Kuala Lumpur - Handicraft-making is a vocation though which decorative items are made by traditional methods and such items often have cultural significance.
This vocation should be preserved for the benefit of future generations and among the agencies that have initiated efforts in this direction is the National Craft Institute (IKN).
IKN, which comes under Kraftangan Malaysia (Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation), conducts handicraft training programmes.
Jijah anak Ngumbang from Betong, Sarawak, is a trainee in one of the programmes.
An Iban in her early 30s, Jijah joined IKN in 1994 at the age of 19.
Jijah, who left school after completing Form One, said that choosing handicraft-making as a career was wise for her.
“At my longhouse, I met a handicraft instructor from Kraftangan Malaysia. She told me there was a vacancy for a trainee and handed me an application form.
“I was jobless then and joining the programme was a way for me to earn a living,” said this daughter of a farmer at Kompleks Kraf Kuala Lumpur in Jalan Conlay, Kuala Lumpur, recently.
Jijah said she was the only person from her longhouse who learned pua weaving.
She was flown to Kuala Lumpur recently by Kraftangan Malaysia to demonstrate pua weaving in conjunction with the Batik and Tenun Malaysia Fiesta at Kompleks Kraf Kuala Lumpur from August 21 to 30.
Jijah said she knew nothing about pua weaving prior to joining the programme, even though it was part of Iban tradition.
Patience and perseverance helped her complete the one-year course.
She said that one needed great interest in weaving, otherwise the effort would go to waste.
She said that training programmes conducted by Kraftangan Malaysia were suitable for jobless youths.
Apart from giving Jijah a fixed income, handicraft-making opened up many opportunities for her, like being invited to take part in Kraftangan Malaysia festivals.
She is looking forward to running her own business. At the moment, she is under a programme for entrepreneurs where Kraftangan Malaysia provides materials for Jijah to weave pua-style.
Jijah`s daily routine at her centre back home in Betong is from 8am to 5pm from Monday to Friday. If there are lots of orders, she stays back until 10pm.
Despite earning only RM400 a month, Jijah is bent on making pua weaving popular among younger Ibans.
It takes her two to three weeks to weave a 1.5m by 0.6m piece, depending on whether she uses the ikat (tie) or canting (dye) method.
She said the ikat technique took three weeks but the final product had better finish compared to the canting method which took two weeks.
According to information gathered from Kraftangan Malaysia, pua is a woven textile art practised by the Ibans for generations.
It portrays their identity and the strong influence of their customs and traditions.
It is believed the design on pua cloth was created by an ikat technique inspired by dreams that portrayed aesthetic and mystical elements.
Among the motifs used are plants, animals such as the chameleon and crocodile, and humans.
The cotton thread in pua weaving is coloured with natural dyes sourced from mengkudu roots, tarum and tumeric leaves.
Today, pua cloth has incorporated variations in pattern, colour, material and usage.
According to Jijah, pua cloth is popular among Ibans and Malays.
Pua woven textiles are frequently used as apparel at weddings and other grand ceremonies apart from being used in interior decor such as table cloths and seat covers. By MEWLATI MOHD ARIFF
Source: http://thestar.com.my (September 10, 2008)
