PRESERVING INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE: PLANNING FOR A DIGITAL AUDIOVISUAL ARCHIVES FOR SABAH AND WIDER BORNEO
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v23i38.1852Keywords:
intangible cultural heritage, preservation, audiovisual archives, Kota Kinabalu, SabahAbstract
The preservation of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), such as music, dance, language, indigenous law and other oral traditions and practices, is essential for peoples who are experiencing rapid culture change. This enables them to access and understand their cultural past as a valuable preparation for the future. Unlike tangible cultural heritage such as sites, monuments, and objects that can endure for centuries, intangible cultural heritage exists only momentarily. It is traditionally preserved in the minds of its practitioners. When these experts pass away, the intangible cultural heritage may be lost. This heritage can be preserved by its continual performance and by passing it on to the next generation, by writing it down through descriptive transcription, or by recording it. Various recording procedures have been used throughout the past century to record intangible cultural heritage, and today older analogue data can be digitised. But there are inherent difficulties in this process. This article examines the UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and issues arising thereof. It discusses processes of transcription and especially the recording of intangible cultural heritage. Finally, it proposes the planning and establishment of an audiovisual archives in Kota Kinabalu to preserve the intangible cultural heritage of all ethnic groups in Sabah and wider Borneo that will also ensure that the indigenous property rights of the people are preserved.
Downloads
References
Appell, C.R. (2022). A retrospective on the history and methodology of the Sabah Oral Literature Project. In A.A. Doolittle, L.P. Appell-Warren, & C.R. Appell (Eds.), Reflections on Borneo ethnography: A memorial volume in honour of George N. Appell. Borneo Research Council Monograph Series Vol. 17 (pp. 45-112). Borneo Research Council, Inc.
Appell, G.N. (1986). Social anthropological research among the Rungus Dusun. A talk for the Sabah Society. Sabah Society Journal 8(2), 194-209.
Appell, G.N. (2011). Sabah Oral Literature Project. Catalogue of recordings and transcriptions of Rungus oral literature 1986-2010. https://firebirdfellowships.org/PDFs.Rungus-Classes-of-Oral-Literature.pdf
Blacking, J. (1995). Music, culture and experience: Selected papers of John Blacking. R. Byron (Ed.). University of Chicago Press
Brewis, K. (1991). The handsome young man. In H. J. Wigglesworth (Ed.), The maiden of many nations: The sky maiden who married a man from Earth (pp. 286-289). Linguistic Society of the Philippines.
Brewis, R (compiler). (1986). Tutunungon-Tutungon ru Tuu’-lai Rali: Cerita dongeng Timugon: Timugon folk tales (Sabah Museum Booklet No. 2). Department of Sabah Museum and Archives.
Cai, Y., John Baptist, J., Pugh-Kitingan, J., & Hussin, H. (2022a). Documenting the Lotud mamanpang (Creation myth) in the sumalud healing ritual of the Lotud Dusun community, Tuaran District, Sabah, East Malaysia. University of Leicester. Collection. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25392/leicester.data.c.5917808.v1
Cai, Y., John Baptist, J., Pugh-Kitingan, J., & Hussin, H. (2022b). The ritual poetry of the Lotud mamanpang (Creation myth) in the sumalud healing ritual of the Lotud Dusun community, Tuaran District, Sabah, East Malaysia. Cultural documentation report. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25392/leicester.data.19576051
Cai, Y., John Baptist, J., Pugh-Kitingan, J., & Hussin, H. (2022c). Mamanpang Lotud (Mitos Penciptaan) dalam upacara penyembuhan sumalud di kalangan komuniti Dusun Lotud, Daerah Tuaran, Sabah, Malaysia Timur. Laporan dokumentasi kebudayaan. University of Leicester. https://doi.org/10.25392/leicester.data.19590715.v1
Cai, Y., John Baptist, J., Pugh-Kitingan, J., & Hussin, H. (2022d). The Lotud Mamanpang (Creation myth) in the sumalud healing ritual of the Lotud Dusun community, Tuaran District, Sabah, East Malaysia. Cultural documentation report.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25392/leicester.data.19576009
Kaeppler, A.L. (2005). Dance, dancing and discourse. In M.A.M. Nor, & R Murugappan (Eds.), Global and local dance in performance (pp. 293-302). Cultural Centre, University of Malaya & Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage Malaysia
Ku, A.C.M. (2019). Cultural convergence in the music and oral traditions of the Kadazan Dusun of Membakut, Sabah. (Unpublished Doctor of Philosophy thesis). Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Malaysia: Sabah. (2021). Ethnologue: Languages of the world. https://www.ethnologue.com
Morie, F.C. (2019). Preserving the rinait: Quest for the ancient oral ritual texts of the Rungus. Borneo Research Bulletin, 50, 81-94.
Morie, F.C. (2022). Maksud dan kepentingan rinait: Kajian kes dalam ritual moginum masyarakat Rungus di Kampung Limau Manis, Kanibongan, Pitas, Sabah. (Unpublished Master of Arts thesis). Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Olim Marsh, I. (Ed.). (1988). Tales and traditions from Sabah. The Sabah Society.
Pugh-Kitingan, J. (2004). Selected papers on music in Sabah. Kadazandusun Chair, Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Pugh-Kitingan, J. (2019). Sama’-Bajau influences in Makiang musical culture. Borneo Research Journal, Special Issue, 122-136.
Pugh-Kitingan, J. (2024a). Iranun influence on gong cultures of west coastal and northern Sabah and beyond. In D. Quintero, W. Quintero, & Mayco Santaella (eds.), The Sulu zone. A maritime cultural complex (pp. 242-282). Sunway University Sdn. Bhd.
Pugh-Kitingan, J. (2024b). Culture change and culture loss among youths in Sabah: Some observations in Dusunic societies. Borneo Research Bulletin, 54(Special Issue), 25-61.
Pugh-Kitingan, J., Miller, M.T., Wong, J.K.L., Petrus Atin, V., Paul P., Lajumin, P., & Kluge, A. (2018). Report on the project ‘Review of Ethnologue® descriptions of languages in Sabah’. Borneo Research Bulletin, 49, 221-240.
Regis, P., Pugh-Kitingan, J., & John-Baptist, J. (2003). Berunsai: Meeting, match-making and music. Tirai Panggung. Jurnal Seni Persembahan, 6, 23-37.
Roland, D.O. (2020). Documenting the momohizan of the Kadazan community of Papar, Sabah. Borneo Research Bulletin, 51, 77-88.
Roland, D.O. (2022). Fungsi buntuh dalam proses ritual masyarakat Kadazan di Daerah Papar, Sabah. (Unpublished Master of Arts thesis). Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Sather, C. (1975). Literary form in Bajau Laut riddles. Sarawak Museum Journal 23, 187-206.
Simeon, J.J.C. (2022). Rungus longoi tanganak (chidlren’s songs): Music analysis and application for music education. (Unpublished Doctor of Philosophy thesis). Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Simeon, J.J.C., & Pugh-Kitingan, J. (2021). Bringing the children’s songs of the Rungus of Sabah into Malaysian music classrooms. Malaysian Journal of Music, 10(2), 54-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37134/mjm.vol10.2.5.2021.
Smith, K.J., & Hassin, M. (2011). The bayuk: One genre of classical literature. In J.U.H. Chin & K. J. Smith (eds.). The Iranun of Sabah (pp. 139-144). Pelanduk Publications.
Subinon, M. (2016). The Kadazan mythology (Inait with English illustrations). Jabatan Cetak Kerajaan, Sabah, Malaysia.
The Tun Jugah Foundation. (n.d.). https.//tunjugahfoundation.org.my
UNESCO. (2003) Convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage. https://ich.unesco.org
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright & Creative Commons Licence
eISSN: 0128-0945 © Year. The Authors. Published for Malaysian Institute of Planners. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
The authors hold the copyright without restrictions and also retain publishing rights without restrictions.
