"As forests were decimated and plantations sprouted, tigers lost their homes and got a special corner in this exhibition instead. I don’t know how to describe it, but the feeling of loss was palpable. The tiger is to me a majestic and sacred creature, not one to contend with — the shot of a rifle seems cowardly. I realise my sombreness was because I was looking at a perfect example of how human actions can tangibly disrupt co-existence with the surrounding environment, to the point that it ‘warrants’ further human destruction: tigers became the deadly problem they were because humans pushed them out of their homes, thus beginning a vicious cycle." If you watched our Decolonising our Natural Heritage panel earlier in May (or on our website and YouTube page), you might remember the discussions about uncredited locals who contributed much indigenous knowledge to colonial botanical studies, or criticisms on our history of violent and destruction in the name of development. Continuing these conversations, Nur Hadziqah (author of Notes After Terawih) writes about the Human X Nature exhibition, and questions its reliance on colonial narratives while only making brief mentions of the worldview of indigenous people. Her thoughts on the exhibition invite the reader to think critically on the perspectives presented by the official archives, and provides sources for alternative knowledge and narratives to gain a fuller picture of our history. These are conversations we must continue to have to retain our indigenous systems of knowledge. Read Hadziqah's thoughts in full here: https://nurhadziqah.notion.site/Beyond-Human-X-Nature-Knowledge-embedded-knowledge-embodied-625d5062c4db4ffabb4349839a2c4dec Watch the captioned recording/read the transcript of our Decolonising our Natural Heritage panel here: www.ethosbooks.com.sg/blogs/news/decolonising-our-natural-heritage
Posted 1 year ago
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