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Indigenous Species
A young girl is abducted and smuggled aboard a boat bound upstream on an Indonesian river, through a landscape scarred by ecological destruction and historical greed. As her captors take her ever deeper into the jungle, her uncertain fate is compounded by the sense of her environment as a place of violence, destruction and jeopardy. But it is also a place from which she herself is indigenous, and if she can root herself back into its landscape and languages, she may yet save herself.
Khairani Barokka addresses issues of pollution, consumerism, and habitat destruction with a poet's sensibility, and her frenetic neon artwork, inspired by contemporary glitch artists while also incorporating traditional motifs, aims to overturn our ideas of the jungle as a place of threatening darkness. Indigenous Species is also a bold and necessary experiment in making a sight-impaired-accessible art book: Tilted Axis is producing a separate edition which will feature Braille alongside text for sighted readers, and tactile, embossed imagery.
Khairani Barokka addresses issues of pollution, consumerism, and habitat destruction with a poet's sensibility, and her frenetic neon artwork, inspired by contemporary glitch artists while also incorporating traditional motifs, aims to overturn our ideas of the jungle as a place of threatening darkness. Indigenous Species is also a bold and necessary experiment in making a sight-impaired-accessible art book: Tilted Axis is producing a separate edition which will feature Braille alongside text for sighted readers, and tactile, embossed imagery.
52 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2016
321 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 14, 2021
“I am of the same blood as the sanctioned mess of invasion
That was Javanese transmigration,
And I shampoo my hair with oil crafted
From dead-end social experiments
And gargantuan-scale domestication of hectares,
Cemeteries of growth”
Not at all easy to describe or categorize; this is a wonderful production from Tilted Axis Press (if you don’t know them, look them up). It is poetic, but so much more a cry of resistance against destructive forces be they imperialist capitalist or environmental. This work acts on a number of levels and the artwork in the book is striking and very powerful. There is also a braille version where the artwork is embossed and tactile. The poem started as a performance and Barokka explains what she wanted to achieve;
“I liked the idea of a book that was also an art object. Also, considering then-unavailable healthcare, I wanted to step away from performance a bit, find a way to recreate the experience without always having me physically enacting it. And I wanted Indigenous to be a provocation, highlighting sighted privilege and how unequal the publishing landscape is – that’s why there’s a marker of Braille’s absence on every other page of the sighted version, and that’s why it’s explicitly called a sighted version. The poem is always still a performance – it was performed at the book launch”
This is also a reaction to and against the destruction of the environment in Barokka’s native Indonesia. It is about a girl abducted in her own homeland and taken upriver (I have heard this described as a feminist and anti-imperialist version of Heart of Darkness). The artwork and the depth of the language almost makes the language itself a physical thing. The abduction mirrors the theft of resources;
“I bet you, from the raucous
Machinery I’m hearing
And the smell of rashness,
That this is where the grease deals
Are siphoned into miners’ food.
And where they are packing down
Eons of intricacies and strength
From the forest to molecular form
On a woman’s lipstick bottle in Iowa,”
I would strongly recommend this work, Barokka is co-editing an anthology of D/deaf and disabled poetry and has a collection of poems of her own due out as well. I will look out for both.
That was Javanese transmigration,
And I shampoo my hair with oil crafted
From dead-end social experiments
And gargantuan-scale domestication of hectares,
Cemeteries of growth”
Not at all easy to describe or categorize; this is a wonderful production from Tilted Axis Press (if you don’t know them, look them up). It is poetic, but so much more a cry of resistance against destructive forces be they imperialist capitalist or environmental. This work acts on a number of levels and the artwork in the book is striking and very powerful. There is also a braille version where the artwork is embossed and tactile. The poem started as a performance and Barokka explains what she wanted to achieve;
“I liked the idea of a book that was also an art object. Also, considering then-unavailable healthcare, I wanted to step away from performance a bit, find a way to recreate the experience without always having me physically enacting it. And I wanted Indigenous to be a provocation, highlighting sighted privilege and how unequal the publishing landscape is – that’s why there’s a marker of Braille’s absence on every other page of the sighted version, and that’s why it’s explicitly called a sighted version. The poem is always still a performance – it was performed at the book launch”
This is also a reaction to and against the destruction of the environment in Barokka’s native Indonesia. It is about a girl abducted in her own homeland and taken upriver (I have heard this described as a feminist and anti-imperialist version of Heart of Darkness). The artwork and the depth of the language almost makes the language itself a physical thing. The abduction mirrors the theft of resources;
“I bet you, from the raucous
Machinery I’m hearing
And the smell of rashness,
That this is where the grease deals
Are siphoned into miners’ food.
And where they are packing down
Eons of intricacies and strength
From the forest to molecular form
On a woman’s lipstick bottle in Iowa,”
I would strongly recommend this work, Barokka is co-editing an anthology of D/deaf and disabled poetry and has a collection of poems of her own due out as well. I will look out for both.
January 27, 2021
Scathing reflections on deforestation, degradation of ecology and economic exploitation
So I know how there are islands
Of roots to stand foot on,
Battling for space
And historical worth
In the eyes of the species
We peacock ourselves to be.
I feel Indigenous Species as a performance would be more impactful than the book version, despite the loving care clearly invested into this work by Tilted Axis Press.
We start of this written down spoken word performance from the haunting perspective of a captured animal, being ferried of towards oblivion. Khairani Barokka brings visions of pollution, extinction and greed in action to the reader in this work, inspired in large part by the loss of rainforest in Indonesia.
Palm oil plantations are called Cemeteries of growth and piles of rubbish are evoked thus:
For the rubbish metropolis
Of Bantar Gebang outside Jakarta,
Where kids sift through the vomit
Of our haste and money
Our system, even just shampooing, makes us complicit to death of orangutans and extinction of other species. Progress brings about suffering as a byproduct seems to be one clear message:
And drivers in cities the factory built into ash
Also there is attention for braille and how we as "seeing" readers are privileged in the everyday world. Overall an interesting and rich work, unfortunately I couldn't find any recording of the author performing it, but this interview with her gives an idea of her style and engagement with the topics also apparent from Indigenous Species: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSyjR...
So I know how there are islands
Of roots to stand foot on,
Battling for space
And historical worth
In the eyes of the species
We peacock ourselves to be.
I feel Indigenous Species as a performance would be more impactful than the book version, despite the loving care clearly invested into this work by Tilted Axis Press.
We start of this written down spoken word performance from the haunting perspective of a captured animal, being ferried of towards oblivion. Khairani Barokka brings visions of pollution, extinction and greed in action to the reader in this work, inspired in large part by the loss of rainforest in Indonesia.
Palm oil plantations are called Cemeteries of growth and piles of rubbish are evoked thus:
For the rubbish metropolis
Of Bantar Gebang outside Jakarta,
Where kids sift through the vomit
Of our haste and money
Our system, even just shampooing, makes us complicit to death of orangutans and extinction of other species. Progress brings about suffering as a byproduct seems to be one clear message:
And drivers in cities the factory built into ash
Also there is attention for braille and how we as "seeing" readers are privileged in the everyday world. Overall an interesting and rich work, unfortunately I couldn't find any recording of the author performing it, but this interview with her gives an idea of her style and engagement with the topics also apparent from Indigenous Species: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSyjR...
Read
August 28, 2023109th book of 2023.
Read this in a bookshop in Piccadilly today. Though I liked the idea of it (poetry, funky art, Braille), it felt seriously lacking in depth. Nice sounds and nice to look at. Maybe I just read it too quickly. It feels unrateable.
Read this in a bookshop in Piccadilly today. Though I liked the idea of it (poetry, funky art, Braille), it felt seriously lacking in depth. Nice sounds and nice to look at. Maybe I just read it too quickly. It feels unrateable.
December 10, 2021
— DEFORESTATION
(noun.)
the action of clearing a wide area of trees.
word we've heard a lot but often overlooked, but deforestation causes a massive environmental, cultural, and political issues. reading Indigenous Species talks about how badly deforestation affects indigenous people and animals. membaca buku ini mengingatkan saya dengan segmen Mata Najwa yang berjudul "Menelusuri Ibu Kota Baru" dimana beliau mendengarkan penuturan masyarakat adat asli yang tidak pernah diajak dalam proses pembangunan IKN. have we talked about them enough? about how their forest and land are taken? about endangered animals in Indonesia?
this is a great reading if you'd like to read about deforestation and palm plantation issue in Indonesia. Khairani Barokka is proving that literature and art can be used as a weapon to resist.
(noun.)
the action of clearing a wide area of trees.
word we've heard a lot but often overlooked, but deforestation causes a massive environmental, cultural, and political issues. reading Indigenous Species talks about how badly deforestation affects indigenous people and animals. membaca buku ini mengingatkan saya dengan segmen Mata Najwa yang berjudul "Menelusuri Ibu Kota Baru" dimana beliau mendengarkan penuturan masyarakat adat asli yang tidak pernah diajak dalam proses pembangunan IKN. have we talked about them enough? about how their forest and land are taken? about endangered animals in Indonesia?
this is a great reading if you'd like to read about deforestation and palm plantation issue in Indonesia. Khairani Barokka is proving that literature and art can be used as a weapon to resist.
April 11, 2023
Brutalny poemat z szalonym kolażem, w poetycko - obrazowej formie opowiada o zniszczeniu środowiska i lokalnych kultur w Indonezji
November 15, 2021
This is one of the most important reads for talking about environment. Borneo is one area which kept having forest fire every single year. Apart from that, it is also being deforested so people can plant palm. I'm not saying I understand one hundred percent about environment per se, but I guess the important part of humanity is being forgetted by the have. Many people and animals are forced to move just because their habitat is changed into industrial spaces.
April 25, 2017
This is just very powerful and will be reread many a time in the future.
June 1, 2024
I loved this book so much the only regret is that I didn't get a physical copy and so I couldn't experience the braille and have that as a part of the beautiful reading experience this book provides.
July 30, 2022
I reviewed this book and 4 more brilliant reads on my booktuber channel at: https://youtu.be/KFAy-65K5mY
A young girl is abducted and smuggled aboard a boat bound upstream on an Indonesian river through a landscape scarred by ecological destruction and historical greed. As we move through the story from the girl's perspective, she starts to see herself rooted and at one with nature.
This poetic narrative examines man's destructiveness and how such destruction - combined with our lack of foresight - is robbing our futures of a richer past. It got me reflecting on my missed opportunities to get close to the wildlife in Malawi. My love for animals was mainly for dogs and cats and even the geese my mother tried to keep for two years were a little too wild for me.
It’s a powerful read especially when you combine the story with the author’s introductory essay about their appreciation and respect for wildlife. In this short narrative, Khairani Barokka addresses pollution, consumerism, and habitat destruction through poetry and the accompanying artwork, which is modern and incorporates traditional motifs. Indigenous Species is also a bold experiment in making a sight-impaired-accessible art book: Tilted Axis is producing a separate edition which will feature Braille alongside text for sighted readers and tactile, embossed imagery.
I very much enjoyed this; if you enjoy poetry and cli-fi, I think you will too, but you may want to pick it up from your local library since it's pricey at £12.99 for 52 pages.
A young girl is abducted and smuggled aboard a boat bound upstream on an Indonesian river through a landscape scarred by ecological destruction and historical greed. As we move through the story from the girl's perspective, she starts to see herself rooted and at one with nature.
This poetic narrative examines man's destructiveness and how such destruction - combined with our lack of foresight - is robbing our futures of a richer past. It got me reflecting on my missed opportunities to get close to the wildlife in Malawi. My love for animals was mainly for dogs and cats and even the geese my mother tried to keep for two years were a little too wild for me.
It’s a powerful read especially when you combine the story with the author’s introductory essay about their appreciation and respect for wildlife. In this short narrative, Khairani Barokka addresses pollution, consumerism, and habitat destruction through poetry and the accompanying artwork, which is modern and incorporates traditional motifs. Indigenous Species is also a bold experiment in making a sight-impaired-accessible art book: Tilted Axis is producing a separate edition which will feature Braille alongside text for sighted readers and tactile, embossed imagery.
I very much enjoyed this; if you enjoy poetry and cli-fi, I think you will too, but you may want to pick it up from your local library since it's pricey at £12.99 for 52 pages.
July 1, 2022
This is activism with art. How interesting! Love the blending words of "tigons and ligers" on one of the author's verses.
August 17, 2025
Indigenous Species raises environmental, cultural, and political issues centered around deforestation and palm plantation. It's brutal, raw, and beautiful. The poems draw attention to what happens when trees are cut, wastes are ejected, animals are impaled, and children are exposed to toxins during the endeavor that is mostly harmful. I think it's as important and effective to resist despotism using emotionally evoking media like fiction and poetry like this as much as using facts, graphs, and data. This gives a relatable face to the pain and suffering of especially the most vulnerable affectees. I think that's precisely the way to bring us emotional creatures to that side.
I can't help comparing this with her Ultimatum Orangutan though, which I ended up liking a bit better. The neon illustrations are rather hyperstimulating, which is intentional, but might be distracting if you originally have a hard time staying focused like me. I don't usually associate those colors with negative emotions so it was a bit dissonant for me, and I didn't get to fully immerse in it. I definitely feel for the poetry, it strikes more than it stings. As for UO, I cried from the very first page and throughout. This doesn't take away much from the book though. It still delivers hard.
I can't help comparing this with her Ultimatum Orangutan though, which I ended up liking a bit better. The neon illustrations are rather hyperstimulating, which is intentional, but might be distracting if you originally have a hard time staying focused like me. I don't usually associate those colors with negative emotions so it was a bit dissonant for me, and I didn't get to fully immerse in it. I definitely feel for the poetry, it strikes more than it stings. As for UO, I cried from the very first page and throughout. This doesn't take away much from the book though. It still delivers hard.
April 12, 2021
This review is taken from my IG account @descanto
Borneo’s rainforests are being cut and degraded for timber, palm oil, pulp, rubber and minerals. Add the increase number in illegal woldlife trade and the palm oil threats. Almost 56% of protected lowland tropical rainforests in Borneo (Kalimantan) were cut down to supply the global timber demaand also. Protection laws are in effect throughout Borneo, but are often violated, usually without any consequences.
We keep talking about it thoughtout the years yet have we talked enough about the people who works there? how badly it affects their life? Have we spoken for the indigenous people whose forest are taken down for the sake of "people welfare and national defense?"
Khairani Barokka is one of the them who keep voicing on these issues through her poems. A message conveyed here: to balance the nature and human impact; to be aware and to preserve our nature; to praise the earth like we praise our mother.
Ms. Barokka does not only show the important fact that literature can be used as a tool to resist but also to humanise ourselves.
Worth reading.
Grab your copy of Khairani Barokka's Indigenous Species at @aksarakemang for an affordable price.
BOOK 3: INDIGENOUS SPECIES BY KHAIRANI BAROKKA for my #ReadTiltedAxis Month
Illustrated by: Khairani Barokka
📍 Indonesia
Published by @tiltedaxisbooks @tiltedaxispress
Borneo’s rainforests are being cut and degraded for timber, palm oil, pulp, rubber and minerals. Add the increase number in illegal woldlife trade and the palm oil threats. Almost 56% of protected lowland tropical rainforests in Borneo (Kalimantan) were cut down to supply the global timber demaand also. Protection laws are in effect throughout Borneo, but are often violated, usually without any consequences.
We keep talking about it thoughtout the years yet have we talked enough about the people who works there? how badly it affects their life? Have we spoken for the indigenous people whose forest are taken down for the sake of "people welfare and national defense?"
Khairani Barokka is one of the them who keep voicing on these issues through her poems. A message conveyed here: to balance the nature and human impact; to be aware and to preserve our nature; to praise the earth like we praise our mother.
Ms. Barokka does not only show the important fact that literature can be used as a tool to resist but also to humanise ourselves.
Worth reading.
Grab your copy of Khairani Barokka's Indigenous Species at @aksarakemang for an affordable price.
BOOK 3: INDIGENOUS SPECIES BY KHAIRANI BAROKKA for my #ReadTiltedAxis Month
Illustrated by: Khairani Barokka
📍 Indonesia
Published by @tiltedaxisbooks @tiltedaxispress
September 24, 2021
Thank you Tilted Axis Press for providing me this eBook for free, just because I was being impatient about my subscription ;-).
This is a beautifully illustrated poem about deforestation and pollution in Indonesia and their impact on the people. The printed book should contain the text in Braille as well (the author herself is visually impaired). But even the eBook is very pretty!
This is a beautifully illustrated poem about deforestation and pollution in Indonesia and their impact on the people. The printed book should contain the text in Braille as well (the author herself is visually impaired). But even the eBook is very pretty!
December 21, 2023
¡Qué belleza de libro! Además de ser poemas de gran intensidad y belleza sobre los habitantes de la selva indonesa y el peligro que corren debido a los incendios provocados por el ser humano, contiene imágenes táctiles que acompañan a la poesía así como el texto en braille. Un poemario urgente, accesible y brillante, una forma de literatura en su forma más humana y necesaria.
Read
October 23, 2022reading this for LiteraSEA Book Club’s Deep Dive into eco-fiction! i can tell that i’ll need to read this again - which is fine considering the short length. excited for the discussion. 🍂
August 16, 2024
3.5 stars
I really love the use of braille and artwork in this poem - it is difficult to translate spoken word into the written form though.
(i'm now 11 books behind on my goodreads goal.)
I really love the use of braille and artwork in this poem - it is difficult to translate spoken word into the written form though.
(i'm now 11 books behind on my goodreads goal.)
December 6, 2020
3P on (neolib) sustainability: profit, people, planet. we have seen, heard, attended enough talks on how palm oil can profit us and how can we sUsTaiNabLy plant them without harming the environment. but have we talked enough about the people who works there? how it affects their life—badly? about indigenous people whose forest we deforest in the name of “country’s ownership” although they have kept it for the longest time? (lol the concept of a country which takes indigenous land as their own is even problematic 🤷🏻♀️)
reading this amazing experimental poetry def gave me more outlook on the problems above—on something i usually unintendedly skip due to my ignorance. glad I found this on tilted axis’ store.
reading this amazing experimental poetry def gave me more outlook on the problems above—on something i usually unintendedly skip due to my ignorance. glad I found this on tilted axis’ store.
April 12, 2017
I've never seen anything like Barokka's work before. It's captivating, experimental, creative, and thrust through with passion. It is a literary, visual, and intellectual experience. The only reason why I haven't given it 5 stars is because only some of the poetry was as riveting to me as the ideas and images.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews