Sape musician Alena Murang's latest music video Put Burui celebrates her roots and nature
WHEN sape musician Alena Murang wanted to embark on a music video project for Put Burui (which is one of the tracks from her album Sky Songs), she reached for her cousin Sarah's help to source for a local production team from Kuching, Sarawak.
It only makes sense to look for a local team since Alena wanted to film the music video in her home state, which is a more natural setting for the song — a traditional folklore music of the Orang Ulu of Sarawak.
"Put Burui simply means the blowpipe of an Orang Ulu man named Burui. The song actually tells the simple story of this man and his sumpit," shares the 32-year-old singer-songwriter.
Having recorded the song as a track in her album released last year, Alena says although many (from her native land, and of Kenyah tribe) regarded the song somewhat all too familiar and simple, she felt a calling to include it in her album.
"Perhaps it is a song many have heard it from young and everywhere whenever Datun Julud dance is performed, not many have recorded this otherwise beautiful song, especially when played with the sape," recounts Alena who also learnt to perform the dance when she was only 6.
As part of the traditional Kenyah dance performance, the dancers would be holding kirip (dancing feathers) in their hands, as they move gracefully to the tune of sape playing in the background.
Traditionally, the accessory is made using hornbill feathers. But these days dancers would be using kirip made from artificial hornbill feathers.
"I remember when I was learning this dance as a young girl, together with Sarah, we were in this pilot project which used feathers of a white turkey instead," recounts Alena, whose Kelabit name is Lipang.
In the music video, as an effort to raise the attention on bio-diversity conservation, the dancers used ferns (albeit plastic ones) instead of feathered kirip.
"We tried to use real ferns, but they wilted so fast. But, you get the idea," laughs Alena.
Working with other women
Co-incidentally, the team she chose to work with for this music is mostly made up of women.
"This is my first time working with many women in the team. Not only were they Kuching-based, but hey, it's nice to support one another," says Alena.
Through her cousin, she was connected with first-time director Daphne Charmain Thian.
Thian who was nervous at first doing the project says: "I had all these visions in my head. But I know that executing them would be a whole different story altogether.
"It was a huge learning curve and I had to improvise and solve problems on the spot. There was a point where I had to step away to resolve an issue which concerned the weather. It was challenging. But would I do it again? Definitely, yes," she says enthusiastically.
Discussions for the project began last December, and the music video was filmed in May. It is co-produced by Zass Puravida and Kanid Studio, a team of vibrant local youths.
The importance of providing the youths with an outlet to express their creativity and love for the arts was paramount to Alena, and this was further supported by Sarawak's Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industries and Performing Arts, which is also one of the funders for the music video.
Filmed in a place called Semadang, it captures the beauty of the green rainforest as a setting for the melodious music and graceful dance moves.
Thian adds: "I wanted to show Mother Nature in a way where we're observing her like in a nature documentary.
"We're the audience observing her, in her own realm. How she's thriving without us on her own. She doesn't need us but we, in return, need her".
With environmental sustainability in mind, most of Alena's attires for the music video are made from natural fibres, notably the red Pua Kumbu (Iban handwoven textile from natural fibres and natural dyes) top from Sarawakian designer Edric Ong, and a light brown top handwoven using Sarawak songket techniques by the Artisans of Tanoti.
Her dancers' outfits are made 100% from plant fibres.
To complete her look, Alena also wears accessories made of seeds and shells made by Ong; fellow Sarawakian Nasha Prive; and orang asli Temuan artist Leny Maknoh.
These pieces were styled by Saerah Ridzuan of Styllar, who says: "The looks for this video are mainly inspired by mother nature. The colour palette consists of earthy hues that are visually present in the video, shades of brown similar to the man-made nest, and textured rocks and sand by the river.
"Raw and organic materials like hemp, bemban, dalai beads, and wood are palpable in the adornment of accessories and outfits worn by Alena and the dancers.
"Alena also donned two looks in white attire which represents pureness of nature's innocence and the other in red as a symbol of nature's ferocity for its survival, a colour that signifies strength and power."
The music video was released earlier this month, to coincide with the International Day Of The World's Indigenous Peoples (which falls on Aug 9).
Alena, a descendant of Sarawak Orang Ulu (of Dayak Kelabit tribe) says it could not have been more apt to have the music video released on a day that acknowledges the contributions that indigenous people have made in the world we know today.
"Indigenous people around the world still have a particularly close relationship with the natural environment and growing up learning the sape and our cultural art forms of Kelabit and Kenyah people have taught me how much our rainforest, rivers, skies, provides for us. It's not only language, music and art that we inherit, but also nature, and we need to look after it as an heirloom."
Alena also worked with Bogus Merchandise to produce silk screen t-shirts by hand, as merchandise for the music video, using second hand t-shirts that were personally hand picked by Alena.
Put Burui merchandise is available at Bogus Merchandise website (www.bogusmerchandise.com).
The song is available on most major digital platforms.