Footprints in the Paddy Fields

by Tina Kisil

Footprints in the Paddy Fields is both a family portrait and a childhood memoir, set against the vanished world of bamboo huts on spindly timber stilts, a world where one's prized possessions were makeshift farm tools and a buffalo or two, and where the dead were placed in stone burial jars. Those were the days when removing human heads was a sport, and the only mode of transport was a pair of good legs.

The author takes you on a fascinating journey into a world seldom seen, to see how the Dusuns in Sabah on the island of Borneo lived at a time when wealth was measured by the amount of rice a farmer harvested and a hardworking sumandak made a more alluring bride than her pretty sister.

Written to preserve some of the old Dusun beliefs and customs, this engaging memoir is a delightful reminiscence of what it was like to be a child growing up in the 1960s when Sabah was still known as British North Borneo.

219 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2010

Reviews

[Ismim Putera · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting semi-autobiography. The writing is smooth & clear. The book tells a lot about the Dusun cultures, family ties and hardships of living in rural areas. I like some of the characters especially Seus, the protagonist's elder brother, her father and some interesting events that happen in the house.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of a kind! Indeed a great attempt in promoting the real life of the dusun ethnic.There should be more of this written by our own local people instead of having outsiders writing it for us!

[Muna Zaen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A joyful and interesting read. An eye opener about life of a Dusun family in Sabah around the Independence era.

[Rehan Abd Jamil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest, heartbreaking, entertaining..