1 Permanent Craft Mart: Handicraft (formerly Heritage) Centre

Permanent Craft Mart:
Handicraft (for merly Heritage)
Centre, Brooke Road Miri
W e e k l y C r a f t M a r t , Waterfront,
Kuching, Weekends
October 18t h – November 4t h :
3 rd BIMP-EAGA Travel Exchange,
Crafts Exhibition and Fair, Old Court
House Tourism Complex, Kuching
Sarawak
November 22n d – 25t h:
ASEAN Handicrafts Promotion and
Development Association (AHPADA)
International Arts and Crafts Expo,
Manila Philippines
November 22n d – 25t h :
Bead Conference, Istanbul Turkey
December 24t h – 31s t :
Langkawi Arts and Craft Festival
(LACRAF) 2007, Langkawi
Sarawak Craft Council
tel 60 82 245 652, 252 241 fax 60 82 420 253
e-mail : beatricekedoh@yahoo.com
www.sarawakhandicraft.com
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A Word from the Chairman
YB Datuk Gramong Juna
The Sarawak Craft Council is proud to present the inaugural issue of
CRAFTS, a magazine designed to disseminate information about
Sarawak Craft and Artisans to the world, and forge a connection
between producer and buyer in this vibrant market.
It is in everybody’s interest that the artistic output of our craftspeople
be genuine, and known to be so. Considering the influx of handicrafts
from neighbouring countries, we feel it is important to benchmark
Sarawak products in terms of quality and standard, in a way that is
recognized worldwide.
Starting at home, the Sarawak Handicraft and Souvenir Association
is in the process of identifying local shops which market at least 80%
of local products with a distinguishing label. By this means, buyers
can easily find participating shops, local products are promoted,
and the indigenous producers are assured of adequate
remuneration.
Each issue of CRAFTS focuses on one important Sarawak craft or product, its traditional roots, and its
contemporary developments in design, technique and materials. Readers overseas will learn what’s new
in’Sarawak, our local artisans will get a glimpse of what’s going on in the never-static world of artistic craft
production.
The Sarawak Craft Council
The 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 Statement
The Sarawak Craft Council provides leadership in the
development and enhancement of the handicaft industry
in Sarawak.
Objective
To develop the handicraft industry into a more coordinated
and progressive enterprise that will complement the needs
of the tourism industry.
News from the Ministry
Branding of Sarawak Handicrafts
Considering the influx of handicrafts from neighbouring countries,
various schemes have been proposed to protect the indigenous
crafts, and thus artisans.
Chairman of Sarawak Craft Council (SCC), Datuk Gramong Juna,
recently stressed that some kind of certification is vital to protect and
promote handicrafts produced by Sarawak craftsmen. This would
greatly help souvenir hunters to distinguish genuine Sarawak handicrafts. All products marketed by the SCC are 100% made-in-Sarawak.
The exercise is designed to benchmark Sarawak products in terms of
quality and standard acceptable worldwide.
The Sarawak Handicraft and Souvenir Association is in the process of
identifying shops which market at least 80% of local products with a
distinguishing label. By this means, buyers can easily find participating
shops, local products are promoted, and the indigenous producers
are assured of adequate remuneration.
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by Heidi Munan
On a recent visit to the Brisbane Museum I had an opportunity to see this remarkable collection of baskets
which was then touring Australia. 58 artists, representing
the whole spectrum of Australia’s cosmopolitan
population, presented their interpretation of
indigenous, imported and man-made fibre craft.
Jill Brose with some of the natural fibres utilized in her work
Basketry has come a long way from the production of
utility containers! WovenForms featured plaited
sculpture and mobile installations, ‘woven stories’ and playful colour experiments.
Queenslander Jill Brose exhibited a number of spidery creations made from the inflorescence of the Alexandra
palm, a tough, pliable fibre traditionally used by native Australians for their carrying baskets.
The exhibition was studded with the usual ‘Do Not Touch!’ notices – but there was something else: All the fibres
were displayed on an easily accessible table, and here the sign read ‘Please Touch!’ Visitors could handle and feel
the various materials, from pandan strips to barbed wire, to get an idea of how rigid, pliable or silky they are.
The exhibition Woven Forms was curated by object, the Australian center for craft and design. Anyone interested
in taking a glimpse at the cutting edge of modern Australian craft should take a peek at www.object.com.au
Bark Worker
Bark Cloth by Heidi Munan
The inner bark, or bast, of several members of the breadfruit family has
supplied the people of the tropics with a primitive type of textile for many
centuries. It is believed that the skill of extracting and making this fabric
pre-dates weaving by a considerable time margin.
Traditionally, a length of bark is stripped from the tree. The rough outer
bark is discarded. The inner bark, or bast, is moistened, then rolled up
and carefully beaten with a wooden mallet.
The process of beating, re-rolling and beating again, is quite timeconsuming. Over-hasty beating can tear the fabric!
Bark cloth can withstand considerable longitudinal stress, but it tends to
fray sideways. ‘Pattern darning’ at right angles to the fabric’s natural
fibre is employed to strengthen it; this is essential for bark cloth jackets.
Loin cloths, or carrying straps, don’t need reinforcement.
Resourceful craftspeople have discovered a new use for a familiar
farming tool: the mangle, designed to press moisture out of fresh rubber
sheets, can be used to process bark cloth. The waffle-impressed bark
cloth straps of heavy-duty farm baskets were made by this method.
Bark cloth has come a long way from being a cheap textile or a tough strap. Today it is an artist’s canvas, and the
raw material for souvenirs and novelties.
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A Modern Potter: Nabila Abdullah
by Annette Bessant
In the indigenous communities of Sarawak,
earthenware pots for daily use were generally made
by women. But commercial pottery was produced by
tradesmen, practically all of them Chinese. A woman
simply had no business to be in this business!
Things have changed since the good old days.
Ms.Nabila, a Bidayu Jagoi lady, started her new venture
‘Ally Enterprise’ after following a SIRIM ceramics course.
After 2 years of study she was equipped with the
necessary technical knowledge to think about starting
her own business as a craft entrepreneur.
Being a self-motivated artisan, Nabila began to
experiment with her own ideas. In January 2007 moved
in to the SIRIM workshop at Demak Laut Industrial Park
where she now works. She has, in addition to the basic
SIRIM training, attended courses given by Kraftangan
Malaysia in order to expand her knowledge and skills.
This young ceramic artist’s aim is to locally produce ceramics that incorporate traditional designs and
techniques but update them, to make them attractive to customers who want something with a
contemporary look.
Iban and Orang Ulu Cooking Pots
Nabila processes her own clay and glazes from raw materials, and experiments with locally dug river clay.
She has worked with local red and black earthenware clay to make both Iban and Orang Ulu cooking pots.
These start as a solid cylinder of clay. An indent is made by pushing in an object such as a piece of wood or
stone. From there the process is a slow one – the potter gradually pushes the clay outward to the required
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thickness, allowing it time to dry out a little to hold the
shape. Then, with a stone inside and a beating stick
outside, the pot is enlarged by deft pressure or–
‘hammering’. To ensure that the neck of the pot is in the
centre a bamboo ring is inserted; this can later be
removed when the body of the pot is finished.
The neck is then shaped and formed. A smooth surface
inside is achieved by rolling a stone inside the pot. The
symmetry of the pot is determined by the potter’s
expertise. The rounded bottom of most indigenous
pottery is a natural result of working on the ground, with
the pot supported on the artisan’s lap.
The unique patterns on the outside are achieved by
beating with a stick or ‘paddle’ that has designs
engraved in it. Traditionally this would be belian wood. The Orang Ulu pots or “tuning pots” as they are known
differ in being taller; they have a base ring of clay added to allow them to stand freely. Nabila makes these pots
in the traditional way and then adds glaze on the inside with a hint of spillage on the outside to achieve a modern
look. The designs made by beating and the natural beauty of the clay arestill visible and remain an important
feature of the pot.
The traditional way of glazing is with the sap of the samak tree. After the pots have been removed from the fire,
but while they are still very hot, they are immersed in a sap and water mixture. Iban pots were originally made as
cooking vessels, and they have a round base. To enable them to sit on a surface Nabila uses her skill at rattan
weaving to make attractive basket bases for each one.
When used for cooking, Iban pots were
supported by a trivet of iron or a set of three
hearth stones to keep them upright.
Traditional Raw Materials
Working from raw materials like this is a slow and
unpredictable journey with the need for much
experimenting and the resilience to persevere
despite setbacks. Some of the local clay has
not handled high temperature firing so finding
the optimum temperature has involved
disappointment and much trial and error.
Although Nabila wants to concentrate on
individual hand built pieces she has to mix this
with more easily produced ceramic products
and is thus working on making her own moulds
in order to be able to produce a greater
number of one design. However even these are
individually finished with decoration so that no
two are exactly alike. Her moulded ware using
slip made from local river clay has a rich red
natural finish.
Nabila is planning on expanding her material
range to incorporate high -fired stoneware and
porcelain. This she will use to produce unique
tableware.
Nabila’s work is on display at SIRIM Ceramic
Incubator Centre at Demak Laut Industrial Park,
Phase 3, Jalan Bako, and in the showroom of
the Sarawak Craft Council in the Round Tower,
Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, Kuching.
A list of all craftspersons now active in Sarawak is available
from the Sarawak Craft Council in pamphlet form, or on
the website www.sarawakhandicraft.com
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Sarawak Potteries
by Heidi Munan
‘We have just returned from a pleasant row down-river to Tanah
Puteh (White Earth),’ a Kuching resident wrote in the 1850s. The fine
clay found in parts of the riverbank, she added, was used by the
local population to make tiles, and jars, and pots (chatties, as they
are called) to cook food in.
Tanah Puteh is where Sarawak’s first commercial pottery stood, on
the banks of a little creek a few miles downstreams from the main
town of Kuching. The name of the creek describes the product:
Sungai Priok, ‘River of Earthenware Pots.’
There, a craftsman from Teochew province, China, was making
pottery on a floor-level kick wheel. He turned out ‘utility ware’’–
storage and brewing jars, cooking pots, incense burners, pickling
basins. Such articles had long been exported from China, and were
highly valued by the local population. The potters who came to
settle in the islands of the ‘south seas’ (Chinese kilns operated in
several locations in West Kalimantan, too) were simply cutting out
the middle-man.
Sarawak’s population, avid collectors of ceramic and stoneware
jars which are treasured as heirlooms, had been buying the imported
pieces for centuries. Locally produced wares were probably a little
rougher, but certainly cheaper. They found a ready market, as an
observer noted by the end of the 19th century: … ‘little or no pottery
is made by the natives now … they tell me here that they do not make pots now for two reasons – firstly, because
the proper sort of clay is found only a long distance off; secondly, because Chinese earthen pots are to be
bought to cheaply that it is not worth while making pots for themselves…’
These native potters would be surprised to learn that, another hundred years down the road, their great-greatgranddaughters are laboriously reviving the skill of hand-producing earthenware pottery without the use of a
potter’s wheel!
The earliest commercial pottery in Kuching that the local Teochew community knows of was run by one Sia
Cheng Choon at Tanah Puteh. It is obvious why he settled there; this is the spot where his raw material — white
earth – could be had for the digging. Today no trace remains of this kiln, and it would be useless to look for the
master potter’s tombstone in the old graveyard.
“In those days,” explains an elderly potter now working at 4th Mile Kuching-Serian Road, “potters used to come
to Sarawak, save a lot of money, and then go back to China to spend their old age there.”
Potters must have been a quiet, law-abiding set of men who didn’t draw much official attention to themselves;
they are hardly ever mentioned in the government’s records. Their comings and goings – older men who had
accumulated a nice lot of savings returned to the homeland, young sons and nephews who had learnt the
trade in Fukkien came out to make their fortunes in turn – went unnoticed. A brief note in the Sarawak Gazeete
of 1887 reports that a pottery was to be established in Sibu by–‘enterprising Chinamen’ and that they had
engaged an experienced potter from Tanah Puteh kilns as their foreman of works.
No doubt! Whoever put up the finance and owned the premises, the man at the wheel was sure to be Teochew;
moreover his name was almost certainly Ng or another dialect variant of the same. Master Ng Bak K’ng was
established at Tanah Puteh in the 1880s, but he, like all his kinsmen, retired to China after he’d made his packet.
It is only after World War II that the political developments of 1949 put a stop to this quiet two-way traffic, and the
potters settled in Sarawak for good.
After local supplies of clay were exhausted; the potters had to mine clay in the Matang area and later upriver,
at Sinawan. Today most Kuching potteries are concentrated around 4th Mile of the Kuching-Serian Road. Old
Mr.Sia would marvel at the mechanized wheels, or the heavy pug-mills that do the work of half a dozen claytrampling labourers. He might or might not appreciate the many-coloured glazes that embellish the ‘tourist
ware’ which is today’s biggest output’– honey-brown glaze made of burnt padi husk was good enough in his
day! – or the gas-fired kilns, and it is hard to know what he would think about the souvenir cats in all shapes and
sizes, turned out of molds by the gross.
But he would approve of the number of new kilns, the constant stream of visitors in and out of the showrooms,
and the bustle of workmen crating ceramics for export in the back of the shop. They’re keeping up the craft,
and business is good – what more could an old potter wish for?
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What’s On in the world of Crafts
Permanent Craft Mart:
Handicraft (formerly Heritage) Centre, Brooke Road Miri
Regular weekly Craft Mart at the waterfront, Kuching, Weekends
OCTOBER
1 8t h – Nov.4t h: 3 r d BIMP-EAGA Travel Exchange
Exchange, this tourism event will be used
to showcase local and regional crafts for one exciting week – 18th October to 4th
November, Old Court House Tourism Complex
NOVEMBER
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Until 4t h: 3r d BIMP-EAGA Travel Exchange – Crafts Exhibition and Fair. The
prominent regional tourism event will be used to showcase crafts for one exciting
week – 18th October to 4th November, at the Old Court House Tourism Complex in
Kuching. While the main objective of the Crafts Exhibition and Fair is the mingling of
craftspeople and the exchange of ideas, it promises to table a spectacular display
of merchandise from all parts of Southeast Asia. Don’t miss it!
2 2n d to 25t h : 1s t ASEAN Handicrafts Promotion and Development Association (AHPADA) International Arts and Crafts Expo, Manila
This international Arts and Crafts Expo will be combined with a business forum designed
to attract the leading entrepreneurs and dealers in high-quality craft wares.
Participants from Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Asia Oceania and the
Americas are expected to attend.
Venue:
Exhibit Halls 1 – 4, SMX Convention and Exhibition Centre, SM Central Business Park,
Bay Area Metro Manila.
Tel. 63 2 831 1888 loc 5905, fax 63 2 631 9637, 63 2 800 3204
Contact person: Mr.Dexter Deyto, Ms.Wines Dy, e-mail pdd@smsupermalls.com
22 – 25: International Bead and Beadwork Conference, Istanbul.
Researchers and scholars in this exciting field will meet in Istanbul to present papers
and exchange ideas. A great Bead Bazaar is sure to attract many bead collectors
and amateurs to this unique event.
Venue:
Kadir Has University’s Golden Horn Campus, Istanbul, Turkey.
Conference Director: Asli Mutlu: asli@tourag.com
DECEMBER
24 – 31: Langkawi Arts and Craft Festival (LACRAF) 2007
A gathering of craftspersons from various parts of Malaysia; the festival showcases
the creativity and artistic expression of the nation’s multi-ethnic population
The production of paintings, decorative items such as woodcarving, pottery, batik,
crystal, textiles, basketry and other crafts will be demonstrated during the Langkawi
Arts and Crafts Fair.
Venue: Dataran Langkawi, Langkawi
Phone: 604 969 8083, Fax: 604 969 8081, Email: Itac@tourismlangkawi@gov.my
AUGUST 2008 (tentative dates, 4-5 August, to be confirmed)
2nd ASEAN Traditional Textile Symposium, organized by the Museum in Manila and
the ASEAN Foundation. This is a follow-up of the first ASEAN Textile Symposium
which was held in Jakarta in 2005. More details in the next issue of CRAFTS
CRAFTS is published for the Sarawak Craft Council by CraftLink Sdn.Bhd, First Floor, No.96
Main Bazaar, 93000 Kuching Sarawak Malaysia. Opinions expressed by contributors to
CRAFTS are not necessarily those of the Sarawak Craft Council or CraftLink Sdn. Bhd. The
editors welcome feedback, but reserve the right to edit such comments before publication.
All information is correct at the time of printing.
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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 82 420 253
e-mail : beatricekedoh@yahoo.com
website : www.sarawakhandicraft.com
Published by:
CraftLink Sdn.Bhd, First Floor, No.96 Main Bazaar, 93000 Kuching Sarawak Malaysia.
tel: 60 82 421 346 fax: 60 82 614 622 email: muheidi@pc.jaring.my
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