The North Borneon Artist

In Sabah, the word 'Tamu' means meeting.

In the olden days, traders will meet in a local marketplace call “tamu”

to sell their produce and goods.

It was also a social gathering place

Imagine them exchanging gossips and news from distant interiors while bargaining over a screaming baby piggie in an overly-cramped bamboo cage (totally an epic scene)

Last weekend, l did a 2-hour road trip to the city to drop off a painting at Sabah’s National Art Gallery for their upcoming 13th Sabah Women’s Exhibition 2022 and I couldn’t help but relate to those farmers.

Just that in this new age, I’m using a car instead of a kerbau. Coming to think of it, it’s black and locally made-so it’s somehow a kerbau ‘lah’. Apologies, it’s “bah” in Sabah.

And did the offline social meet up thingy with a kick-ass back from the days friend who came from across the ocean. Exchanging thoughts and stories of our pasts that have shape our present while haggling over pearls and ikan masin.

So what does this all mean?

That it was my initiation of becoming a true North Borneon?

Maybe.

In some cosmic sense. But I do know this, as I drove home feeling tired and happy a passing thought revealed that maybe those ancient traders felt the same way as they made their way home. And that warmed my heart.