered her immobile for a month, a situation which rekindled her love for art.
“I would paint until 4 to 5am, it energised me and that’s when I decided to go to art school. I wanted to paint things that were in my head but I couldn’t technically do it, ” says Murang, who then went on to complete a foundation course in visual arts in Singapore.
Murang was performing at open mic sessions in KL, mostly on guitar and doing cover songs, but everything really came together when two of her former colleagues, musicians with the world music band Diplomats of Drum, invited her to join them on a four-week US tour.
“From there, I really saw how the sape' became a gateway for most of the stories about this place called Borneo, that people hadn’t heard about, and were so interested in, ” recalls Murang. “There was just slowly more and more demand, and people were becoming more curious about Sarawak.”
“I was getting invitations to perform, people were messaging me on my Instagram, asking questions about Sarawak and our culture, the costumes, the language. I was playing corporate shows, in cafes and festivals, it grew very organically, and I became a full time musician in 2016.”
ALSO READ: Malaysian jazz vocalist Janet Lee believes music can unite people
Constantly releasing new music and working closely with her cousin Joshua Maran as producer, they draw influence from the genres of world, rock and folk music, combined with narratives of growing up indigenous in contemporary urban settings.
Murang has travelled the world to perform her interpretations of traditional Kelabit and Kenyah songs, as well as original music, and has been featured on Nat Geo People, Channel News Asia, Asian Nikkei Review, NPR Radio, BBC Radio 2, Radio 6, CBC News, Discovery Channel, among others.
“My parents inspire me a lot. They are both so incredibly purpose driven in their work, which is all for the Sarawakian community, ” quips Murang, who has one older brother. “I used to think it’s so hard being their daughter, living up to their amazing work, but I’ve enjoyed leaning into that challenge.”
Murang’s father, Ose, is involved in rural and community development while her mother, Valerie Mashman, is an anthropologist researching and publishing material on Kelabit, Kenyah, Iban and Bidayuh cultures.
Murang is currently working on releasing new singles with a new sound, and released the first of eight planned singles, Gitu’an, at the end of July.
“Gitu’an means stars, and is a reflection of who we are and where we came from – many Dayak cultures have stories of our great ancestors who lived in the heavens and on earth; the ability to plant and harvest padi and to be a strong warrior were highly valued, and the essence of being able to feed your community and to protect your family are still highly valued today. The song Gitu’an reminds us that we are who we are today because of those who have come before us – We Are Our Ancestors.”
Dreams and duties
She is also working with Maran on a digital archive of children’s songs and rhymes in the Kelabit language, and is always on the lookout for more partners to bring the project to life.
“We have also produced two videos as part of Gerak Angin: The Malaysian Virtual Arts Festival 2020 which will be aired on Sept 30. I’m really excited about this because we’re portraying the music in quite a dramatic way.”
“It warms my heart that after the MCO period I had so many inquiries for these lessons. And I’m so happy when I see their development. This is what will keep our heritage alive and breathing, ” she says.
Murang always leads herself back to the realm of art and cultural heritage when faced with challenges, reminding herself that it is her dream and duty to realise it.
“It’s not a straightforward road because we’ve had to develop a model for ourselves in creating and sharing music. We start from what’s true to our hearts, and then check back with what’s the best thing to do for the community, and then we work with our elders and cousins to develop a narrative, to write lyrics for a song and to develop the visuals. We work with other musicians who have a curiosity and a heart for this kind of music also. The people I work with motivate me so much, as do all those that support us, ” she explains, referring to working with her cousin/producer Maran.
As Malaysia Day approaches, Murang’s hope for our country is that more will share their stories and history, without waiting for the authorities to do that for us.
“It’s through our stories that we can better understand ourselves and each other and I think that that would lead to a closer knit Malaysian community.
“Music does have the power to unite people, you see stadiums full of people singing the same lyrics, moving to the same rhythm, even in that moment, people were united. A lot of our folk songs on the sape’ are about togetherness, and for our community, being together is very important.”
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