When art historian Kaja McGowan was on a Fulbright Fellowship in Indonesia in 1990-91, researching rituals of life process with a high priestess in Bali, one particular practice caught her attention.

Credit: Provided

“Balinese families frequently visited the priestess’s home with offerings, borrowing a single stuffed bird of paradise for their loved ones who had passed away,” said McGowan, associate professor of history of art and visual studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. She learned that Balinese Hindus use one ceremonial bird again and again, thus both practicing their religious beliefs and sustaining populations of the protected bird-of-paradise species native to Indonesia.

In “Borrowing Paradise,” her new book for children, McGowan brings this community-centered ritual to life with a story inspired by a family she met during her Fulbright. The book is illustrated with watercolors by her sister Tara McGowan.

Her story follows Surya, a Balinese boy who plays a key role in the elaborate Hindu ritual set in motion when his beloved grandfather dies. A sarcophagus shaped like an elephant-fish is built, a tower is constructed, and a procession of family and friends carry both to the oceanside for cremation. The boy helps prepare the towers and carries the stuffed bird-of-paradise during the ritual procession to guide his grandfather’s soul to heaven so it can be reborn.

The College of Arts and Sciences spoke with McGowan about the book. 

Read the full interview on the College of Arts and Sciences website.