Sarawak Gone
The Headman: Kelesau Naan's poorly investigated disappearance
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Bird Man of Long Banga
Actually, he's a driver... a driver for hire, but still ...
Actually, he's a driver... a driver for hire, but still lives in the forest, or what's left it it. We stopped to take tea on the way to Long Suit. I asked, "Are there sounds from the forest you no longer hear? Sounds you were familiar with that you just don't hear any more?" He described a soundscape of birds, where they would make certain sounds and during which season. I'd not had this translated as the story is pretty clear as is and rather mesmerizing to watch and listen to. Ulu Baram, Sarawak, 2009. sarawakgone.ccCast: andrew gartonTags: Sarawak, deforestation and ulu baram
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Sarawak Gone - The Bidayuh and the Dam (full-length 30 min version)
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island ...
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo and is home to more than 40 unique sub-ethnic groups, or Dayaks. These include the Penan, Iban, Bidayuh, Kenyah and Kelabit. These are the last forest communities of Sarawak and the Bidayuh of Bengoh, are one of the many communities facing eviction, making way for the controversial Bengoh Dam. The Bengoh Dam is a water reservoir being constructed to supply water to Kuching, the capital of Sarawak. Construction has begun despite reports stating vast reserves of water can be saved were the failing infrastructure in the city repaired, upgraded and maintained. There are also concerns regarding protected flora and fauna, overlooked within the Environment Impact Assessment. Dams are big business in Sarawak. No less than 12 dams are proposed for construction. Described as Malaysia’s Renewable Energy Corridor, and claims that the program responds to dwindling energy resources and climate change, has already seen the relocation of more than 10,000 indigenous peoples as the first dam, the infamous Bakun Dam, gets under way. It is alleged that the construction of these dams will increase the wealth and power of Sarawak’s Chief Minister’s family and their operatives. In doing so, this internationally condemned project will see relocation of the last of Sarawak’s forest communities and the inundation of precious primary forest and native habit. The Sarawak Gone series explores the communities affected, the controversial environment impact assessment drawn up prior to the construction of the dam, how such developments have affected other indigenous communities and their right to customary land. The series was made with anything! Sony HandyCams, both miniDV and DV8, pocket sized digital cameras, a FlipCam and even a webcam. The total budget was around AUD$5000 and many hours of in-kind by friends and colleagues. For more information and other micro-docs in the Sarawak Gone series, go to sarawakgone.cc. Produced and directed by Andrew Garton in collaboration with SACCESS and the Bidayuh of Bengoh, with the support of the Bruno Manser Fonds and Association for Progressive Communications. Sarawak Gone was completed during a two year artists residency at Clifton Pugh's Dunmoochin, Victoria, Australia.Cast: andrew gartonTags: Malaysia, Sarawak, land rights, Bidayuh, Bengoh, Kenyah, East Malaysia, Borneo, native title, customary rights, indigenous and forest people
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NOTHINGKNOWN - Forest cultures in decline
As forest cultures endure the loss of the customary lands, ...
As forest cultures endure the loss of the customary lands, their elders suffer the realisation that theirs is the last generation to remember everything... The ill-fated Italian philosopher, Giordano Bruno, stated that “nothing can ever be known”. Despite all we have at our disposal, regardless of millennia of thought, reflection and wisdom… in spite of the knowledge, expertise and technologies we have at our disposal, we continue to consume, inundate and pollute the finite resources supporting life on Earth. NOTHINGKNOWN is a quasi anthropological study of loss of culture, tradition and native title within indigenous Diaspora, in particular the Bidayuh and Kenyah of Sarawak, Malaysia. Through networks, documentation, observation and contemplation Garton considers Bruno’s assertion in what may well be the last decade of decadence. The work is a result of several field trips to Sarawak made by the artist. Garton has worked in the region since 1992 when he assisted in the establishment of pre-internet computer networks for human rights workers and native title activists. The soundtrack is based on a generative composition created for Tat Fat Size Temple, a Sound Drifting project for KunstRadio, Ars Electronica, September 1999. It is comprised of field recordings made at the Gawai Dayak, Rumah Sauh and Rumah Jeli Iban longhouses, Sarawak. sarawakgone.cc/Cast: andrew gartonTags: Sarawak, Bidayuh, Kenyah, Bakun, Bengoh, Dayak, installation, anthropology, visual anthropology, traditions, customs and indigenous
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The Sape Master
Seven generations of music are said to be held by ...
Seven generations of music are said to be held by a Sape Master living in the Bakun Dam resettlement scheme, 180km southeast of Bintulu. The Sape is one of the more well known traditional instruments of Sarawak, but few remain who can perform the music of former generations and in the style that represents that heritage. Sarawak Gone is an open licensed micro-docs series raising awareness to the persistent decline of indigenous life and culture in Sarawak, East Malaysia. For more info sarawakgone.cc/Cast: andrew gartonTags: Sarawak, Bakun, Sape, indigenous, dam, Kenyah, Borneo and Malaysia
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The Headman: Kelesau Naan's poorly investigated disappearance
On the 23 October 2007 Kelesau Naan, the Headman of ...
On the 23 October 2007 Kelesau Naan, the Headman of the Penan village, Long Kerong, left his wife at a rest area in the forest to check on his traps. He never returned. Two months later his remains were found scattered across the Segita River. Presented by his son, Nick Kelesau, The Headman explores the events leading up to his disappearance. Kelesau Naan sought only to protect his people and their native customary right to the land they have lived in for centuries. His struggles may well had been his peril, but as Nick and his fellow Penan explain, his legacy endures. Produced and Directed by Andrew Garton in association with Sarawak Access and with the support of Pro REGENWALD, Umverteilen! and the Artists in Residence program of the Dunmoochin Foundation, Australia. The Headman is the fifth episode in the micro-docs series, Sarawak Gone, sarawakgone.cc, and was pretty much made with anything!Cast: andrew gartonTags: Sarawak, Penan, NCR, native customary rights, Malaysia, environment, human rights, sarawakgone and logging
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NOTHINGKNOWN v1.4
Excerpts from an audio-visual exhibition prototype created for CPU, at ...
Excerpts from an audio-visual exhibition prototype created for CPU, at ESC im Labor (esc.mur.at), Graz, October 2008. The prototype consists of a close analysis of three faces of indigenous people from Sarawak… two from the Kenyan community who had been relocated from where the Bakun Dam is being built and a Bidayuh woman from where the Bengoh Dam is proposed to inundate. The soundscape was generatively created from a piece that ran for 9 days. It consists of field recordings made from Iban longhouse communities in 1999. The entire prototype ran looped at 45 minute intervals utilising the largest projection surface possible within the ESC gallery. For more information: agarton.org/2009/09/nothingknown-cpu/ Note: this piece was frequently updated as changes were made in response to feedback and discussion with other participating artists and visitors to the gallery.Cast: andrew gartonTags: ESC, sarawak, bidayuh, iban, installation and nothingknown
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We Can't Eat The Road
Bidayuh travel to the Bakun Dam resettlement scheme and hear ...
Bidayuh travel to the Bakun Dam resettlement scheme and hear from the resettled Kenyah at Sungai Asap about their experiences and see first hand the results of relocation. They also meet with Iban at Rumah Agi who fought to retain customary right to their own land in the face of palm oil exploitation. For transcripts and more information go to sarawakgone.cc Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia License. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/Cast: andrew gartonTags: Sarawak, Bidayuh, Kenyah, Iban, Dayak, Bakun Dam, Rumah Agi, Sungai Asap, NCR, native customary rights, Malaysia and Borneo
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Penan at "home" in Miri
The Penan, one of the more unique of indigenous peoples ...
The Penan, one of the more unique of indigenous peoples of Sarawak, live in the forests of Ulu Baram. Some are still nomadic. Miri, the nearest city, provides the closest hospital to all the indigenous communities of the Ulu Baram. The Penan of Long Kerong, upper Ulu Baram, have squatted in two rundown timber cottages for over 20 years. It has become a kind of half-way house for those who need frequent medical attention and others who need a place to stay when transiting between their village, Miri and / or other parts of Sarawak. This micro-doc provides a snap-shot of life in the Penan's Miri "home". It was cobbled together quickly to assist in raising funds to move Penan from the squat to rented premises in Miri. Shot with a Canon Powershot S5 IS digital SLR and an Acer Aspire One netbook. -------- Penan at "home" in Miri is the final episode of the Sarawak Gone series, Kelesau Naan and the Penan of Ulu Baram. Kelesau Naan was the former headman of Long Kerong who went missing in October 2007. His partial remains were found in December of that same year. To date no official investigation has been undertaken into his death. Kelesau was a key witness in a case being brought against the Government of Sarawak and the Samling Timber Company.Cast: andrew gartonTags: sarawak, penan, squat, Malaysia, Borneo, rights, indigenous, Miri and native customary rights
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The Forest and the Dam
The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) is visited in The Forest ...
The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) is visited in The Forest and the Dam. We look at the loss of habitat and the inundation of protected and endangered species threatened by the Bengoh Dam. The Bengoh Dam is a water reservoir being constructed to supply water to Kuching, Sarawak. Construction has begun despite reports stating vast reserves of water can be saved were the failing infrastructure in the city repaired, upgraded and maintained. There are also concerns regarding protected flora and fauna, overlooked within the Environment Impact Assessment. sarawakgone.cc Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia License. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/Cast: andrew gartonTags: bidayuh, environment, upper bengoh, sarawak, biomass, dam, dams, Malaysia, Borneo, indigenous and native customary rights
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The Bidayuh and the Dam
The Bidayuh, one of more than 40 sub-ethnic groups in ...
The Bidayuh, one of more than 40 sub-ethnic groups in Sarawak, face a threat to their livelihood, traditional lands and culture with the development of the controversial Bengoh Dam. sarawakgone.ccCast: andrew gartonTags: sarawak, land, dam, water, rights, indigenous, bidayuh, upper bengoh, customary rights, NCR, Malaysia, Borneo and native customary rights
