Contents

2 editorial 3 A Word From

the sarawak Craft Council

4 Great expectations

6 Guess Who Came to the Rainforest World Crafts Bazaar?

8 Before the Loom

10 silver Crafts

14 Miku, the Man of Many trades

15 What’s on

Contents

2 editorial 3 A Word From

the sarawak Craft Council

4 the 2009 Rainforest World Crafts Bazaar has designs on you!

6 Crafts Unbound 8 Beads made in

Borneo 10 nature in their

Craft - Penan Mats

13 A Page of History

15 Form/Design Centre, Malmö

CRAFts is published by Crafthub sdn Bhd for the sarawak Crafts Council (sCC).opinions expressed by contributors to CRAFts are not necessarily those of the sCC or Crafthub.the contents of CRAFts may not be reproduced in any medium without prior written permission.Feedback is welcome, write to us at crafthub@gmail.com.www.crafthub.com.my

editor: Heidi MunanPublication Managers: Donald tan and Freya MartinContributors: Reynold Ahviet, Rintos Mail, Kevin Murray, Freya MartinPrinted at the Bahagia Press sdn Bhd, Lot 225 section 49, Jln Padungan Utara, 93100 Kuching.Published by Crafthub sdn Bhd, 1st Floor 96 Main Bazaar, 93000 Kuching.Issn: 1985-7357

the cover shows Christopher Jehet ak ngayub at work. Photo by Heidi Munan.

2

EditorialQUALIty ContRoL – tHe GRAssRoots LeveL

visitors to Kuching can hardly miss the colourful display of handicrafts, ranging from art to junk, in the Main Bazaar.

Depending on taste and interest, they may be satisfied with the offer, and do their shopping in the most convenient spot. tourists who are planning to make a trip inland, however, are usually advised not to purchase souvenirs in town. Better buy them ‘at source’, in a real longhouse! this, so they expect, is where the authentic, original handcrafted pieces are to be found.An organized longhouse tour generally includes a sort of ‘market’, usually after the evening meal, when crafts and other souvenir items are spread out for sale. In some longhouses such merchandise is displayed on the wall, with ‘for sale’ labels or price tags attached.

Feedback obtained from tourists, foreign as well as local, suggests that the system doesn’t suit everyone’s taste. In many cases, four or five visitors are faced with twenty sellers, each displaying more or less the same kind of stuff – small mats, ikat textiles, basketry, woodcarving, plastic bags of pepper and the like.

“We couldn’t possibly buy something from every seller,” a French tourist said later, “and it was rather embarrassing to walk past all the disappointed old ladies!”

Another comment was that craft articles displayed on the walls were dusty, faded, and looked as if they’d been there for a long time.

the method of selling crafts at tourist spots could be improved, it seems.

What tourists don’t always realize is that the quality of the items offered for sale could be improved too.

Are all those small pieces of ikat (quality varies from acceptable to shoddy) really made in sarawak? or are they from Kalimantan? the quite obviously printed ‘ikat’ textiles are from even further afield, so why are they sold in our longhouses as ‘ethnic handicrafts’?

some of the woodcarvings are indeed authentic local stuff, others are from ‘across the border’, still others from Bali! Bead necklaces of semi-precious stone or plastic may be pretty in themselves, but nobody has to travel half a day to buy them in a longhouse. Kuching Main Bazaar is full of them.

then there is the thorny question of poorly-made or badly-finished local products. some baskets and mats have uneven edges and rims. Fibre ends are glued up, not woven into the back of an

artefact. Rattan cane mats (tikai lampit) are finished with nylon braiding. ‘Penan bracelets’ made of rattan start to unravel by the time the tour bus has got back to Kuching. Polychrome textiles and basketry bleed colour if they get wet, and they fade within months. the strap of one beaded phone pouch broke when the buyer put her handphone into it.

there seems to be an attitude that ‘it’s only for the tourists, they don’t know any better’ among some of our craftspeople. they don’t realize that in the long run, this will backfire. Back in their home countries, tourists will warn their friends not to travel to sarawak, or at any rate not buy any handicrafts there. Better go to Bali, where you can get better stuff at half the price!

What can you and I do about it?

Whenever we’re travelling up-country and see substandard crafts products offered to visitors, we can advise the producers (or sellers, not always the same person) to take them off the market, and put something better there instead. there’s no need to raise a ruckus; a quiet word with the chief’s wife or mother often works.

our tourist guides, front-line troops in the sell-sarawak-campaign, are well placed to do a bit of ‘crafts quality control’ as they go from one longhouse to the next.

the sarawak Craft Council and other bodies in the field work hard to promote good-quality, made-in-sarawak handicrafts. the term ‘sarawak Craft’ should become recognized, like a brand name. this aim can only be achieved if all players work together.

The Sarawak Craft CouncilThe SCC promotes the State’s ethnic handicrafts, both to preserve a priceless artistic heritage and to improve the artisans’ livelihood. The predominantly rural craftworkers now have a realistic option to augment their income from agriculture.The Craft Council coordinates the activities of government and private entities involved in handicraft development in Sarawak.

Mission StatementThe Sarawak Craft Council provides leadership in the development and enhancement of the handicaft industry in Sarawak.

ObjectiveTo develop the handicraft industry into a more coordinated and progressive enterprise that will complement the needs of the tourism industry.

by Reynold Ahviet

A word from...The Sarawak Craft Council

3

the sarawak Craft Council (sCC) occupies the Round tower, a significant historical landmark just opposite the General Post office in Kuching.

the offices are upstairs, and there is a gallery on the ground level. Initially, the ground floor was a display centre only. However, after requests by visitors both local and foreign the ground floor has been refurbished into a gallery managed by the staff of sCC, occasionally with the assistance of the craftspeople in and around Kuching. there are no live crafts demonstrations now. However, artisans stationed at sCC kiosks still continue with the production of handicrafts in situ.

the centre is becoming popular with tourists who frequent the gallery. they like to see and touch the authentic sarawak handicrafts, and purchase local items as gifts or as souvenirs. Information materials in the form of product brochures, bookmarks, magazines and postcards are given free to visitors. Local handicrafts are sold at reasonable prices.

Visitors & Comments in the Guest BookJudging by the Guest Book for 2008, visitors came from all over the world to visit sCC Gallery on the ground floor of the Round tower. Locals who wrote comments in the book are from Kuching, sibu, Miri, Gedong and Bintulu, from schools and institutes of higher learning including UnIMAs and UKM. West Malaysians came from Ipoh, Perak, Kelantan, Pahang, shah Alam, Malaka, negeri sembilan, Cheras-selangor, Johore Bahru and Kuala Lumpur. sabah

visitors included those from Ranau, tawau and Kota Kinabalu.

Asian visitors came from neighbouring Brunei, singapore, Hong Kong, taiwan, Davao City in the Philippines, Bangkok-thailand, sambas-Indonesia and Japan.

Long-haul visitors arrived from sydney, Perth, Melbourne in Australia; Christchurch and Wellington in new Zealand; vancouver, Bates Beach, Montreal, ontario, Halifax and toronto in Canada; san Francisco, new york, California and Washington DC in the UsA; the netherlands, Belgium, Germany; Italy, Finland, switzerland, england, Wales and scotland; France, south Africa, Hungary, Denmark, spain and estonia.

the comments on the gallery include such things as “ lovely work, intricate, delicate and exquisite, very nice collection !” by May Chung of Halifax, Canada. Mr & Mrs Regas Goh of singapore comment that they were “glad to make our way here”. Helen Holmes of Australia wrote ”wonderful crafts display”, and Lee o’Hara from Australia considers our gallery “a feast for the eyes!!!”

Authentic Handicrafts of Sarawakof the handicraft items on display 80% are from sarawak handicraft producers, while the remaining

20% of items are from West Malaysia, Indonesia and other Asian countries. Local entrepreneurs are encouraged to leave their produce on consignment. If artisans live in remote areas the sCC purchases their products with minimal markup. the four kiosks outside the Round tower pay a rent to sCC, and trade on their own account.

selected handicrafts

has designs on you!

THe 2009 RAinfoReST WoRld

CRAfTS BAzAAR

by Freya Martin

the Rainforest World Crafts Bazaar was held for the first

time in July 2008 in conjunction with the Rainforest

World Music Festival at sarawak Cultural village, near

Kuching. the Bazaar successfully showcased many

traditional handicrafts and skilled artisans from sarawak

and further afield, but the Bazaar event manager,

Crafthub sdn Bhd, also had its eye on the future…

some months before the 2008 Bazaar, multimedia

students at swinburne University of technology were

invited to submit artwork to a competition organized

by Crafthub. the winners would see their creative work

reproduced on commemorative Rainforest World Crafts

Bazaar t-shirts.

the theme was, of course, the Rainforest World Crafts

Bazaar and the bazaar logo had to be incorporated.

the designs were judged by members of Crafthub and

lecturers at swinburne.

one of the competition judges and product development

manager for Crafthub, Annette Bessant said,

“We were impressed with the standard of design

especially as those who participated were not art college

students. As this was the first international crafts bazaar,

it seemed appropriate to have fresh new ideas from

young people who may have not designed before rather

than use our own design ideas. the swinburne lecturers

were enthusiastic about the project as it gave them an

opportunity to showcase the talents of

their students as well as giving them a

real-life situation in which to use their

skills. All the entries submitted showed

innovation and creativity. the final

selection appealed to the judges as it

was felt the designs would match the

diversity of the visitors who would

be attending the Rainforest Music

Festival.”

yosua tjan, a year 1 Bachelor of

Multimedia student was inspired by

the Dayak tribal motif. the leaf in the

background represents the rainforest of

Borneo and his t-shirt was printed on

black and on white with the imagery in

black and red, respectively.

the environment was a key element

for soo Huiying, also a fresher, who

created a leaf design to represent the

lush rainforest beauty of sarawak.

the colour green was used as it

represents life and abundance in

nature. It also signifies growth,

mirroring sarawak’s development

as one of the wealthiest states in

Malaysia. on the leaf’s surface are

the evocative shapes of the famous

hornbill of sarawak based on the

indigenous tribal tattoos of Borneo.

the rhinoceros hornbill of sarawak

and musical notes are a colourful

link with the past, with the colours

orange, green and blue representing

the earth, the forest and the sky.

the students at swinburne are

focused on succeeding in today’s

global digital age, but their hearts

still belong to sarawak and this was

reflected in the inspirations for their

winning designs.

4

Winning entry 2008

05

new designs are now being sought for the 2009 t-shirt and currently enrolled students of all tertiary colleges in Kuching are invited to submit entries by 31 March 2009.

once again the theme will centre on the rainforest and handicrafts such as textiles, basketry, ceramics and wood carving.

A panel of judges selected by Crafthub will be looking for originality of approach to the theme and for designs that are versatile and appeal to all ages and genders. not an easy task but one we feel confident the students in Kuching are able to tackle! Judging will take place shortly after the closing date of 31 March 2009.

each winning designer will be awarded a one-off payment of RM500. Read on for the full conditions of entry…

Conditions of entry

The entrantsthis competition is only open to currently enrolled tertiary college students in Kuching.

The Brief“Rainforest and Handicrafts” is the theme for RWCB 2009. entrants must describe in no more than 30 words the inspiration for their design on their entry form.the design is intended for t-shirts and other applications, such as baseball caps etc

The designthe design should be composed of no more than three colours. the design should be suitable for printing on a black or white background. the design should be effective whether printed small or large. the design will include the Crafthub Rainforest Bazaar 2009 logo.entries are accepted as hard copy (A3 size) or digital images (jpg, min 300dpi) together with a completed entry form.

The Winning designsthe winning designers will be awarded a prize of RM500.the winning designers will be publicised by Crafthub sdn Bhd at the RWCB 2009.the winning designers will be asked to provide a brief biography for media publicity.Copyright of the winning designs becomes the property of Crafthub sdn Bhd. the winning designers’ names will be publicized on the Crafthub website and in the media.

All designs MUST be accompanied by an entry form which is included in this issue, and also on our website at www. crafthub.com.my designs received without a completed entry form will be judged void.

Crafthub is now widening its search for designers of the 2009 T-shirt

5

Photos by Cynthia Lobato

6

introductionthere was once a familiar order to things. on one

side was the supermarket and on the other was

the art gallery. there was the world of common

things to be used and discarded, and the realm of

precious objects to be appreciated and preserved.

the meaningless cycle of consumption was

counterbalanced by the collection of treasured

objects. But this cultural economy has become

stagnant as art becomes increasingly insular and

detached from everyday life.

A generation of radical Australian makers is

challenging this arrangement by bringing the

profane world of consumption into the sacred

halls of art. this is a distinctly Australian

phenomenon, and we need to gather these

makers together to appreciate their work, learn

about its origins, and understand its meaning.

What is the relationship between beauty and

rarity that their work confronts? Let’s begin to

examine this question with the broad brush.

The lay of the landto make the common precious is to work against

the grain. the identification of value and rarity

is self-evident. It governs the way we see the

world and how we transact with it. In the english

language rarity is almost always expressed

using words that carry a positive connotation—

words such as ‘extraordinary’, ‘special’, ‘rare’,

‘incomparable’ and ‘noble’. Whereas what is

common is valued negatively, as in ‘ordinary’,

‘average’, ‘mundane’, ‘usual’, ‘pedestrian’ or

‘plebeian’. Accordingly, we will pay more for

something that is exclusive, than we would for

goods that are mass-marketed.

The craft movementthroughout modernity, craft has provided an

alternative set of values to the positivist dream

of technological advancement. At its most basic,

craft is the transformation of common materials

into precious works. Potters dig up mud which

they shape and fire to make vessels for eating

CRAFT UNBOUND: Make the common preciousby Kevin Murray

and drinking. the history of modern craft

is characterised by a search for these

elemental roots.

It was during industrialization in the

nineteenth century that craft emerged as

a foil to modern capitalism. Reflecting

a Protestant spirit, the english Arts and

Crafts movement of this period championed

labour and decried ‘bourgeois decadence.’

Rarity was a significant issue for the

movement’s champion, John Ruskin, who

wrote: “If only the english nation could

be made to understand that beauty which

is indeed to be a joy for ever, must be a

Mark verwerk spinning plastic bags

7

joy for all.” (Arata Pentelici: Seven Lectures on the Elements of

Sculpture, George Allen, London, 1890). At the time, the craft spirit

was identified as a northern phenomenon, with its origins reaching

back to the historical struggle of egalitarian Anglo-saxons against

their norman overlords.

In the twentieth century Western craft turned to the east. the english

potter edmund Leach introduced the values associated with Mingei,

a Japanese movement of folk ceramics. Its key text was The Unknown

Craftsman written by soetsu yanagi in 1931. yanagi’s values were

epitomised in the Kizaemon tea bowl, a sixteenth-century bowl

celebrated as one of Japan’s most significant treasures. According to

legend, the bowl was found in a Korean workshop, and produced by

a regular worker in a moment of complete unselfconsciousness.

the roles were reversed in the late twentieth century. Crafts

practitioners reacted against the earnestness associated with the Arts

and Crafts movement, and with Japanese ceramics. Post-modern

flamboyance and conceptualism, such as that inspired by the Italian

designer Memphis, removed craft from its demotic base.

The antipodean futureAustralian history is like a crust of colonialism built over a seemingly

timeless continuity of Aboriginal occupation. It is within the colonial

story that we might find the ground for a distinctly Australian craft.

such ‘colonial cringe’ naturally evokes a republican response. there

have been many strains of irreverent nationalism. In the 1990s the

sydney designers Mambo celebrated suburban values. Films such

as Muriel’s Wedding associate suburbanism with a free spirit and

the sense of community; they foster a boisterous pride in being

ordinary.

Australian folk craft reflects this popularism. Bush furniture

celebrated the make-do practices of outback farmers. A kerosene

tin became a chest of drawers. Likewise, the isolation of Aboriginal

communities has encouraged an ingenuity of means. the 2001 tv

series Bush Mechanics celebrated the almost magical ability of the

Walpiri people to keep cars going without the backup of tools and

supplies.

Australia shares this celebration of the common with other ex-

colonies. Consider the influential south American poet, Pablo

neruda. His Elementary Odes are rhapsodic verses in praise of

ordinary things. In his nobel Prize acceptance speech, neruda

claimed that “the best poet is he who prepares our daily bread.”

(Alan Feinstein, Pablo Neruda: A Passion for Life, Bloomsbury, new

york, 2004).

eventually corrupted by modernity, the modest spirit of craft in

the West seeks renewal from outside. In the past Western makers

looked to the viking north and pre-modern east. now it is from the

south that a fresh energy emerges.

Adapted from CRAFt UnBoUnD: MAKe tHe CoMMon

PReCIoUs (Melbourne: thames & Hudson, 2005). the full text

may be read on www.craftunbound.net

Lorraine Connelly-northey working with rusted metal

8

the native peoples of Borneo have long collected, treasured

and used beads. Many communities ascribed deep ritual

significance to certain beads, others were most interested

in the beads’ value as property and status markers. there

were ‘male’ and ‘female’ beads, mourning beads, wedding

beads, magic beads and aphrodisiac beads.

Beads were appreciated as colourful ornaments, enhanced

by skilled handiwork, in all societies.

In view of the almost universal appeal of beads among

sarawak’s indigenous people, it is surprising that very few

beads were made here. the bulk of ‘Borneo Beads’ reached

the great island by way of trade.

there is some evidence that stone beads were made in the

Ulu Bahau in the 19th century; a ‘bead recycling’ site in

tanjung selor was documented by Dutch traveller tillema.

But these were exceptions; nobody thought of, or dared to

attempt, making beads until the 1950s.

Clay Beadsthe first indigenous beadmakers were Indonesian Lun

Bawang, quite used to crossing the border into sarawak

and sabah to keep up family and trading connections.

Lun Bawang fashion tends towards opaque glass beads.

the larger are spherical monochromes (yellow,

sometimes turquoise), or black with dainty

dots. smaller, longish beads may be

monochrome or decorated with

fine trail-work.

opaque glass can be

replicated in clay fairly

easily. the beadmaking

pioneers, located mainly

in the village of Long

tuma near Lawas,

collected a fine clay from

their rivers, hand-molded

it into the desired shapes,

and fired these in backyard

bonfires. When cool, enamel paint was applied to simulate the

traditional beads.

Long tuma Beads became well known during the 1970s and

80s, when several families produced for the local market.

Lun Bawang in sabah, sarawak and Brunei replenished their

traditional costumes – a style which requires bead-threaded

caps, multiple-stand necklaces and belts. Cultural dance troupes

equipped their members with Long tuma Beads. even ladies

who owned full sets of antique beads preferred the replicas for

everyday wear.

Ceramic BeadsClay hardened in a backyard furnace is all very well, but the

enamel paint tended to rub off, and the fabric of the beads could

be brittle. Advised and aided by WeDA, the Womens’ economic

Development Agency in the Agriculture Department, some

enterprising ladies imported ceramic clay, set up an electric kiln,

and produced fire-glazed beads.

to start with, their entire output consisted of replicas of traditional

beads. eventually the more creative spirits got the upper hand.

today, Long tuma produces traditional beads, fashion beads,

and small items like pendants and novelties.

Plastic Beadsthe first locally produced plastic beads came

in from the southern Philippines in the

1960s and 70s. they were intended to

be replicas of traditional glass beads

used in the region, some of them

visually very well reproduced. the

weight gave them away at once as

‘fakes’, of course, despite all that an

enterprising seller could say about

their origin as family heirlooms

dating back many generations…

BeadsMADE IN BORNEO

Lun Bawang bead cap (f) made of

clay beads

Replicas of traditional Lun Bawang beads

by Heidi Munan

the raw material for these early replicas was toothbrush

handles; the translucent types were preferred because they

resembled glass. A candle gives enough heat to soften the

material. A pair of pliers, an awl and a few sturdy pins

were all the tools the beadmakers needed, besides skilful

fingers and a good eye for detail.

these interesting beads were never produced in large

volume. on more recent visits to the waterfront market

in Kota Kinabalu, bead collectors looked in vain for

translucent plastic replicas of Borneo Beads.

Within the last ten years, there has been some more

beadmaking in sabah, in the Rungus area of Kudat. A few

ladies decided to produce replicas of their favourite beads,

mainly the long bi-conical facetted carnelian spindle, the

long cylindrical shell bead, the pea-sized black, red, white

and yellow beads and a few finely striped types.

these beadmakers heat their plastics over a small fire.

once it is softened, they shape it by perforating the hot

lump with an awl, rolling it, and flattening it with a metal

blade on a metal surface.

Discarded plastic from many sources is easily available,

but most beadmakers prefer bakelite (transistor radio

casings).

Mdm Mongurimpot Bokulot of Kg tinangol, Kudat, sabah,

has tried both materials, and finds that the red plastic

from a mug handle isn’t malleable enough. Bakelite can

be shaped to the artisan’s preference, and cools to an

acceptable degree of hardness and polish.

Beadmaking should be encouraged as one way of

recycling at least a fraction of the plastic that’s flooding

the world, but most workers in the field agree that it is

slow, laborious, and not very rewarding.

Modern fashion beads, made in Long tuma Plastic (bakelite?) replicas of Rungus beads

Mdm Mongurimpot heats a piece of plastic

Rolling the hot bead material on a metal surface (sireh box)

the bead is marvered with a metal blade on a metal surface

9Photos by Reita Rahim

10

Pristine nature may have been overtaken by modernization, but

the beauty of unspoilt wilderness is indelibly etched in the minds

of the Penan womenfolk of Long Beruang, and elsewhere. they

express their affinity with the natural appeal of their surroundings

– mountains, jungles, open fields, river, flora and fauna – through

their handicrafts.

Dexterous feminine fingers have been cataloguing the environment

since the earliest times of their forbears, drawing inspiration from

nature to create exquisite motifs for their art works.

the designs of their hand-woven mats and baskets are not so much

influenced by their culture and legends but more by their reverence

for Mother nature. their creations flow from the heart of the

rainforest, rattan canes and leaves being the main raw materials.

Intricate or simple floral patterns make up most of their basket

and mat designs.

on a recent trip to Long Beruang, this reporter talked to a

housewife who makes mats and baskets for her own use, and for

sale. Madam Jita can turn out anything from small souvenirs to

big, sturdy household items.

the lady, one of the most skilled among her group, plaits

distinctive black-and-white mats and baskets, some of them so

fine as to be almost waterproof.

Her patterns depict various floral species, some of which can

sadly no longer be found.

“I like flowers, I used to see many types in my young days. now

they have disappeared. I still remember how to make the patterns,

of course.”

Among her patterns are Betik ngong, Bunga Ujung Kayu and

Belik Kelebit.

“We choose floral patterns to show collectors we always treasure

nature,” she added. “I learned most of these crafts from my mother,

at a young age. We made our own mats, baskets, carrying baskets

and winnowing trays.”

this weaver uses rattan buku,

rattan bawang and rattan

ketong for her mats and

baskets. the black colour for

her products is derived from

tekayak plants. to obtain

black, the leaves of this plants

are mixed with soil and

water, and boiled until the

water turns dark. After that,

the rattan canes are soaked

in the dye for at least half an

hour, or longer.

PenAn MAtsby Rintos Mail Photos by sidney Wee

Nature in their Craft

Preparing the materials

‘Bird’ design

the Penan menfolk usually collect the rattan from the jungle, as it is hard work to

detach the thorny canes from the trees among which they grow. the women cut and

split the canes into the proper working lengths.

the ladies of Long Beruang think they could earn a better living from craft work if more

visitors came to their remote village. Without proper transport, it is too difficult for them

to carry their wares to a market regularly. of course there are lots of customers in Miri,

or even Marudi, but the trip there and back would consume all the profit!

Madam Jitra sells her miniature-sized tapan (winnowing tray) and tambok (carrying

basket) from RM20 each, and dinner mats for RM30 apiece. sleeping mats cost more, a

few hundred ringgit each depending on the intricacy of the pattern.

While the womenfolk make mats and baskets, the Penan men are skilled blacksmiths

who make their own hunting knives, spears, and blowpipes.

11

the editor would like to thank Rintos Mail and the Borneo Post for kindly contributing to this issue of CRAfTS.

Mat-maker in Long sabai

Penan bangles

Modern handicraft

the sea Dayaks are more advanced in some ways than the majority of Bornean tribes, and the weaving of cloth from their home-grown

cotton is an instance of this. the subject has been mentioned briefly by numerous writers, but a glance at the pages of Ling-Roth’s

valuable compendium on the races of sarawak and British north Borneo shows that after all the recorded details of this industry are

distinctly meager, and more recent books add but little further information. the purpose of the following lines therefore is to try and fill

a small gap in our knowledge of sea Dayak life, by giving a detailed account of their process of making and dyeing thread from their

home-grown cotton.

separate farms or gardens (empalai) are set apart for growing cotton (taya) and the seed once planted soon develops, so that within a

year of sowing, there is fruit sufficient to pick and utilize for cotton. It should be added that the Dayaks do not buy their cotton seed from

local bazaars, but take it when needed from their own crops; where the original seeds are supposed to have come from I am unable to

find out.

After the cotton has been picked, taken out of its skin and dried, it is passed through a cotton gin (pemigi) in order to get rid of its seeds.

then from very early in the morning until about 9 a.m. it is threshed out on a mat with a cotton beater (pemalu taya), the women using

both hands for the work. It is believed that the strong heat of the sun hinders laxity, hence the early hours adopted for this part of the

work.

the cotton is threshed twice; first, into a flat piece averaging two to three feet square and some two inches in thickness, this is called a

lapis. In the evening after dinner when everybody assembles in the long reception room (ruai) for all sorts of purposes such as settling

cases, chattering or doing odd pieces of work, among other occupations one sees the lapis brought out, folded and placed on the thigh

to be cut into very thin pieces and then gathered into a basket. the following morning the thin fragments of cotton are put on a mat in

order to go through the second threshing in order to reduce it to a still thinner lapis, this time to the thickness of a sheet of thick paper.

the following evening the lapis is to be diluli, which means to say it is to be rolled up into the thickness of one’s finger so as to be

ready for spinning. A luli is an instrument from six inches to a foot long, pointed and not bigger than one’s little finger. After the lapis

is rolled round the luli twice or thrice, it is cut off and placed

in a basket. the cotton thus rolled is called luli also. the luli

are then attached to a spinning wheel (gasing), and spun into

thread one by one.

When the shuttle-pin (mata gasing) or ‘eye of the spinning-

wheel’ is full up the thread is stretched in the koali or cotton-

stretcher. It is then taken out and dipped in rice gruel (kanji)

for some little time – this is called the process of nyikat; after

being well saturated it is taken out and stretched lengthwise

in the ruai by means of two bamboos. After this it is combed

with a cocoanut husk in order to smooth it and to take off any

rice grains that are sticking to it; it remains thus until quite dry,

when it is rolled up into a ball or balls; this last process being

called nabu. the thread is now ready for the further processes

of dyeing and weaving.

the sea-Dayak Method of Making thread from their Home-Grown Cottonby Rev W Howell, sabu, simanggang

Published in sarawak Museum Journal vol I no 2, 1912

Iban spinning wheel in the Brooke Low collection(source: Ling Roth H: The Natives of Sarawak and British North Borneo,

truslove and Hanson, London 1896.)

A Page of History

13

14

sARAWAKMiRi PeRMAnenT CRAfT MARTat the Handicraft Centre, Brooke Road

KUCHinG WeeKly CRAfT MARTevery Friday–sunday at the Waterfront

MALAysIA19-30 March 2009nATionAl CRAfT exPoKompleks Kraf Kuala LumpurMore details: www.kraftangan.gov.my

ARoUnD tHe WoRLD

March 11 – 15inTeRnATionAl fURniTURe And CRAfTS fAiRexpo Kemayoran JakartaFor information consult www.iffina-indonesia.com/2009

April 15 – 18MAnilA fAMesMX Convention Centre, Pasay CityCrafts, Gifts and souvenirsContact: Fax 00 63 2832 2965www.biztradeshows.com/events

April 2009MeGA MACAoGifts, housewares and handicraft fairDate tbc. For further info, visit www.kenfair.com

18 June – 25 July 2009THe WoRld of SMAll THinGSAn exhibition of Craft DiplomacyCraft victoria, Melbourne

Curator Kevin Murray (see p.6 of this issue)Kevin@kitezh.com

WHAT’S ON… in the WORLD of CRAFTS

15

the Form/Design Centre in Malmö, southwestern sweden, has two claims to distinction.

It is a well-run school of design for full-time and part-time students, offering short courses and ‘hobby classes’ as well as academic programmes.

It is sited in Hedmanseke Garden, a historical building right in the centre of the old town on the oresund.

As far as is known, it served as the granary of a well-to-do produce and grain merchant for a long time before Gabriel Hedman gave the stoutly built, utilitarian complex its present shape.

the relevant literature modestly admits that Hedmanska Garden mightn’t be very old after all, maybe it was only built in 1597 and not in the 15th century.

the Form/Design Centre is run by svensk Form, the swedish society for Crafts and Design. this non-profit body, founded in 1845, works towards promoting high-quality design.

At Hedmanska Garden, a full programme of courses and events, competitions and workshops, runs all the year round. to make the centre itself attractive to casual visitors, there is a permanent exhibition of recent products, a small library for browsing, and a cafeteria.

We visited the Hedmanska Garden on a sunday, when no classes are held. the exhibition gallery, which doubles as a shop, was well patronized. Local products, such a nordic timbers and handspun wool, are among the materials experimented with by young designers; the most popular however appear to be glass and metal.

the good townsfolk of Malmö made the most of an unusually fine autum day by strolling around the City square, and visiting the Form/Design Centre, together with tourists from nearby Denmark.

A sample programme of the Form/Design Centre:

sWeDIsH DesIGn AWARD, August 15 – september 28CHeCK It oUt! – Juried exhibition of swedish graphic design and illustration, september 5 – 29GoInG PLACes – Graduation work from the Glass and Ceramic school in Bornholm, september 26 – october 12eLABoRAte – Communicating energy and everyday issues, a research project at K3 Malmö University, october 3 – 26LIGHtyeARs – enlightened design from Denmark, october 24 – november 23eIGHt HoUses – one stRUCtURe – Gert Wingardh – Reflections on architecture, october 31 – January 18 2009

For more details, visit: www.formdesigncenter.com

FORM/DESIGN CENTRE, MALMÖ by Heidi Munan

Carpet wools Fish lamp the shop at Form/Desgin Centre

Rocking rabbits

Sarawak Craft Council, Sarawak Handicraft Centre, Round Tower, Lot 32 Sect 25 KTLD, Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak

tel 60 82 245 652, 252 241, fax 60 82 420 253e-mail : beatricekedoh@yahoo.com

website : www.sarawakhandicraft.com

Published for SCC by: Crafthub Sdn.Bhd, First Floor, No.96 Main Bazaar, 93000 Kuching Sarawak Malaysia.

tel: 60 82 421 346 fax: 60 82 614 622 email: crafthub@gmail.com website: www.crafthub.com.my