Storytelling in Sabah and Sarawak
Animal tales are often told to teach morals to children. For instance, the story of The Deer, the Goat and the Mouse Deer, tells how a giant who had been stealing their fish was caught.
Storytelling is an important part of the oral traditions of the indigenous communities of Sabah and Sarawak. The relating of genealogies, folk tales and local history, word play, reciting myths and chanting sacred narratives all form a valued part of these peoples' lives. They also express and serve to transmit social and cultural values. However, urbanization, the spread of literacy and the mass media into the countryside have been at the expense of some traditional narrative forms.
- Information in the full article includes
- Folk tales
- Epics
- Genealogies
- Ritual chants