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thewoollygeek's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this, I loved the fact everything was so new and interesting, I’ve never read any stories, mythology or folk/fairytales from Borneo before, it’s such an interesting set of stories full of detail, told beautifully and details the culture well. Thoroughly recommended to readers of historical, fantasy fiction and mythology fans.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
ywanderingreads's review
3.0
First of all, this cover is gorgeous! And secondly, I love how this story is centred around the Dayak tribe. I am born and raised in Brunei but I know very little about our local tribes here which is a shame. I only learned more about the Dusun, Murut and Iban tribes when I started doing volunteer work with a local organisation and my, what a learning journey I am on. They are so rich in culture and tradition that it’s a delight to just hear their stories.
‘Endu-Sudan-Galinggam-Tinchin-Mas’, The Girl Sudan painted like a Gold Ring
This is a collection of short stories based on the history of the Sea Dayaks in Borneo. The Dayaks mentioned here are headhunters as bringing a head home is a symbol of status and strength. There are ten interconnected stories here with short interjections of legends and tales. I was especially tickled by the short tales of Sang Kancil and Pelandok (mouse deer). The main story, ‘The Story of Siu’ follows Six, a hunter who accidentally wandered into the spirit realm and learned about bird spirits. He fell in love with the daughter of the God of Spirits and promised her to never hunt birds again. Can Siu really keep his promise? He is a hunter after all.
Another story I really enjoyed reading was about Pulang-Gana, who followed a porcupine and entered the spirit world too. He was constantly looked down upon by his brothers and he just wants to find his worth. He ended up making a deal with a God and married his daughter. When he returned home again, his brothers still showed no respect for him. How will Pulang-Gana gain respect from them?
Since headhunting is an important ritual in the community, the tale of Danjai and the Weretiger’s sister is especially fascinating! The weretiger sets traps for people to fall into so this gives him an excuse to hunt them and keep their heads. Danjai’s wife met the same fate and set out to seek revenge. How can he, a mere human go against the were tiger? He met the were tiger’s sister who helped Danjai but at what cost?
I really enjoyed reading this! I felt immersed in the stories. Dreams and omens are an important part of Dayak culture. They look to these to make important decisions. They take tradition and superstition very seriously so they can live a good life. Do give this a read if you are interested. Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing Coop for the arc.
‘Endu-Sudan-Galinggam-Tinchin-Mas’, The Girl Sudan painted like a Gold Ring
This is a collection of short stories based on the history of the Sea Dayaks in Borneo. The Dayaks mentioned here are headhunters as bringing a head home is a symbol of status and strength. There are ten interconnected stories here with short interjections of legends and tales. I was especially tickled by the short tales of Sang Kancil and Pelandok (mouse deer). The main story, ‘The Story of Siu’ follows Six, a hunter who accidentally wandered into the spirit realm and learned about bird spirits. He fell in love with the daughter of the God of Spirits and promised her to never hunt birds again. Can Siu really keep his promise? He is a hunter after all.
Another story I really enjoyed reading was about Pulang-Gana, who followed a porcupine and entered the spirit world too. He was constantly looked down upon by his brothers and he just wants to find his worth. He ended up making a deal with a God and married his daughter. When he returned home again, his brothers still showed no respect for him. How will Pulang-Gana gain respect from them?
Since headhunting is an important ritual in the community, the tale of Danjai and the Weretiger’s sister is especially fascinating! The weretiger sets traps for people to fall into so this gives him an excuse to hunt them and keep their heads. Danjai’s wife met the same fate and set out to seek revenge. How can he, a mere human go against the were tiger? He met the were tiger’s sister who helped Danjai but at what cost?
I really enjoyed reading this! I felt immersed in the stories. Dreams and omens are an important part of Dayak culture. They look to these to make important decisions. They take tradition and superstition very seriously so they can live a good life. Do give this a read if you are interested. Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing Coop for the arc.
zalkacs's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Iban (Sea Dyak/Dayak) people number about one million, and live on the island of Borneo in the area of Sarawak, along the seashore and rivers. They live in longhouses that house several families, and until recently they had a tradition of headhunting.
The author, storyteller Theresa Fuller, sent me an ARC copy of this book. I was happy about it, because I like folktales from Borneo and I have not read any from the Dyak tradition before. The book contains ten stories, many of them multiple chapters long; they are interspersed with shorter legends and trickster tales. Each comes with a short cultural introduction, and the re-told texts contain many fascinating details about Dyak everyday life. The author added two parts to two longer stories that came from her own imagination, describing parts of the narrative from the women's point of view. These (carefully noted) sections were more novel-like than the folktales, but very beautiful, and rich in detail. At the end of the book we also get a glossary, and a chapter on Dyak culture.
More about the stories here:
http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com/2021/11/goodnight-stories-for-headhunters.html
More about the stories here:
http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com/2021/11/goodnight-stories-for-headhunters.html
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence