The musician performing at Konsert Sape Movement 2022. — MOHD NIZAM
As a Kenyah growing up in the small town of Marudi in Sarawak, Garry Sudom Raymond had a complicated relationship with the sape. During family gatherings, particularly at Christmas, the captivating melodies of the sape would fill the air. It was customary for everyone to participate in Kanjet, the traditional solo dance of the Orang Ulu.
And Garry’s granduncle, an enthusiastic dancer, was most determined that everyone should join in.
“He would play sape music on the radio and insist that everyone dance. Shyness would consume me and I was always the first one to run away, crying and not wanting to participate in the dance. But he would lock the door so we couldn’t escape!” says Garry, 31.
Consequently, he had no interest in learning or exploring the sape; it simply held no appeal for him.
“These experiences left me with negative memories associated with my own culture,” he says, laughing.
However, everything changed about a decade ago, in early 2013, when he was pursuing his degree in music composition at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in Shah Alam, Selangor.
It was during this period that his curiosity was rekindled, and he embarked on a personal journey to reconnect with his roots. This marked the beginning of his passionate involvement with the sape, a musical path that led him – together with co-founder Hallan Hashim – to set up Sape Movement in early 2017.
Garry performing at last year’s Neon Borneo Festival. — Neon Borneo Festival 2022
The Miri-based Sape Movement is an initiative that aims to promote awareness of Borneo heritage and culture, with a focus on the arts and music.
During a Tourism Malaysia Sarawak “Jom! Kembara Miri” media trip recently, Garry, who is also managing director of Sape Movement, talked about their mission to explore and promote the sape on various platforms.
“Despite the instrument’s deep roots in the area, we realised there were no sape classes offered in Miri. This further inspired the initiative and we have steadily grown over the course of six years,” he says.
Notable events include the Sape Movement Festival 2018 and the Sape Movement Concert 2022, and their involvement in festivals like Borneo Jazz Fest and Neon Borneo Music Fest. The initiative has garnered attention not only in Sarawak but also from students and enthusiasts from all around Malaysia and abroad.
Sape Movement offers workshops and classes catering to a wide age range. They have students aged five to 60 years old. In addition to workshops and classes, Sape Movement organises various activities to further immerse people in the world of sape music, like introducing the sape to school students and learning from master sape players from Baram and Belaga in Sarawak.
“This cultural heritage is my identity, and I want to become a history maker by preserving it so that my next generation will continue the legacy. Soon the older generation will be gone, and we don’t want this knowledge to be also gone without passing it to the new generation,” says Garry.
At Sape Movement, he conducts sape classes and performs on the sape at music and cultural events.
Highlighting the transformative power of Sape music, he describes it as a source of healing for the soul.
“Every time you listen to sape music, it will give you freedom and strength. When you are far away from home, it can bring you back to the memories of childhood, and you will feel homesick,” he notes.
A display of different sape at the Sape Movement centre in Miri, Sarawak. Sape Movement holds sape classes and workshops.
Ancient tales
The sape has a history of more than 200 years. It is hollowed out from a block of wood, and is a masterpiece of woodcarving. In the old days, it was made out of heavy wood.
In modern times, however, you can find a variety of sape, including those made from lighter wood such as yellow meranti, but those made from Adau/Arau, Pelaik and solid wood like Belian and Nyatoh wood are available too.
According to Kenyah legend, the first sape came from the dream of a Kenyah man who was at his wits end after the village shamans could not figure out a cure for his sick wife. In this dream, he was told that his wife had wandered too close to the spirit world and he would need to ferry her back to the realm of the living. He carved a wooden block into the shape of a boat, strung it and played a tune – complete with a chant – to save his wife.
Therefore, the sape is traditionally associated with healing and used for healing ceremonies in the longhouses. In the old days, the recitation of magic spells by a shaman would often be accompanied by someone playing a two-stringed sape, but today it has evolved into an instrument also used for entertainment and social purposes.
Traditional sapes are still handmade now, often with elaborate motifs and designs.
