STORYTELLING AND ELEMENTARY THEATRE
Storytelling in the longhouses of Sabah and Sarawak is an important part of the oral traditions of the indigenous peoples.
Some of the most important forms of theatre in the Malay World evolved from storytelling or verse debates, simple performances that became more elaborate as they moved towards full-fledged theatre, incorporating costumes, masks and musical instruments. Yet, in certain communities in Malaysia, several storytelling, verse debates and elementary theatre styles continue to be active. While many of these are secular in character, some have retained their past connections with mysticism.
Among the various communities in Sabah and Sarawak, several genres of folk tales, myths, animal stories, tales of magic and romance, such as the well-known story of the meeting of a sky maiden and an earthly prince, are maintained. The theme of this story, for example, is in fact quite widespread through Southeast Asia and beyond, indicating the sharing of myths between communities spread far and wide, containing universal images, themes and messages.
While foreign epics, such as the Ramayana, found their way to Malaysia and became important, a repertoire of indigenous stories also developed. One such significant indigenous story is the epic of Darangen, which recounts the adventures and deeds of the mythical hero Bantogen. This story is shared by the Iranun of Sabah and communities in the southern Philippines, where it is an important source of stage presentations.
While epic recitation is a specialized activity, there are other lesser styles, involving the presentation of stories through the oral tradition. These include the syair of the Malays in Brunei, containing legendary stories or referring to actual events that may have taken place in the remote past, and the tarsila or sarsila genealogies—traditionally recited by skilled performers.
Pantun, less serious than the other genres, and highly flexible in the manner in which it is used, is essentially a series of quatrains which has developed in various communities in diverse styles. In the Malay communities, with the formalization of the pantun and its development as a literary genre, some of its original flexibility has been lost. Impromptu pantun, however, are still found in Bangsawan performances, and also continue to be popular in Sabah and Sarawak.
While these activities, in particular the lighter verse debates, provide the opportunity for social interaction, entertainment or preservation of tradition, the true importance of these genres, particularly of the more elaborate ones that incorporate ancient stories, lies in the preservation of legendary history—the recounting of the origins of the world or of a particular community, the remembrance of the deeds of a culture hero or the restating of the myth explaining the origins of rice, for instance. Through narration and repetition, and the use of performance as elementary theatre, such tales are kept alive, and connections with the past are maintained.