Tong Tana
Tong Tana (2018), installation view at KL Biennale — exploring displacement, memory, and indigenous resilience through stamps, papercuttings, and media critique.
Introduction
Tong Tana, created by Malaysian–Danish artist Amir Zainorin for the KL Biennale, explores the struggles and resilience of Malaysia’s indigenous peoples. The installation reflects on displacement, environmental loss, and cultural erasure, drawing from field visits to Penan, Kenyah, and Temiar communities in Sarawak and Perak. Combining stamps, papercuttings, and media analysis, the work critiques modernization and the destruction of ancestral lands. Alongside the installation, Amir produced the Voice of the Jungle video documentaries, amplifying indigenous perspectives and histories often excluded from mainstream narratives. Tong Tana is both a tribute to homeland memory and a call to recognize indigenous rights and ecological stewardship.
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Tong Tana
Tong Tana means “in the forest” in the Penan language. The Penan, a nomadic group from Sarawak, Borneo, are among the last remaining hunter-gatherer communities. Known for their practice of molong—taking only what is needed—they embody a sustainable relationship with nature.
Created for the KL Biennale, this installation reflects a longing for my homeland and a meditation on history, disappearing cultures, and shifting lifestyles. Tong Tana explores conflict, displacement, marginalization, and urban progress through the lens of Malaysia’s indigenous peoples, informed by site visits and media narratives.
Video Documentaries – Voice of the Jungle
As a migrant living far from home, questions of identity and heritage continually surface. This curiosity led me to research Malaysia’s indigenous peoples, producing two video documentaries:
Ulu Baram, Sarawak (September 2019)
With photographer Fadza Ishak, I journeyed to Ulu Baram, guided by Arthur Jojo of the Kenyah tribe. Sarawak, home to over 26 ethnic groups including the Penan and Kenyah, faces widespread displacement due to logging, plantations, and dams. Despite protections, indigenous communities continue to struggle with land rights and environmental destruction.
Pos Piah, Perak (January 2019)
Together with artist-activist Shazni Bhai, I visited the Temiar in Pos Piah. Living in the rainforest for thousands of years, they face displacement from palm oil expansion and logging. Though less than 1% of Malaysia’s population, the Orang Asli remain at the forefront of struggles for land and cultural survival.
Installation Elements
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Stamp Series – Colonial-era stamps of rainforest animals and indigenous peoples reinterpreted as critiques of modern exploitation.
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Papercuttings & Lightboxes – Images of indigenous communities cut and illuminated, symbolizing cultural erasure and resilience.
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Media Analysis – Examining how mass media frames indigenous issues, shaping public perception and policy.
Tong Tana reflects on the erasure of indigenous histories, the destruction of natural environments, and the resilience of these communities in the face of modernization and marginalization.
Video Stills / Documentaries
Still from Voice of the Jungle (2019), a video documentary created as part of Tong Tana, highlighting the Temiar and Kenyah communities in Perak and Sarawak.
Acknowledgment
This project was made possible with support from:
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