HERstory: Southeast Asia Agas Ramirez

In this episode, we’ll examine the Burmese Women of the Khit Kala, the women of the times, the “It girls” of colonial Burma. Beginning in the 1920s, they were seen in magazines, advertisements, and newspapers, a clear and controversial symbol of change that mirrors what other women went through in the Southeast Asian colonial period.

Thank you to our patrons: Yati, Charlie, Shereen, Matt, Raymond, Christina, Jennifer, Xiaomei by Milish, Beverly, Lawrence, and Airene. Airene joined the Patreon just last month so welcome and I hope you’re enjoying the additional content especially the bonus episodes! We have:

An interview with Haldi Patra on the Minangkabau matriarchal society;


Ma Ying Taphan and the Krom Klone;
Nyai Gede Pinateh, the Harbour Master of Gresik;
Queen Suriyothai and the War Elephants;
Paz Marquez Benitez and Dead Stars;
The Rise and Fall of the Acehnese Queens, 1641 to 1699;
The Portrait of Dara Rasami; and
The Women of No. 14 Lebuh Leith

If you want to join the Patreon, you can give as little as $1 to get a copy of the show notes with all the references, a shout out at the end of the next episode, and of course access to the bonus

Cover Photo: Two girls in new fashions at the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, 1947. Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Tracks:


Goddess of War - Unicorn Heads
1940's Slow Dance - Doug Maxwell_Media Right Productions
Soothsayer - John Patitucci

Thank you to our patrons: Yati, Charlie, Shereen, Matt, Raymond, Christina, Jennifer, Xiaomeiby Milish, Beverly, Alyssa, and Lawrence.

This is Part 3 of the series on Meet Me at the Manila Carnival. For 31 years, young women from across the country vied for the title of Miss Manila Carnival, then Miss Philippines, navigating racial prejudice and standards of beauty, and becoming an integral part of the nation-building process. Now, we’ll talk about the End of an Era, 1927-1939, the final years of the pageant before the outbreak of the Second World War.

If you want to join the Patreon, you can give as little as $1 to get a copy of the show notes with all the references, a shout out at the end of the next episode, and access to bonus episodes. We have: 


An interview with Haldi Patra on the Minangkabau matriarchal society;
Ma Ying Taphan and the Krom Klone;
Nyai Gede Pinateh, the Harbour Master of Gresik;
Queen Suriyothai and the War Elephants;
Paz Marquez Benitez and Dead Stars;
The Rise and Fall of the Acehnese Queens, 1641 to 1699; 
The Portrait of Dara Rasami; and
The Women of No. 14 Lebuh Leith

Tracks


(Theme Music) Goddess of War by Unicorn Heads
Buhat - Rudy Concepción and Rosario Moreno - Tunay na Ina (1939)
Invisible Beauty by Aakash Gandhi
Miss Universe Theme Main Title

We’re continuing our deep dive into the Manila Carnival, a two-week festival held during the early American colonial period which culminated in the crowning of the queen and her court at an elaborate formal ball. For 31 years, young women from across the country vied for the title, navigating racial prejudice and standards of beauty, and becoming an integral part of the nation-building process.

Last time, we talked about the origins of the Manila Carnival and how we found our first queen, in so many senses of the word, in Pura Garcia Villanueva Kalaw. Listen to that episode first if you haven’t. Now, in part 2 we’ll follow the Carnival as it comes into its own. This is Part Two: Becoming Miss Philippines, 1909 to 1926.

If you want to join the PATREON, you can give as little as $1 to get a copy of the show notes with all the references, a shout out at the end of the next episode, and access to bonus episodes. We have:


An interview with Haldi Patra on the Minangkabau matriarchal society;
Ma Ying Taphan and the Krom Klone;
Nyai Gede Pinateh, the Harbour Master of Gresik;
Queen Suriyothai and the War Elephants;
Paz Marquez Benitez and Dead Stars;
The Rise and Fall of the Acehnese Queens, 1641 to 1699;
The Portrait of Dara Rasami; and
The Women of No. 14 Lebuh Leith

Thank you to our patrons: Aqilah, Karen, Kheiro, Xiaomei BY Milish, Jennifer, Christina, Raul, Raymond, Matt, Shereen, Charli, and Yati.

Next time, in the third installment of Meet Me at the Manila Carnival, we’ll talk about the End of an Era, 1927-1939, the final years of the pageant before the outbreak of the Second World War.

In the next few episodes, we’re taking a deep dive into the Manila Carnival, a two-week festival held during the early American colonial period which culminated in the crowning of the queen and her court at an elaborate formal ball. For 31 years, young women from across the country vied for the title, navigating racial prejudice and standards of beauty, and becoming an integral part of the nation-building process. This is Part One: The Queen of the Orient, 1908, which talks about the origins of the festival and the first queen, Pura Villanueva Kalaw.

Join the Patreon for as little as $1 to get a copy of the show notes with all the references, a shout out at the end of the next episode, and access to bonus episodes:


Nyai Gede Pinateh, the Harbour Master of Gresik;
An interview with Haldi Patra on the Minangkabau matriarchal society;
Ma Ying Taphan and the Krom Klone;
Queen Suriyothai and the War Elephants;
Paz Marquez Benitez and Dead Stars;
The Rise and Fall of the Acehnese Queens, 1641 to 1699; and
The Women of No. 14 Lebuh Leith.

The song in this episode is Bodabil by Andre Lagoy. Bodabil is an indigenized form of vaudeville, introduced in the Philippines around the time of the Manila Carnival. Hope you enjoyed his song inspired by it. Check out Andre Lagoy’s music on Facebook and Spotify.

Thank you to our patrons: Alyssa, Beverly, Karen, Kheiro, Xiaomei BY Milish, Jennifer, Christina, Raul, Raymond, Matt, Shereen, Charli, and Yati.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @herstoryseapod.

There are so many more stories to tell and we’re just getting started. This podcast was hosted and edited by Agas Ramirez.

Tracks:


Theme Music: Goddess of War by Unicorn Heads
Jesse's Carnival Waltz - The Great North Sound Society
Dios te salve Maria - Christian David
On Foot - Underbelly & Ty Mayer

In this episode, we’re going to talk about the many lives of Emiria Sunassa, a pioneer of Indonesian modern art, who was also a nurse, singer, pianist, and traveler, who claimed to be a princess of the Tidore sultanate. Emiria was one of only three female artists in Persatuan Ahli Gambar Indonesia (PERSAGI). The other two were Saptarita Latif and Tridjoto Abdullah. However, in contrast to the two other women artists, Emiria started painting individually. She was not linked to any nationalist movements before she became involved with art.

PERSAGI's nationalistic vigour came from an unmistakably masculine perspective; most of the paintings represented common subject matter: self-portraitures, still-lifes and, most importantly, the portrayal of the Indonesian people during and after the revolutionary period - and yet they were limited to the island of Java. Emiria’s choice of subject matter offered a different perspective of the new nation. - Dr Wulan Dirgantoro in Feminisms and Contemporary Art in Indonesia

If you want to join the Patreon, you can give as little as $1 to get a copy of the show notes with all the references, a shout out at the end of the next episode, and access to bonus episodes. We have:


Nyai Gede Pinateh, the Harbour Master of Gresik;
An interview with Haldi Patra on the Minangkabau matriarchal society;
Ma Ying Taphan and the Krom Klone;
Queen Suriyothai and the War Elephants;
Paz Marquez Benitez and Dead Stars;
The Rise and Fall of the Acehnese Queens, 1641 to 1699; and
The Women of No. 14 Lebuh Leith

Thank you to our patrons: Aqilah, Karen, Kheiro, Xiaomei BY Milish, Jennifer, Christina, Raul, Raymond, Matt, Shereen, Charli, and Yati. Aqilah joined the Patreon just last month so, welcome!

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @herstoryseapod. 

There are so many more stories to tell and we’re just getting started. This podcast was hosted and edited by Agas Ramirez.

Tracks:


Theme Music: Goddess of War by Unicorn Heads
Violet Spirit by Dan Henig
Tanah Papua: A Paradise for Birds by Cornell Lab of Ornithology
No.1 A Minor Waltz by Esther Abrami
Papua New Guinea - Enga Traditional Music (197?) - Vinyl Reincarnation 
Greater Bird-of-Paradise by Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Dolphin-esque by Godmode

PATREON EXCLUSIVE | A couple of months ago, I took a very memorable trip to George Town, the  capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang. It was founded as an  entrepôt in 1786 and was the first British settlement in Southeast Asia.  Currently, it’s the second largest city in Malaysia and possibly number  one in my heart. So, digressing from our usual format, this bonus episode will take you through some parts of this trip, and by the end perhaps I can convince you to visit too.

No. 14 Lebuh Leith is the address of the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, also known as the Blue Mansion, the most prominent Chinese garden-style architectural example in Malaysia and sometimes called the most photographed building in Penang.

EXCERPT:

Once they let us inside, they took us to the open courtyard, where two pillars and two trees stood, said to be the center of energy according to Feng Shui. The mansion in general is in the Chinese siheyuan architectural style but reflects the eclectic background of the trader Cheong Fatt Tze, with Gothic windows, stained glass, and Glasgow cast iron works by MacFarlane's for example. The mansion has 38 rooms, 7 staircases, 5 courtyards, and 220 windows. I would not want to be the person cleaning this house.

Up the polished wooden staircase, on the second floor, is a series of rooms displaying the house’s history as well as artifacts left behind by the original occupants. One room, which of course sparked my interest, had a collection of women’s clothing, and some information about the women who lived on no. 14, Lebuh Leith.