As the sun sets, a vanguard of boys enters the ceremonial grounds, shouldering large V-shaped objects covered in colourful plastic streamers and bells. They bounce up and down to set a beat while seated onlookers look towards the line of approaching Saisiyat tribespeople. As they begin to flood into the grounds, rocking their bodies as they step in time with the jangling bells, their haunting singing – energetic, but mournful – rises in volume.

Long before the sun peeks over the horizon, artisanal fishermen across Malaysia’s Johor Strait gather at their respective jetties and beaches. These days, fish are harder to find and their coastal lands are slowly disappearing into the sea. The future is bleak for the indigenous fisherman.

The origins of the ubiquitous game of strategy, chess, lie in an instructional military model used in ancient India to plan battles. This model made use of non-distinct terracotta figures that simulated the four (in Sanskrit, “catur”) divisions (“anga”) of ancient Indian armies – chariots, horsemen, elephants, and soldiers...

Wu xing – directly translating to “five elements” – is an ancient Chinese philosophy that encompasses five phases of the universe’s ongoing existence and development. The five components are Wood (mu), Fire (huo), Earth (tu), Metal (jin), and Water (shui). Seen as transitional material forces that flow successively, these...