Description:

“Legend of Pinya” is a storybook that retells an iconic Filipino alamat (folktale) about a spoiled child named ‘Pinya’. Because of her rudeness towards her mother, she is cursed and transformed into a pineapple. It is a well-known cautionary tale amongst the Filipino community because of the lessons it teaches about obedience and respecting your elders.
This project was inspired by my experience growing up as a Filipino immigrant in New Zealand. Due to the lack of representation of Filipino culture, inevitably Kiwi/Western influences became a replacement, shaping my identity. I felt increasingly disconnected from my culture and often feared that I was becoming ‘un-pinoy’. Filipino elders usually fulfil the role of educating the future generation about what it means to be Filipino. But for the majority of 1st and 2nd generation Filipino migrants, this valuable connection is unavailable due to common barriers such as language or separation. Upon discovering that the majority of my Filipino friends shared this concern, I saw that there was a strong need to reconnect with our cultural roots and have more representation for young Filipino migrants. This motivated me to illustrate a children’s storybook containing a Filipino folktale that exposes Filipino children to their country, values and customs; sharing lessons that have been passed down from our lolos and lolas (grandparents) —-ultimately serving as a link to reconnect with our culture and country.

I focused on researching Filipino history and traditional motifs, to ensure that each page authentically depicts the culture; this helped inform my decisions regarding the use of Yakan tribal patterns and the traditional Baro't saya attire for the character’s costumes. The text also includes Tagalog translations to encourage the use of the language. I used a Filipino-made typeface that is inspired by the witty hand-painted signs seen all across Manila’s street signage. These elements celebrate the uniqueness of Filipino culture and comfort younger Filipinos with familiar scenes from everyday life in the Philippines. Retelling this alamat through the use of storybooks is essential in allowing Filipino children to feel valued and represented; empowering them to be proud of their identity and culture from a young age.