UNDER THE SHADE OF HERSTORIES

 

A tribute to all opah (grandmothers) in today's age of hyper-art events

"Otak kau ni sibuk" (You have a busy brain)
I tried to poke Nurul Hayati Rohaiza.

She smiled. "Ya, I couldnt stay still."

Then she passed me a cup of black coffee and joined our 'sembang' circle in the studio turned gallery. She sat beside me.

I felt her energy. Rooted. Strong. Busy and flowing. At the same time, it felt rather close, relatable and familiar. Like an unspoken bond. I could sense of old loving maternal vibe too. I said to myself, 'kuat saka budak ni' (this girl has a strong invisible 'bodyguard').

"My latest artworks are out there on the open lawn," she said.

"Ya, I saw them on my way up here. 'Meriah' (merry). Brightly colored and cheerful 'payungs' (umbrellas). Where did you get those umbrellas?" I asked.

"I sourced them from a traditional market. They are 20 years old. Still sturdy though some parts were torned a bit."

"Ok. Hey Yati, are you a person who just expresses whatever you felt intuitively without any insurance. Some of your friends may like your uncensored mouth, some may turn into haters." I asked, rather intuitively.

"Ya, maybe," she replied, looking a bit surprised.

"Must be in your blood. Where are you from?"

"Manjung sir, not far from here", she answered.

"And your mom?" I tried to probe further.

"She came from Pattani."

"Haaa!!" I said to myself. Now I know why I felt a familiar vibe. I came from similar Segenting Kra lineage. Its from my mom's Balik Pulau side - Tok Taha, Tok Timah and Opah Rabeah. I have written about them in my blog here to be read later for those interested.

https://hasnulsaidon.blogspot.com/2011/04/moyang-saya-tok-timah.html?m=1

Segenting Kra is another story. How the original Malay names of many places there had been partially erased and replaced can be something to ponder about. There were many political intrigues surrounding the region. I shared about that in another blog entry here. You may read it later.
https://hasnulsaidon.blogspot.com/2018/05/segenting-kra.html?m=1

Back to Hayati and her artworks.

"Whats your mom's name?"

"Rogayah bt. Haji Ramli. My grandfather was a fisherman from Pattani too. Kampung Bandokrap. My grandmother was from Tanjong Pauh. But I never met her. She passed away before I was born. Both of them spoke Kelantanese dialect, with little Siam language. My dad was also born in Pattani. My works are based on my root in Pattani."

Awesome. Time for old school VHS rewind. I continued my probing,  "So tell me more about your childhood in Pattani."

Yati began to recall her past, excitedly,
"After my grandma passed, my grandpa got another wife. She became my step grandma, Opah Mardiah. She was originally from Yala. She took care of me since I was a baby until I was about 5 years old. My mom had to give me away because she was struggling to make a living then, running a restaurant. I had to live with Opah in Pattani until I was five. My early childhood was with her. For me then, she was my mother. So when my mother took me back to Manjung, I felt like I was taken away because I was very attached to Opah. I loved her more than my mom then. Even as I grew up in Manjung, I always stayed with Opah whenever my family 'balik kampung' to Pattani."

I said to myself, she must be 'cucu perempuan kesayangan Opah' (Opah's beloved grand-daughter). I gazed at her paintings and drawings. I saw semi-abstract and expressive depictions of traditional market scenes. There were many women figures, probably the sellers, selling vegies, fruits and fish. Rendered in vibrant and constrasting colors. Rich. Bright. The mood was cheerful and jovial. The lines and strokes were dynamic, fast, active, enegertic, driven, uplifting. The composition appeared to be intuitive. She was probably interested in capturing the essence and spirit of the market place, embodied perhaps by the women sellers - tenacity, preseverence, persistence, hardworking, total dedication in making a living. Tough living. But thats maybe me looking at 'others' from a comfortable and priviledged position.

I asked further,

"What's the connection between the tradional market with your Opah?"

"She used to bring me to the market in the morning. I was always with her. My fond memory with her has always been going to the market. I can still smell the market. The dynamic activities, the movements, speed, rhythm and tempo of people and vehicles passing by, all have been etched deeply in my heart. I enjoyed the whole vibe. I felt a warm sense of communal bonding too. So its not just my bonding with Opah, but also with her community in Pattani too. More so with Pattani women. Some of my aunties and female relatives were market sellers. I grew up watching them making a living for their families. Its their life. Its like a tradition that needed to be carried on and sustained. As I grew up, I developed a sense of respect and admiration towards them."

"Thats awesome Yati," I replied. I could easily relate 'her story' to her artworks, especially the payung series. Perhaps her artworks reflect her fond memory with her beloved Opah. The memory also has to do with the culture of strong-minded, hardworking and determined women running their own businesses. Women has always been a prominent part of the traditional market scenes in Yala, Naratiwat and Pattani.

I can relate her story to my own mother, Jamaliah Noordin. She was also a strong-minded, hardworking and determined businesswoman. Concurrently, she was a mother, opah and oyang to so many children, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren, I lost count already. She passed away just a week before I met Yati. Such a fitting timing, set in heaven hopefully.

Yati continued, " I was a 'buas' kid, like a boy. Brutally adventerous and could not stay still. I used to run everywhere, whenever I balik kampung. I climbed trees, played with mud. I ventured into jungles nearby. Opah Mardiah had to catch me around the kampung. When she caught me, she had to drag me home, using wooden stick to frighten me. It didnt work. She was too kind and I was too naughty. I was a very annoying kid. Yet, she still forgave me, and loved me dearly. After I grew up and went to UiTM, she said, 'dulu maso mu budok, naka sunggoh. Alhamdulillah doh besa jadi oghe!' (You were so menacing when you were a kid. Thank God, you have grown and turn up well.) I hope she is proud of me."

Perhaps Yati's artworks reflect her yearning to go back to her childhood with her Opah in Pattani. Opah Mardiah passed away a year ago. No wonder I felt a sense of maternal bond with Yati's energy. We both lost our maternal links, physically.

Pattani's market is Yati's home, her root, a place to return, to feel beloved and belonged. Its her essence. Opah Mardiah and the market are her embodiment of true undivided love and compassion. They are in her bloodline, her DNA. Inherited as a strong maternal linkage to her past. Projected and now embodied by her artworks. Beautiful.

We continued our sembang at a mamak restaurant near Kapallorek, after my small sharing gig. The gig was about my parents, especially my recently passed mother. Yati cried. Perhaps she could relate my story to her Opah, and her hardworking mother too.

Beautiful, again.

Both of us are the inheritors of beautiful 'amanah' or trust. It was passed to us by our opahs and mothers through undivided love and compassion. We are the trustee or 'pemegang amanah', the guardians of these priceless 'herstories'. Her stories embody intangible values that are often sidelined in our busy material race to be called 'successfull'. Blinded, veiled. Sad.

We should feel blessed to be under the shade of her stories. Their payungs or umbrellas still lovingly protect us from the scorching heat of our highly-saturated and noisy living. Even after their deaths.

Al-fatihah.