Everyone has heard of the sape, that quintessential Bornean instrument. But most people don't know that the sape is only one member of the boat lute family. There are others. Which is what we found out today via a super-interesting talk-cum-performance, organized by Friends of Sarawak Museum. It featured the work of Borneo Boat Lute Revival, a collective of researchers, cultural practitioners, and creative artists of various kinds.



They're called boat lutes because they're shaped like boats, and often it was the same craftsmen who worked on both boats and lutes. Various manifestations are found throughout a broad swathe of Southeast Asia, but today's event focused on four: The Orang Ulu sape, the Iban belikan, the Sabahan sundatang, and the Lun Bawang tapi.










We heard stories of how the various guests (a researcher as well as the four players/instrument-makers) came by their interest in these instruments (all of which, apart from the sape, are "endangered"), how they tracked down specimens and expertise (pools of both are rapidly dwindling), and what these instruments meant to the communities they traditionally belonged to (some were used just for entertainment; some had ritual roles; and some played a part in courtship customs).

We heard each instrument played individually, and then -- quite historic, this -- we heard a performance featuring all four boat lute "voices":



There's more information on these projects here.

Sail well, boat lutes. The world would surely be poorer without you.