Love. T-shirt.

I created a t-shirt.

It all began when I saw some beautifully designed t-shirts for couples, in English, for sale. I wondered if there was a market for such t-shirts here, for couples in Sabah and Sarawak who would think such a t-shirt would be a great gift for his/her boy/girlfriend.

Then I thought, "Why not make a t-shirt that says "I love you" but in the languages of the original peoples here in Borneo. So in my love advice FB page, Cinta Bijak 101, I asked readers to tell me how they say "I love you' in their own individual native languages. I got a lot of answers and a list of phrases in so many languages!

Now what do I do? How do I put all these words on a t-shirt without making it look like a book? Then an idea hit me. Why not arrange all these phrases so they form a heart shaped collection of phrases. It was a challenge and after many tries, my art designer finally came up with a design I loved. I took it and printed my t-shirts.

From Sarawak, these were the phrases I received:

Aku sayau ke nuan (iban)

Nuan seruran ku sayau (iban)

Uak milok kou (punan)

ake kelo iko (kenyah)

Ake' mawak eko'(kenyah)

Ahe ubek iho (kenyah)

Akik uvak ikuk (kenyah)

Ake ubak eko (badeng)

Aheu ekem ekau (lahanan)

Wih mawa nemuh (lun bawang)

Ui' mawa nemuh (lun bawang )

Akui nyalam ika (kayan)

Oku nyayang muu (bidayuh bau jagoi)

Ikok sayang ka imuk ( bidayuh rara )

aku nyuka amu (bidayuh bukar sadong)

Oku nyuka muu (bidayuh singgai bau)

Kuk luv uuu (bahasa bidayuh sikog)

Akuk suka u (bidayuh padawan)

From Sabah, these were the phrases:

Muhang oku dika (dusun, kadazandusun)

Oupus oku diya (dusun, kadazandusun)

kiuvang oku dika (dusun labuk)

Engin oku dikau (dusun kimaragang)

Rumey oku dika (dusun tinagas)

Ongin Oku dika (dusun sandayo)

Guminavo zou diau (kadazan)

Gumivo zou diau (kadazan)

Engin oku dikau (rungus)

Asamod oku dikau (rungus)

Ozi oku dikau (rungus)

Ki ginavo oku si dikau (rungus)

Wang ku sokou (sungai)

Mengin aku so ikau (sungai)

Mengin ou diha (bonggi)

kuguai ou diha (bonggi)

Asiha auh riun (murut)

uwi pian nemu (lundayeh)

Mawa wh nemu (lundayeh)

Once the t-shirts were ready, I started selling them on my Cinta Bijak FB wall but strangely, not many lovers bought them. Wonder why?

So I asked myself, who else would love this t-shirt? Here are some possibilities:

• People who are proud of their tribal heritage and language and/or of their state and would like to either wear the t-shirt as a form of displaying their uniqueness or to give to friends etc who would want to remember their roots.
• Tourist. This would be a great gift to bring back home for loved ones. What better way to say "I love you" to loved ones back home when you return from a great time in Sarawak and/or Sabah then by giving them a t-shirt that says "I love you" in the languages of the people of Borneo.
• Church and corporate bodies in Sabah and Sarawak. We always have visitors from outside the island of Borneo. This would be a special souvenir for them. It gives an important message and reflects the uniqueness of both states.

Would you want to own a t-shirt too? Or get some for friends and visitors? It's only RM25 one and comes in sizes S, M, L and XL. Just contact me via email (peterderun@gmail.com) or call/sms/whatsapp (019-8898049). Love you to have a t-shirt that says "I love you" in the languages of the people of Sabah and Sarawak (2 separate t-shirts representing each state is available, only in black).