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An exotic textile
is the Iban pua, often referred to as a blanket but
more appropriately simply called a cloth. Technically excellent
in comparison to any ikat weaving of other cultures, powerful
in its allegorical symbol, the warp-ikat pua kumbu
is an outstanding material culture of Sarawak.
The uses of
pua kumbu are numerous and are of great significance in the
traditional life of the Iban. They are used in ceremonies: birth,
marriage, funeral and healing, as well as in farming rituals. As
soon as the child is cleaned after being delivered, he or she is
laid upon a pua kumbu. During the first ceremonial bath in
the river, the baby is wrapped and covered with the pua kumbu and
taken to the river. During the wedding ceremony, pua kumbu
are used to adorn the room where the marriage ceremony is held;
the couple are seated on a gong under a pua kumbu canopy
to receive blessing from the elderly folk. Pua kumbu also
forms part of the dowry. When a relative dies, pua kumbu
are hung up as curtains to shelter the body of the dead relative.
Pua kumbu are also used to veil structures (pandong)
containing charms and offering in farming rituals. In the olden
days, pua kumbu were used to receive heads from a party returning
from a successful war expedition.
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The
patterns used in all the weaving are based on the motifs as seen in
the many other Sarawak decorative arts. Some common symbols include
birds, deer, snakes, leeches, centipedes, squirrels, frogs, flower
and fruits. The higher symbols are of humans and spirits. |
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Other magnificent
woven cloth of textile art in Sarawak is kain songket
of the malays. They are hand-woven textiles of gold and
silver threads combined with fine cotton or silk yarn. It is very
similar to the gold threaded kain songket of Kelantan and
Indonesia. However, in Sarawak they were regarded as a legacy from
the Brunei Sultanate days.
The Songket
cloth is made to a size of a two-and a half yard sarong or
skirt length. Influenced by their religion, Malay weavers chose
geometric patterns of flowers, rosettes, stars and stripes for their
design.
Kain songket was worn on auspicious occassions and festivals
by the aristocrats in the old days. Today, it is proven to be a
living fabric used by all sectors of the Malay society and the designs
are used in many modern fashions.
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