Sape Musical Instrument

The most traditional musical instrument of Sarawak is the sape, pronounced as "sa-peh" which is a traditional lute of the Orang Ulu community of the central Borneo. It is traditionally used by the Kenyahs, Kayans and Kelabits tribes but then it was originally from the Kenyahs tribes.

The sape is carved from a bole of white wood which can repels insects which made it a masterpiece of woodcarving. Usually the carver is a musician, hollows out the body of the sape with a similar tools used in boat-building to length of about over a metre, and approximately 40cm wide.

Initially, the sape is almost like a guitar instrument but measured less than a metre, and had only two rattan strings and three frets. But today, the sape is commonly found with three to five strings. The sape was once played solely during healing ceremonies within the longhouses, but gradually became a social instrument that is used as a form of entertainment. Typically, the sape is played while sitting cross-legged on the floor, and it is used to accompany dances for women and men long dance. Example include the Ngajat (warrior dance) and Datun Julud.



When played for Ngajat, two sapes tuned to different the registers of the music. Though the sape is a solo instrument, it is occasionally supported by the other musical instruments such as the jatung ulang (wooden xylophone) and keluai (mouth organ).

Today, the sape has been brought to the attention of music lovers all over the world and it is gradually pulling many younger generation here in Malaysia and the outside world. The modern innovations for example an electrical sape are constantly being thought up.

Megacity

A megacity is usually defined as a metropolitan area with a population in excess of 10 million people. Megacities can be distinguished from global cities by their rapid growth, increased in spatial population density, and also both formal and informal economics, as well as poverty, crime, and high levels of social fragmentation. In the year 2000, there were 18 megacities conurbations for example Tokyo, New York City, and Mexico City which had more than 10 millions people. The largest megacity is the Greater Tokyo Area. The population of this urban agglomeration includes areas such as Yokohama and Kawasaki. The population grew rapidly because the people can gained more benefits from a megacity just like Tokyo. There are many criteria to show that Tokyo is a megacity. For example, Tokyo has two major airports that is Tokyo International Airport and Narita International Airport. Also, the Greater Tokyo Area has an extensive railway network comprising high-speed rail, commuter rails, subways, monorails, private lines, trams and others. Now, there are around 136 individual rail lines in the Greater Tokyo Area. In Tokyo, many people can find jobs to make a living. Hence, it can be said quite a few people have problem living in Tokyo.

Indigenous People

There are many type of indigenous people in the world. For example in Malaysia, there is a tribe which many call them "orang Kenyah" in Sarawak. They are indigenous people in Sarawak and also near Indonesian Borneo, group also with the Kayan under the general name Bahau. In the late 20th century, the Kenyah people were reported only 23,000. Until now, there some of Kenyah people still live near river headwaters.They are closed association with the Kayans, with whose culture they have much in common but through the languages is a bit different with the Kenyahs. Traditionally the Kenyahs economy is based on their cultivation of dry rice in jungle clearings. The forest is cut and burned, and the rice is planted among the ashes. The Kenyahs also have many villages where each villages have their own leader. The village often consists of only one communal house up to 400 yards long, built on piles, with a row of family rooms at the back and a wide covered veranda that serves as a general working space and village street. Originally, they were headhunters in the past. Since the British invasion, the Kenyahs change their way of hunting for heads because many of the Kenyahs became Christian. However, most of their traditional custom still remain and carried on generation by generation. For example, the Kenyahs warrior dance still remain especially in Sarawak. However, generation by generation most of the Kenyahs traditional custom is bit by bit forgotten because of the modern style now. That is why many Kenyahs separate into smaller groups but then they are still visible and can be found mostly in Sarawak.

Religous & Mythological tattoo

Traditional tattoo were etched with primitive tolls and henna ink. Getting a tattoo used to be dangerous,risky prosess, possbility for infection and disease was not as widely known. In 1876 the first electric tattoo machine were made.

Traditional religous tattoo styles are crosess and verses from holy scripture, chinese yin-yang simbols and native American hunting and animal symbols for good luck in battle, life beyond are also frequently use religous tatto stlye, and the traditional tattoo used the blue black colour. But, Muslim for instance, believe that tattoo marks on the body connote spiritual impurity.

Now, the modern tattoo widely appealing cultural artisticand social form, and has been created to be an exotic, primitive flavour, and theatrical tattoos for specific characters examples is tribal tattoo, memory, kanji tattoos and others..