Luke Schroeder
Bapa' Kinista was 90 years old when I met him. He was remarkable. He would fish every day, lowering his outrigger canoe into the ocean in the morning and coming home at noon, hoisting his canoe up out of the water all by himself. Early in our friendship I asked him if he knew any good stories. He said he didn't. Years later when I spoke his language better he volunteered two stories without me asking. They were both epic monkey battles where the monkeys were brash, arrogant bullies of creatures they found inferior to them. Bapa' Kinista was an expert storyteller. If it wasn't for this interaction, I would have little interest in sea cucumbers, but because of this story I learned how important sea cucumbers were to Sama culture. They were among one of the few cash products that built the wealth of the Sulu region as they engaged in trade with Britain and China. Who writes a fable about sea cucumbers! I always wanted to see this story illustrated, but it took a lot of research to get the different sea cucumber species right. In my field research I discovered another version of the story that is more about one monkey's interaction with the Bāt Taddik (a sea cucumber that spills his guts. I decided to merge the two stories into one. The short answer to this question is that Sama folklore is the inspiration for the last two titles we have published with Kauman Sama Online as well as 6 other Sinama language titles. We have several more stories waiting to be illustrated and turned into children's books as well.
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