Compiled by KHOO JIAN TENG, C.ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN
BISKAL Mastal, 74, is keeping alive the traditional art of building the ‘lepa’, a distinctive boat that has long been a symbol of the Bajau Laut community’s maritime identity and way of life, according to Berita Harian.
The resident of Kampung Tonggulangan in Sabah, learnt the craft from his father when he was 12 and has since built about 30 full-sized ‘lepa’ boats, each measuring about 11m.
Biskal said the boats, which take about a year to build, were traditionally used for fishing and transportation but had largely been replaced by modern speedboats.
Today, he mainly builds them for his own use and to participate in the annual Regatta Lepa, where the boats are decorated with tiered flags and colourful sails known as ‘sambulayang’.
His craftsmanship has also proved lucrative, with a full-sized ‘lepa’ fetching up to RM100,000.
Five of his boats are currently displayed in Putrajaya.
However, Biskal is worried that the tradition could disappear as fewer young people are willing to learn the craft.
> Malaysian singer Emma Suhaimi shed 16kg over six months as part of her preparation for her return to the music scene with her latest single, Tersakiti, reported Utusan Malaysia.
Emma, who is the elder sister of singer Adira Suhaimi, said she changed her diet and exercised in the hopes of achieving of a fresher image after 16 years without releasing a solo work.
Tersakiti, released on Aug 14, is a ballad composed by Indonesian composer Ilham Baso and explores themes of hurt, disappointment and finding the courage to leave an unhappy relationship.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
