Rh Gareh

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Pua Kumbu.

Handmade from an indigenous  tribe of Bornes (the Ibans). The legend is that the God of War taught his grandson to receive the heads of their fallen enemies ceremonially on this pua kumbu. The designs are woven from animistic beliefs, supernatural life or simple things surrounding them in the jungle like animals or trees. The threads are hand-dyed from roots to give its color and the thread itself is processed from tree barks. Prayers are said to safeguard the weavers and usually, they will have “mystical experiences” when designing or weaving. This pua kumbu did not receive any chopped heads though.

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When it comes to the pua kumbu of the Iban in Kapit, Sarawak, Malaysia, natural dyes are derived not only from roots, but from leaves and barks as well.

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Pua Kumbu is a hand woven wrap ikat textile of the Iban Community in Sarawak, East Malaysia. It is considered to be a sacred object, and has great significance in the traditional life of the Iban community.

The Pua Kumbu is made from homespun cotton and dyed using natural dyes namely roots of morinda citrifolia and tarum leaves. The motif on the Pua Kumbu is produced using the resist technique called ikat.

The complex motifs or designs are normally inspired by dreams, nature, as well as the Iban beliefs and values.

Words from Sarawak Vacation Destinations, photo from ICCA Congress 2015

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Pua kumbu in the Iban of Sarawak, Malaysia

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Bearcat. aka binturong (Arctictis binturong) Being nocturnal animals, their stunning red eyes and sensitive whiskers guide them in the dark.

Today I was lucky and I caught them very active, because they are often sleepy during the day.

Binturong. Al tener hábitos nocturnos, sus impresionantes ojos rojos y sus bigotes sensibles al tacto les orientan en la oscuridad.

Hoy he tenido suerte y les he pillado con mucha actividad, suelen estar adormilados durante el día.

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Is there a bearcat in Sarawak, Malaysia?

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Fewer than 25 Borneo bay cats have ever been recorded, making it one of the rarest and least-studied cats in the world. It is native to the forests of Indonesia and Malaysia. [x]

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Have you seen one like this in Sarawak, Malaysia?

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Last day of the 2016 Pua Kumbu exhibit at the University of Malaya Art Gallery.

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The weavers of Rumah Garie

Here are some of the weavers of Rumah Garie:

Bangie ak Embol

Mula ak Jama

Nancy ak Ngali

Jelebai ak Sumok

Niah ak Tubai

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Milin ak Mat

Milin anak Mat is an Iban pua kumbu weaver from Rumah Gare, Ulu Kain, Kapit, Sarawak, Malaysia.

She is the daughter-in-law of Indai Bangie ak Embol.

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Mula ak Jama

Mula anak Jama is a pua kumbu weaver who resides in Rumah Gare, Kapit, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Jama is also written as Jamba.

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Leaving Rumah Garie and back to the world where dreams are harder to reach.

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Forest walk, Sarawak

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Indai Bangie ak Embol fixing the bamboo fish trap before we head to the river.

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Rumah Garie

Rumah Garie is a riverside village in Kapit, Sarawak, Malaysia.

The name is sometimes spelled a Rumah Gare or Rumah Gareh. Rumah can be abbreviated as Rh.

The longhouse village is located at the headwaters of Sungai Kain (abbreviated as Sg. Kain). Sometimes, Ulu Kain is used to indicate that the village is located at the headwater of the river. 

The village is known for its Pua Kumbu weaving.

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The first natural dye has been absorbed by the thread giving it a chocolate brown color. The same dye could sometimes give the thread a reddish color. It is never the same twice.

But before the Pua Kumbu is woven, some parts of the thread have to be tied again before the bundle is soaked in another color. Pua Kumbu Malaysia Rumah Garie Kapit Sarawak natural dye weaving

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Rumah Atong

Rumah Atong is the old name of Rumah Garie, a riverside village located in the town of Kapit in Sarawak, Malaysia.

Back then, the longhouse was named after Tuai Atong, the headman.

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Bangie ak Embol

Bangie ak Embol is a Pua Kumbu masterweaver who resides in Rumah Garie, Kapit, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Her adoptive mother,  Karama ak Dampa passed on the leadership to her known as "Indu Takar, Indu Ngar" - the master weaver and master of measurements and mordanting.

Bangie’s birth mother is Empayung ak Inting and her father is Embol ak Kilat.

Awards:

UNESCO Crafts Prize Asia-Pacific 1998 for Natural Dye weaving

UNESCO Seal of Excellence for Crafts - 2000, 2001

Adi-Guru Kraf Negara" - National Craftsperson Award 2000, 2007

Prize Winner - State-Wide "Pua-Kumbu" Ikat Weaving Competition 1999 & 2001, 2003

Exhibitions:

2006 - Malaysian Promotion at Covent Garden, London

2006 - Exhibition tour of Santa Fe, Seattle, San Francisco, Kansas City USA

2003 - Exhibition tour of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Juan Capistrano, Washington, New York, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Honolulu.

2003 - World Eco-Fiber and Textile Forum, Kuching, Sarawak 2003 - KLCC and ARO Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.

2002 - Silk Lab Kimono Gallery, Nagano, Tokyo, Japan

2002 - Gallery Terra, Kyoto, Japan

2002 - Aseana Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

2001 - Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide, Australia

2001 - World Eco-Fiber and Textile (WEFT) Forum , Kuching

2001 - Aseana Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

2001 - Australian High Commission, Kuala Lumpur ( Woven Dreams Exhibition)

2000 - Ethnographic Museum, Gothenburg, Sweden

1999 - International "Ikat" Weaving Forum, Kuching, Malaysia

1999 - Jim Thompson Symposium Exhibition,Bangkok

1996 - Voyageurs du Monde, Paris

1998 - Royal Siam Society, Bangkok

1992 - Baguio Museum, Philippines

1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 Exhibitions in Kuching, Kuala Lumpur, & Singapore

ak stands for anak (meaning, ‘child of’)

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Milling the harvested hill rice at Rumah Garie in Kapit, Sarawak, Malaysia.

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Karama ak Dampa

Karama ak Dampa is a Pua Kumbu weaver who resided in Rumah Garie (previously known as Rumah Atong) in Kapit, Sarawak, Malaysia.

She is associated with the pua kumbu design ‘The sunset wedding of the Iban Princess to the Indian Prince.’ The design has a beautiful ‘julok’ poem which is still recited by the weavers. One of them died and was cremated so each afternoon, the one left behind cries. 

She sometimes injects a bit of jest into her textiles as when she depicted an Indian sleeping in her longhouse as “Raja Tambi tindok”.

Read more about her here: UNESCO Creativity and Cultural Diversity