Sarawak Indigenous Culture - A tale of beads

More than mere costume jewellery, beads hold social, economic and cultural meaning for Sarawak's indigenous folk.

AS a little girl growing up in Bario, Sarawak’s Kelabit highlands, Datin Seri Garnette Jala Ridu would watch her mother string beads.

For the Kelabits, one of the smallest indigenous groups in Sarawak, beads were a big part of their lives. Garnette would count every single bead and knew by heart where her mother would place them. Her mother would regale her with the story of the beads.

“My mother would say, ‘Don’t you ever sell the beads or give them away. Look after them’,” recalls the 50-year-old former English lecturer.

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