Jalan-Jalan Cari Datuk: Encounters
By Cheryl J Hoffmann
November 2018 PHOTO ESSAY
A Malaysian friend tells me that, as a young boy, when he walked with his grandmother, she would say to him “Don’t pee on the tree, Datuk Kong lives there.” This advice reflects a deeply rooted, human inclination to entertain ideas about, and respect for, spirits residing all around us. In Malaysia, (where folklore of local spirits abounds) specific forces of history and geography created our very own Datuk Kong. It is an intriguing web of mingled beliefs. The concept...
Cheryl J Hoffmann
is a global freelance photographer, an historical geographer and a friend of Malaysia. “Jalan-jalan cari Datuk” is her personal twist on the very Malaysian pastime of going out to eat, which she enjoys almost as much as encountering the Datuk. She has exhibited her images in Malaysia and Canada, including OF THIS PLACE as part of George Town Festival 2017. Her works can be seen at: www.cheryljhoffmann.com.
