Spirited: Reminders of How Man and Nature Are Inseparable
By Elizabeth Su
March 2024 FEATURE
IF YOU COULD have conversations with your ancestors, what questions would you ask? Visitors to the Tribal Art Exhibition “Spirited: Human Art of The Non-Human” Exhibition held at the Homestead [1] , the main campus of Wawasan Open University (WOU) in Penang, were certainly prompted to be curious on that front.Greeted by rows of totem poles standing in dignified solemnity, these visitors were welcomed into a world where the ancestors of indigenous Malaysians lived in harmony with spirits, gods and...
References
- [1] The Homestead in Penang is philanthropist Towkay Yeap Chor Ee’s mansion, now the main campus of Wawasan Open University (WOU). “Spirited” was held from 16 December 2023 to 16 January 2024.
- [2] These artefacts were gathered from indigenous artists throughout Southeast Asia during David Goh’s butterfly- collecting expeditions from Peninsular Malaysia to Papua New Guinea.
- [3] https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/recognizing-indigenous-peoples-land-interests-is-critical-for-people-and-nature
- [4] https://www.ohchr.org/en/indigenous-peoples/un-declaration-rights-indigenous-peoples
- [5] Founded in December 2018, GIOAS is an independent, nonprofit institute which is part of Wawasan Open University (WOU), George Town, Penang.
- [6] Sneha is also an associate of the Global Soil Health Programme, and an adjunct faculty member at the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh.
- [7] https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/indigenous-peoples/
Elizabeth Su
is a Harvard Mason Fellow (Class of '97). She is very curious about people and the world around her, and believes that asking questions is a great way to learn. Elizabeth teaches, writes and loves storytelling.
