New Miri Handicraft Centre opens to welcome visitors

MIRI: The Miri Handicraft Centre with its cosy interior and ample parking was rebuilt at the cost of RM1.9 million.

Miri mayor Adam Yii said the re-building  was completed last year  and now houses 13 local handicraft stalls, a kiosk for local favourite ‘Kueh Lapis’ (layered cake) as well as a cafeteria during the launch of Miri Handicraft Centre’s new building yesterday.

“Miri Handicraft Centre promotes local arts and handicrafts and is a place of interest for tourists and visitors to Miri city.

“It is the earnest hope of the Miri City Council (MCC) that the local tourism partners such as the government agencies, private entrepreneurs and individuals play their parts respectively. With the concerted efforts, we would be able to develop Miri into the most liveable resort city.”

As 2018 is tourism year for Miri, the launch of Miri Handicraft Centre spearheaded the council’s journey to further promoting Miri, Yii added.

“We can do it if we have the right mind-set, determination and passion for our Miri city.”

During the function, Yii shared a brief history of the Miri Handicraft Centre located next to the Miri Polyclinic.

He said the centre was originally the site of the Miri Community Hall which was the first community hall in Sarawak.

It was built by the government with the grant of RM50,000 with a similar sum of money donated by the then Sarawak Shell Oilfields Limited and a further sum of RM20,000 provided by the Council previously known as Miri Urban District Council.

The construction was completed and opened to the public on 16th August 1958 with a seating capacity of 300 persons.

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Local Sarawak handicrafts recognised by Unesco/World Crafts Council

KUCHING: Seven types of handicrafts from Sarawak have been awarded the prestigious Unesco/World Crafts Council Award of Excellence 2016.

The seven award-winning handicrafts are Sarawak ‘Kabo’ (bead necklace) by Livan Handicrafts; Sarawak ‘Livan’ (bead necklace) by Livan Handcrafts; bamboo pattern baskets by Bengkel Pembuatan Beg; Penan ‘Ajat’ sling bag by Barefoot Mercy; Tanoti ‘Sampin’ in Shimmery Gold featuring traditional Malay motifs by Tanoti Sdn Bhd; Rattan Coil Platters by Long Lamai Community by Institute of Social Informatics and Technological Innovations, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas); and Indigo ‘Pua Kumbu’ silk ‘ikat’ stole by Nancy Ngali.

Society Atelier Sarawak (The Arts and Crafts Society of Sarawak Malaysia) president Edric Ong revealed this achievement at a press conference here yesterday.

He said the Unesco/World Crafts Council Award of Excellence 2016 programme was held in Kuwait last September and was granted to 118 submissions from a total of 246 entries from the Asia Pacific Region from six sub-regions juried by an international panel of 11 experts.

“The award programme aimed to encourage artisans to produce handicrafts that use traditional skills, patterns and themes in an innovative way, to ensure the continuity and sustainability of these traditions and skills so as to set quality standards.

“Also, (it is) to raise international awareness and strengthen the promotional potential for handicraft products to enable them to compete in the global market and automatically increase the welfare of the craftsmen,” Ong said.

He pointed out the range of submissions was highly diverse, including traditionally woven textiles, embroidery, natural fibres, ceramics, wood carvings and inlay, metal work, stone carvings and other materials.

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Murum Penan’s handicraft a hit at Sarawak Handicraft Festival

KUCHING: The workmanship of the Murum Penan artisans attracted a favourable number of customers at the recent Sarawak Handicraft Festival, earning them around RM10,000 in handicraft sales.

Festival goers were drawn to the booth displaying crafts of the Murum Penans like gawung (rattan basket), ba’rang (water bottle carrier), bo’rat (rattan mat) and ba’sah (rattan bangles) during the 10-day event at the Kuching Waterfront.

Sarawak Energy, in a joint effort with the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation (MHDC), assisted the artisans in terms of logistic arrangements by providing them with an opportunity to market their products and exposure to the handicraft industry.

Artisans Kong Kupak, Unyang Gasing, Roska Asan, Medlin Lagu, Meron Kulleh and Bonny Sanai said that they felt more confident in their craft making skills following the good response and feedback they received at the festival.

“This is the fourth outing for the Penan artisans from Murum to showcase their craft making, promote their handicrafts and gather more knowledge and ideas from other players in the craft industry,” said Sarawak Energy’s senior manager of Social Investment and Community Development Joanne Tan in a press release.

“They are already master craftsmen, but we want to take that to the next level by improving the marketability of their products to improve the socio-economic opportunities of the community. Aside from exposing them to new design concepts available in the market, their exposure to events such as this festival serve as an ideal platform for them to network and be around other artisans.”

Culture and heritage is one of Sarawak Energy’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) pillars, and the corporation has rolled out a comprehensive plan to develop the handicraft skills and products of the Penans at Murum to provide them with an alternative livelihood plan.

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Wharf setup proposed at Miri Waterfront to boost tourism

MIRI: The Miri City Council (MCC) is proposing to the state government to build a wharf for the public at the waterfront here.

According to Mayor Lawrence Lai, the proposal is an addition to a list of projects to be implemented by the council under a special RM10-million grant, awarded by the state government last month.

“Through the RM10-million allocation, we want to focus on tourism projects in Miri including the approved upgrading of Miri Handicraft Centre that cost RM2 million, and the Green Community Hub worth RM1 million,” he told reporters here yesterday after receiving a courtesy call from 15 delegates representing CNR TV, CNR Radio and UHAI China Anglers Club.

On the proposed public wharf, Lai said it would have the potential of drawing in more international anglers, especially those from China.

“This year, the number of Chinese tourists to Miri has almost doubled from 300 last year, to 500 as at September (this year). This is from (number of anglers taking part in) deep-sea fishing event alone.

“Based on these figures, we are targeting more than 1,000 tourists from China next year through the holding of the highly lucrative deep-sea fishing sport,” he added.

Lai highlighted that in August this year, two China television stations invested one million renminbi (more than RM680,000) for the broadcast of a popular deep-sea fishing programme, which underwent a two-week production here.

“Rising interest among the Chinese visitors is not attributable only to the magnificent coral reefs and marine ecology, but to the diversity of the people in Miri who are able to live together in harmony and offer great hospitality to tourists,” he said.

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Borneo International Beads Conference to showcase crafts from around the world

KUCHING: The 4th Borneo International Beads Conference (Bibco) promises to be even more exciting and vibrant this time around.

Taking place from Oct 9 to 11 at one of the city’s most venerable heritage buildings, the Tourism Complex (Old Court House), the three-day event themed ‘Stringing Past to Present’ is set to attract a global community of artisans and craftsmen to the state capital.

According to Welfare, Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, the event will be run in conjunction with state-level Women’s Day 2015, which falls on Oct 17.

“Bibco will return next month as a significant event that will allow the public and enthusiasts to explore how crafts and arts have shaped and enriched the lives of women, as well as the influence of culture and history on art,” she said during a press conference after receiving a courtesy call from the directors of event organiser Crafthub Sdn Bhd at her office in Bangunan Bailtulmakmur, Petra Jaya here yesterday.

“One of the most exciting events at the conference will be the great beads bazaar called ‘Beads Abuzz’ where both local and international artisans will be showcasing, selling and displaying their works of arts,” she said.

Fatimah pointed out that there would be a space showcasing the art of making Kek Lapis Sarawak, noting that cake-baking was among the skills that required creativity and attention to details.

“Visitors can also see a giant handbag produced by local artisans.”

Visitors can hunt for various beads, jewellery pieces and trinkets from all over the world at the bazaar.

Heidi Munan, who is one of Bibco’s directors, revealed that this year’s conference would feature more hands-on workshops, with 10 speakers having confirmed their participation.

“The speakers will conduct workshops based on their respective expertise and interests, in addition to presenting working papers.

“They come from many parts of the world, including the US, India, Australia and the Philippines, as well as Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.”

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The Sarawak blowpipe — a legacy of art and survival

AMI Unja is a humble guy who ‘dresses up’ or adorns blowpipes with rattan weavings.

He has been selling his attractively designed blowpipes and other artefacts at the Miri Handicraft Centre for the past 15 years.

Ami and his wife, Aweh Emang, from Long Moh, have made a name for themselves among the cultural beaders and craftsmen in the resort city.

While Ami is an Iban rattan craftsman, specialising in weaving rattan decorations on blowpipes and a wood carver especially with kayu hujan panas, Aweh is a Kenyah beader as well as a basket weaver.

Both are enterprising and talented in their own specialities. And not surprisingly, Aweh is a shooter to be reckoned with in women’s blowpipe competitions.

Nelson Janting, a handicraft stall owner and retired teacher, said the Iban blowpipe is similar to the ones made by the Penans.

Previously, a blowpipe would take three to four months or longer to make using very primitive methods of ‘plain drill and jungle scaffolding’.

In the old days, the longhouse blowpipe was not only for decor but also a functional weapon — with the craftsman holding special social status as the pride of the community.

The blowpipe is perforated by means of a long metal rod with a chisel-shaped bit. The craftsman chooses a good hardwood such as belian with a dark colour. Some blowpipe makers even build a hut just to get their work done in isolation and solitude.

Today, Ami sells belian blowpipes, some of which can fetch RM800 each.

A factory nowadays can easily bore a hole in a rod of any width and size,  producing a blowpipe in a matter of hours. But Ami pointed out it is just not the same because a slight mistake may mean the blowpipe is not ‘chun’ (accurate) in hitting its target.

“A hand-made blowpipe is still the weapon of one’s heart’s desire,” he said.

The blowpipe is usually around seven feet long with a metal spear tied with rattan at one end. The dart is inserted at the other end, using the spear to point to the target.

Some blowpipes are shorter – two feet in length — for short distance shooting. The Americans have even copied the blowpipe by coming up with a metal foldable version obtainable from reputable stores in Labuan.

An article describes the blowpipe as a weapon made with a piece of strait-grained wood, roughly shaped to about two metres with a 15-centimetre diameter.

From time to time, water is poured into the hole to float out wood chips. The pipe is trimmed and whittled to a diameter of about five centimetres after the drilling is completed.

Then the finished weapon is polished with a tough-grained, slightly waxy leaf. The bore of the blowpipe is very slightly curved to compensate for the weight of the weapon in use as it is horizontally held. The bore is polished by means of pulling lengths of rattan through it.

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Borneo beads conference to feature special presentation

KUCHING: A presentation on the documentation of Borneo beads will be made at the upcoming third Borneo International Beads Conference here in October.

Borneo beads expert Heidi Munan will make the presentation in her paper entitled ‘Borneo Beads in Literature’ at the three-day conference which begins on Oct 11.

“What I will present is the survey of what has been written about Borneo beads in the last 100 years,” said Heidi.

Her interest on Borneo beads started when she first came to Sarawak more than 40 years ago.

Heidi who is a director of Crafthub Sdn Bhd is instrumental in organising the conference starting with the first, a few years back.

The conference is an ideal venue for cross-cultural sharing of knowledge and expertise on beads, she noted.

Other speakers at the conference will include Elaine Kim from Korea, Akwele Suma Glory (Africa), Valerie Hector (USA), Martina Dempf (Germany), Stefany Tomalin (UK), Su Chin Sidih, Patricia Nayoi, Dr Zuliskandar Ramli and Dr Poline Bala (all from Malaysia).

The conference will be held at the Four Points By Sheraton here. It is expected to attract 300 delegates.

The conference is managed by UCSI Communications Sdn Bhd. Apart from the presentation, other programmes at the conference will include hands-on workshops and demonstrations, a bead bazaar, a gala dinner and a post conference tour.

The Borneo International Beads Award will also be held. The competition is open to anyone above 18 years old and offers cash prizes amounting to RM17,185.

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Malaysia Craft Promotion at Kuching Waterfront from Aug 30

KUCHING: The Sarawak branch of the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation will be holding a Malaysia Craft Promotion 2013 from Aug 30 to Sept 8 at Kuching Waterfront in conjunction with the Sarawak Regatta.

The programme is organised with the cooperation of the Kuching Resident’s Office and the Bumiputera Entrepreneur Development Unit.

This promotion, with the theme ‘Beli Barangan Malaysia’, is to encourage and give opportunities to Malaysian craft entrepreneurs to promote and market their craft products in a well-frequented area.

Organisers also want to highlight local crafts to encourage interest and daily use.

There will be 70 craft entrepreneurs from Sarawak, Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia showcasing products based on textile, metal, wood, clay and various other crafts.

Other events planned are demonstrations on crafts, such as making parang sheaths, building a violin, glass crafts and pipe-making.

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Borneo beads heritage

TO WOMEN, beads especially in the form of necklaces or earrings are an essential accessory to their wardrobe, a confidence booster, enhancement of their femininity and a statement of status among some native cultures.

In fact beads have been said to be man’s first ornaments. Believed to have been preferred from the earliest of times, beads have always been a personal adornment, currency, amulet, prayer counters and fond of in every society but very often taken granted for.

Steeped in centuries of tradition is the culture of Borneo beads. Some even have tales to go with them.

An ancient maritime trading network linked Borneo for her spices to the world which saw beads being used as a form of barter trade currency or gifts to the locals.

In the hands of Sarawak’s craftsmen and collectors, these masterpieces have become intrinsically ‘Borneo Beads’.

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Promoting Miri through native crafts

MIRI: The Malaysia Craft Exposition 2013 at Miri Handicraft Centre is an opportunity to promote native crafts to increase the income of entrepreneurs besides promoting Malaysia and Miri to tourists.

The 69 craft entrepreneurs (56 from Sarawak, 11 peninsula and two Sabah) sell textiles, woodwork, ceramic, basketry and pewter craft to make the exposition a one-stop craft centre.

Hateni Patty and husband Bujang Manson from Kampung Bakam were pleased that Miri was chosen as the venue for the exposition.

“It is more convenient for us to come to Miri rather than the peninsula for items like pewter and quality batik, plus prices are reasonable,” the couple told The Borneo Post.

Julia Jugak of Miri said: “This expo is an ideal venue to promote our cultures and traditions like Iban basketry.”

Pua kumbu entrepreneur Loretta Nilam said the expos was timely for locals to buy accessories and items for the forthcoming Gawai celebration.

“Our pua kumbu products (made by me) are among the most sought after items from our booths,” she said.

Batik entrepreneur from Kelantan who wanted to be called Kak Yah said coming to Miri was part of her mission to promote fine textiles including batik like ‘kain samping’ produced in her state.

Foreign visitors like Carol Durgy Brooks found the expo timely as she was in Miri for a reunion to celebrate SMK Marudi’s Jubilee.

“This expo is a one-stop centre for visitors like us to find souvenirs to bring home. It is also a place to promote Malaysia and Miri in particular,” said Brooks.

Tony Kong from Sibu, who came with his uncles and cousins from China, said more expos like this should be held in Sarawak.

“My uncles and nephew bought several items including Sarawak made scarf to bring back as souvenirs,” he said.

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Sarawak Rainforest World Crafts Bazaar to feature prominently at RWMF 2012

KUCHING: The 4th edition of the Rainforest World Crafts Bazaar 2012 (RWCB 2012) is slated to once again feature prominently as an important fringe event to the renowned Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF 2012) now in its 15th year.

“RWCB 2012 promises to be even better than in previous years with a greater variety of arts, crafts and creativity focused activities including exhibition sales.”

“We at Crafthub Sdn Bhd as the event organiser, are striving hard to add even greater value and interest to the exciting lineup of the RWMF 2012”, said event director Mrs Heidi Munan during a courtesy call to Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer Dato Rashid Khan at his office here yesterday.

Presented with the final was, Rashid happy to note that this year’s event will draw participants from neighbouring states Sabah, Terengganu, Selangor and numerous others as well as from countries as far as Uzbezkistan and Indonesia.

“RWCB 2012 as in the previous three years has played its part as a fringe event to our RWMF further adding to the artistic flavour of the festival. I am happy that this special symbiosis between STB and Crafthub is once again going to result in an even better festival in 2012”, he emphasised.

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Call to revamp Sarawak's handicraft industry

MIRI: Artisans and retailers face a bleak future unless the local handicraft industry can organise and modernise to meet buyers’ demands while preserving the integrity of local handicrafts.

Although the industry is currently stable, an increasing portion of Sarawak’s unique reservoir of traditional handicraft skills and knowledge is being lost forever as older artisans pass away with no one to take their place or pass their expertise to, secretary of the Miri Handicraft Centre Alice Janting told the Borneo Post Adventure Team (BAT) yesterday.

“Young people are not interested in taking up handicrafts, perhaps because they don’t feel inspired by it,¨ she said, adding that the work was very labour intensive and required much patience and focus.

A flood of cheap but poor quality imports from Indonesia compounds the problem of limited skilled labour locally.

“Unfortunately, the market is very price-driven,” said Alice, who co-owns Teng Bumicrafts No. 12 which she has operated with her husband at the Miri Handicraft Centre for the past seven years.

She explained that many buyers do not understand the amount of time and effort which goes into producing iconic Sarawakian craftwork such as the Iban’s pua kumbu and the Orang Ulu’s intricate bead necklaces.

Local artisans also tend to underprice their work, she said.

The prices demanded by the market and charged by local artisans do not commensurate with the quality of local crafts which tend to be much better than similar imports, she pointed out.

Alice, who is a skilled beadworker, suggested that the government could look at regulating imports of handicrafts to protect the integrity of local craftwork.

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Sarawak tourism players should join effort to promote local crafts

MIRI: Tourism players here should consolidate their efforts in promoting Miri city as well as its Sarawak handicrafts both to the locals and tourists.

Mayor of Miri City Council (MCC), Lawrence Lai in stating this regretted that there was still much to be done especially in promoting the handicrafts here.

“The council is only the facilitator to promote tourism, the stake holders like the hoteliers, travel agents, STB (Sarawak Tourism Board) and you as the handicraft sellers should enhance your cooperation in promoting the crafts,” said Lai when launching the arts and craft bazaar jointly organised by MCC and Miri Handicraft Centre here yesterday.

Among those present were Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau and the organising chairlady Councillor Kijan Toynbee.

Lai, however, is optimistic that the bazaar will become an important platform to promote especially the local handicrafts, which will indirectly promote the rich heritage of its people and Miri as a whole.

A total of 20 manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers selling various arts and handicrafts as well as food and drinks are taking part in the bazaar which is open until tomorrow from 9am to 10pm daily.

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Sarawak's traditional craft can draw international visitors to boost rural economy

KUCHING: Sarawak’s traditional beads have the potential to be a tourist attraction besides boosting the rural economy.

Tourism and Heritage Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said the state’s bead-making industry, mainly found in the northern region, had yet to reach wide exposure beyond local shores.

“I feel it is time for us to expose the value of our beads in terms of their heritage and potential economic value,” he said when announcing the second Borneo International Beads Conference yesterday.

Johari said his ministry was currently in the planning stages of developing the rural economy through ecotourism, and that beads could play a part.

“One of the economic activities in rural areas is making beads. If we add value to bead-making, such as ensuring quality and good design, it can be an attraction that will lure tourists to visit the rural areas. The community can participate in rural economy by producing high quality beads that have a certain value,” he said.

As such, Johari said the conference from Oct 7 to 9 was a platform for the ministry to work with bead enthusiasts in promoting and developing the local bead industry.

“They can do research on the economic potential of beads and whether beads can become a designer item. A lot of research also needs to be done on bead making itself.

“Ultimately, if we have the infrastructure, Kuching or Sarawak will be known as a regional centre for bead research. That is the long-term plan,” he said.

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Sarawak central region’s homestay major tourist draw

SIBU: The homestay programme has been identified as a major tourist attraction to generate income for local communities, said Rudy Anoi, an executive of the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) Sibu office yesterday.

According to him, the homestay programme has been growing in popularity among foreign tourists keen to experience the local culture.

They want to experience for themselves the way of life of the local community instead of hearing from others.

He said foreigners are fascinated by local culture and tradition, hence while staying in the longhouses tourists can go about doing what the locals do – like fishing and farming.

Under the homestay programme, tourists would stay together with locals and their families in the longhouses where they would be able to experience their way of life and culture.

The locals on the other hand, would be paid from the package while at the same time be able to sell their handicrafts to the visitors.

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Miri promoting ethnic handicrafts through the International Jazz Festival

MIRI: In conjunction with the Miri International Jazz Festival (MIJF) 2007, Janji, a local initiative, has taken the opportunity to hold a 2-day handicrafts demonstration and promotion at ParkCity Everly Hotel.

With the hotel packed with thousand of locals and foreigners for the jazz festival, the demonstration cum promotion provide another good opportunity for the jazz crowd to get close with ethnic handicraft development in the State.

Coordinator of Janji, Kartini Illias disclosed the 2-day event which started yesterday demonstrated the high commitment of Janji to uplift the living standard of native community via handicraft marketing.

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