An Identification Task toward Engendering a Malaysian Folktale Classification System for Preservation

This paper investigates the folktale motif, "transformation of human into stone," i.e., petrifaction, in two narratives of different oral cultures; the Mauritian myth of the Pieter Both mountain and the Singaporean Malay iteration of Si-Tanggang. While both stories feature a character petrified as punishment for his misdeeds, the Singaporean retelling of Si-Tanggang makes no mention of a specific location nor geographical feature, unlike the Mauritian folktale and other versions of Si-Tanggang recounted elsewhere in the Malay Archipelago. To discover possible reasons for of functionalism as a folk explanation for natural phenomena by the Singaporean narrative, I conduct a comparative analysis of the two, through a lens of form, Propp (1968), field, and function. The comparison reveals divergences between form and field, in that between Singapore and Mauritius, storytelling as a cultural practice differs in its moralistic, nationalistic and ecological functions. The loss of an explicit geographical link in the Singaporean iteration of Si-Tanggang may be explained by how storytelling in Singapore has largely shed its ecological function. These observations also suggest that structural comparisons of folktales can help further our understanding of each individual oral culture, and in particular, how they have been shaped by historical and sociocultural forces.

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From Jungles and Rivers: Animal Tropes in Malaysian Indigenous Literature in English

Abdullah

Zainal

Ching

et al. 2023

JLC

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Recent developments in the local literary arts scene have seen the emergence of publications on folktales and fables of Malaysian indigenous people in English. Central to these publications is the presence of animals, whether as symbols, voices, or characters. Nonetheless, critical reaction to this presence has been sparse at best. As animals are paradoxically recognised as central to indigenous societies and their literatures yet marginalized in relation to human concerns, analysing texts to see how these animals function in literature, what they teach us about animals and what they reveal about humans and our relationships to animals seem critically crucial. Tapping into the field of animal studies, this paper investigates animal tropes in Malaysian indigenous folktales in English. To this end, folktale collections from such as Heidi Munan’s Sarawak Folktales (2017), Lim Boo Liat and Jefri Dylan Ong’s Orang Asli Animal Tales (2016), Clifford Sather’s Apai Alui Becomes A Shaman and Other Iban Comic Tales (2001), Robert Sulis Ridu, Ritikos Jitab and Jonas Noeb’s King Siliman and Other Bidayuh Folk Tales (2001), and Jayl Langub’s Suket: Penan Folk Stories (2001) are examined. Using Mario Ortiz Robles’s framework of animal tropes, this research found that the majority of these animal tropes are anthropomorphized or shown as possessing human capacities, such as conversing, dancing, working, and interacting with others, indicating Malaysian literary animals as literary, cultural endeavours which largely involve a projection of humanity.

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An Identification Task toward Engendering a Malaysian Folktale Classification System for Preservation

Cited by 3 publications

References 6 publications

The Exploration of Emotions from Print Design Course using Augmented Reality

The Exploration of Emotions from Print Design Course using Augmented Reality

“Between a Rock and Reclaimed Land:” A Structural Comparison between Singaporean and Mauritian Petrifaction Myths Between a Rock and Reclaimed Land: A Structural Comparison of Si-Tanggang and the Pieter Both Folktale

From Jungles and Rivers: Animal Tropes in Malaysian Indigenous Literature in English

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