Highland Tales in the Heart of Borneo: Postcolonial Capitalism, Multiculturalism, and Survivance

Highland Tales in the Heart of Borneo (2015) showcases Indigenous oral histories and mythologies that span half a dozen Orang Asal communities across East Malaysia and Indonesia. This article proposes two interconnected readings of Highland Tales to demonstrate how the text is entwined with postcolonial capitalism and Malaysian multiculturalism. First, through an analysis of form, production, and circulation, it argues that Highland Tales serves as a unique example of what Anishinaabe scholar Gerald Vizenor terms "survivance"—Indigenous "stories that mediate and undermine the literature of dominance" (Manifest Manners 12). This analysis demonstrates that Highland Tales transforms the very systems that exploit Indigenous peoples into a mechancism for celebrating Indigenous culture. More specifically, capitalist survivance is both trans-Indigenous and transnational, employing a strategic partnership with state ecotourism. Second, this article considers how Highland Tales critiques state multiculturalism and postcolonial capitalism. Malaysia's government persistently markets the country as a uniquely diverse nation where racial harmony is bolstered by rapid development. Postcolonial capitalism in Malaysia is, therefore, structured according to a narrative of multiculturalism and modernization that relies on the exploitation of Indigenous peoples, lands, and resources. Employing the tools of postcolonial capitalism, Highland Tales disrupts narratives of racial harmony and economic development by amplifying Orang Asal narratives and advancing Indigenous cultural and economic interests.