SEMESTER 2 2022/2023

GKU1063 INTRODUCTION TO BASIC MUSIC

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT (20%) - Self-Reflection of Music Listening

NAME VALAR MATHI A/P NADARAJA

MATRIC NUM 82295
LECTURER NAME DR. CONNIE LIM KEH NIE
Alena Murang – Warrior Spirit

Link of the music video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qTxxtzlnSU

Alena Murang is a Borneo-born Dayak-European who lives in Malaysia and sings in the
endangered languages of Kelabit and Kenyah. The Dayak are Borneo's indigenous people.
She is one of the first women to play the sape', a lute instrument from Borneo that was
previously reserved for male healers (pre-1930s). Her presentations are a trip of past and
present, down the powerful Baram river, which travels from the coast to the highlands of
Borneo, through the world's oldest rainforest. Her shows are deeply impacted by the life of
her ancestors, combined with influences of rock and folk. Alena is also a sape' teacher,
dancer, and visual artist.

Alena is a sape' diva who sings in the endangered Kenyah and Kelabit languages and
she is the first woman to professionally play the lute of Borneo's highland tribes. Alena has
taken the wonderful melodies of the sape' to over 20 nations, including Iceland, Australia,
Thailand, and the United States. Her Dayak Kelabit background inspires her work as a visual
artist. Alena's work has been shown at galleries in Taiwan, Kuching, and Kuala Lumpur.

Alena's paintings, music, and tones are all deliberate, drawing on Kelabit stories from her
culture. Alena's art isn't about conserving Kelabit tradition, but about actively living and
breathing it via her music. Alena and her older brother were born in Kuching, Sarawak, to a
Kelabit father and an English-Italian mother, and have grown up in a melting pot of cultures
and settings. Alena's upbringing was filled with long excursions to waterfalls, nights in
villages, and remaining awake during rituals due to regular trips to Sarawak's rural interiors.
Alena quickly learned that every rock, tree, mountain, bird, rhythm, and melody had a name,
and she draws inspiration from nature's emotions in her work.

The Warrior Spirit by Alena Murang represents the courage and focus, the inner power
we acquired from our forefathers. It was launched in conjunction with the Gawai celebration
and recently won two wins at the International Music Video wins (IMVA) in the United
Kingdom. She told her own narrative about maintaining Sarawak culture in the video, which
aligned with Unesco's goal of emphasising the critical role of youth in safeguarding and
transferring their vibrant living legacy. Her main focus on the music videos was on Kelabit
and Kenyah history, language, and contemporary Sarawak life. It was her mother, an
anthropologist, who nourished her interests and identification in Kelabit culture, traditions
and way of life.

According to the music video, each community (or village) in Sarawak has created its
own unique set of beliefs that reflect its cultural heritage. The sape, a traditional lute of the
Kenyan and Kayan communities, holds a special place in Alena's heart. ‘Warrior Spirit’ is a
more contemporary sape album, with modern rock influences woven throughout thanks to
Alena's cousin and co-producer Joshua Maran and his electric guitar. However, the sape
Alena holds in the music video is the same makeup as the one she learned to play as a 10-
year-old girl in Kuching, with some modern tweaks.

The sound of the sape in ‘Warrior Spirit’ is a beautiful string reverberation, rounder and
less hollow, and a  guitar's softwood body. It is lighter on the ears, suitable for a sound to
uplift, inspire and recall, as per Alena’s genre of ethnic-pop global music. Some refer to sape
music as the sound of Borneo. However, in this era of globalization, I believes that Alena
seeks to share her East Malaysian hallmark with the world and communicate her idea of
home, roots and what it means to belong through her music.

Furthermore, the styling and setting of ‘Warrior Spirit’were heavily influenced by

Alena’s tradition as well as the people of Borneo, particularly Sarawak. The crew hired
various Malaysian designers and craftswomen for the video production, with Styllar in charge
of styling and Gebriel Pedan in charge of makeup. The team intended to display the beauty of
Bornean history and legacy, heightened by fashion-forward aesthetics that underlined ‘the
spirit of a modern warrior’, according to Saerah Ridzuan, who is also Alena’s stylist for many
of her appearances. Through this music video of ‘Warrior Spirit’, I believe the world can
embrace the beauty of Borneo and many more music videos featuring indigenous voices will
be officially funded in the future.

Alena further notes that the music video includes largely traditional Sarawak dance
moves from the Orang Ulu, which is the ladies’ hornbill dance and the male warrior dance.
The musician aimed to establish a contemporary and heritage-laced tale, right down to the
different costumes in each scene. Also, after doing everything they could to shoot the video,
they collaborated with Tyler Roth, who is based in Los Angles to push the colours in the
video. Why wouldn’t it want to compete with the best? The colours in the video were quite
pleasing to my eyes.

Throughout the production process of ‘Warrior Spirit’, the team of about 80 people
experienced numerous hurdles, ranging from inclement weather to early 3 am shoots to
lockdown issues. The Covid-19 pandemic has made their shoot difficult, raising issues such
as, ‘How do they shoot with 40 over dancers and crew at a time?’, ‘What kinds of venues
might suit them?’ and ‘How do they assure everyone’s safety on the set?’. There were also
many areas to think about while making the shoot. Working near the shore in Pulau Indah
and Kuala Kubu Bharu entailed working in the rain and sun, as well as lugging heavy
equipments to the uphills.

“Towards the end of their second day of shooting, they had to endure rain.” They had a
crane on set and had to rush to relocate it from it’s original place to another one to capture the
sunlight before nighfall. These were only few of the many obtacles they had to overcome.
There are simply too many variables, made even more difficult by the pandemic, to make any
easier. “Perhaps this was more of an individual challenge, but it became a collective strength
as the music video project became a space for us to support each other and pour our energy
into”, Alena says. Despite the numerous obtacles, she is delighted and appreciates the team
for bringing everything together. ‘Warrior Spirit’ was truly made possible by the participation
of everyone on the team. They were attempting to build something from our hearts . From the
production crew, the makeup artist, the style team, the designers, the band, the dancers, the
choreographers, and the strategic partners. Great things will be accomplished when we
collaborate and work together towards a similar objective.

In conclusion, I would say that the ‘Warrior Spirit’ by Alena Murang demonstrates
inner strength and we all are descended from a line of warriors and heroes. "It came out of a
creative need to learn," by referring to the shrinking number of sape players in her generation.
Alena Murang, Sarawak's sape queen, has fed us part of Sarawak's incredible tradition; one
that belongs to the Dayak Kelabit heritage — one that not only depicts fury but also the
power of its people. And this music video has transcended not only a culture almost cleaned
of the outward elements of the byzantine world we live in, but also leaves us wondering the
insignificant element of our livelihood today, particularly in post-pandemic times. Alena
Murang brings up a common ground we can all admit and understand by showcasing her
background and, eventually, her indigenous roots through her music.
 What counts now, more than ever, is that I’ve learned that family support, whether
financial or emotional, is critical in combating a pandemic. Alena's ‘Warrior Spirit’
encourages us to recognise the strength inherent in the force of unification. Warrior Spirit is a
manifestation of a culture's profound inventiveness that has survived and thrived even in this
generation. So it is pure grace in all of its forms, and it has brilliantly encapsulated all of its
mysticism in just one visual feast.
Alena Murang – Meno

Link of the music video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4QOsQJunO8

Alena Murang, a Sarawak musician, has released a tranquil new song called "Meno"
coupled with a music video. The music video will be released on YouTube on Friday,
January 29, 2021. Alena is shown in the video playing the Sape, a traditional lute of
Sarawak's Ulu (upriver) people. There are also scenes of her backing band performing, as
well as beautiful views of rivers and mountains in her native state. Alena Murang, a Sape'
singer, has published this music video as a heartfelt lament about missing the longhouse and
the people of Sarawak.

Murang defines the single title "Meno" as "a feeling of yearning for something or
someone" in Kenyah. Murang told Astro Awani that the song video was inspired by her
ancestors' long journeys from Sarawak's hills to trade in the coastal town of Miri. "At the
time, they sang 'Belian Meno,' which means longing for or thinking of something that isn't
there," she said.

Alena, a descendant of Sarawak's Dayak Kelabit tribe, recalls her ancestors making
long journeys from the mountains to the shores of Miri to trade. They travelled up through
the deep bush by long boat, camping in settlements or in the jungle along the way. They
would sing "belian meno" (wistful melodies) at such times, a sweet ballad of desire. In
Kenyah, meno' is a yearning sensation that involves visualising something or someone who is
not present. From here, I could tell that the Kenyah language, which is spoken in Sarawak
and Kalimantan, is part of the Austronesian language family and is endangered.

"In recent years, I've travelled a lot internationally, and I'd always sing this song on
stage, thinking about how much I missed home at the time," explains Alena, who has
performed at festivals such as South by Southwest USA, Frde Traditional and World Music
Festival (Norway), and OzAsia Festival (Australia). "I'm now based in KL, and the inability
to return home, particularly to the kampung, has had a greater impact on me than I would
have expected in the last year," Alena explains. She also states that, "I go to the kampung at
least twice a year to see family, reconnect with the land, and do research, and it really
grounds me." I miss it terribly and can't wait to return, but for the time being, we must keep
everyone, especially those in the interior areas, safe from the virus."

Aside from that, Candy Yik, a Sabah-based Kelabit filmmaker, edited the music video,
which includes footage from the road and waterways of Sarawak's interior towns along the
ulu Baram river. Recording and producing during Covid times, according to Alena, are
challenging but not impossible - "it just slows down the process a lot." "Meno" is her second
single to be released in anticipation of her upcoming album. As part of the Roads To her
Heritage project, the Dayak Cultural Foundation and Kementerian Komunikasi dan
Multimedia Malaysia are supporting the album recordings.

Through projects like Alena Murang's music production, I could observe that the present
Dayak identity is robust in the middle of Sarawak's development. Even as a non-Sarawakian,
I am proud of Alena and her team for their dedication to preserving Kenyah and Kelabit
culture through music and language, and I hope that other young people will be inspired to
create, learn, and share the wealth of knowledge and beauty that lies in Sarawak's many
languages and cultures. By sharing these experiences from native heritage caretakers, I hope
to pique people's interest in East Malaysian culture preservation and spread them to people of
all ages, both locally and beyond.

Murang music's cultural relevance is more important than its pleasant songs. The songs
are performed in the endangered Kelabit and Kenyah languages of the Kelabit Highlands, a
1200-meter-high borderland wedged between Brunei and Indonesian Kalimantan in northern
Sarawak and home to approximately 6,600 indigenous people as of 2013. These Sky Songs
are, in fact, inspired by tribal ancient ideas about how holy life on Earth is under the sky. It
signifies the "big sunhat dome" beneath which all earthly creations lie, according to the
Kelabit native.

The dancers in black and red were choreographed by Munirish Jereni and Naz
Manterang; stylist Saerah Ridzuan from Styllar was tasked with dressing them in attire that
reflected the ethnic inspiration of the song without culturally misappropriating anything; and
Alena herself took on the role of cultural advisor. "Styling was difficult because director
Sarah had specific ideas and wanted more structured looks that were still soft to show a
warrior's feminine side." "We also wanted to be very careful about the accessories we used so
that we didn't offend anyone," Alena explains. "It's not just putting beads on our heads," she
demonstrates. "We discovered some really beautiful tapestry and headgear." We approached
various aunties and villages, but we opted not to utilise them despite the fact that they were
appropriate for the attire." The last looks in the video are modern costumes put together by
Saerah and finished with a tribal-esque appearance and accessories. It was the ideal blend of
Sarawak's modern and traditional elements.

"My music tells stories through its lyrics, and we do a lot of research into past stories and
translate that into songs that people can relate to these days," she explains.The sape, the
instrument of her people, is, of course, in the centre of it all."I always say that sape was
created by our ancestors, and the songs are created by our ancestors," she continues. "When I
play the sape and sing my songs inspired by them, I am made more conscious of their
presence in my life." If she ever feels lost or uncertain, she knows she can turn to her music,
which will transport her back to her roots, culture, and home.

Last but not least, through completing this assignment, I am able to explain how the
song's popularity fosters a sense of identity, unity, and belonging among the Sarawak
community. However, as an indigenous song, Warrior Spirit and Meno by Alena Murang, is
said to be capable of fostering togetherness among Sarawakians. The song is well-known by
most Sarawak audiences and has the potential to build multicultural ties in Sarawak.
However, the song's popularity may have contributed to Sarawakians' cohesiveness, sense of
belonging, and pride in being Sarawakians. Moreover, the future study might also put a focal
point on the songs from other indigenous communities in Sarawak or the East Malaysian state
of Sabah to obtain insight into their responsibilities in forming identity and facilitating a
sense of solidarity among the Sarawakians.
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