Page 98 - The Guide To Sarawak

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THE ARTS
An Orang Ulu beadworker poses with her painstakingly composed traditional seat mat.
CE); after the 10th Century the main source of glass beads was China.
Beadwork
Bead-working is still alive and thriving. The Orang
Ulu may be considered
the masters (or mistresses
– most beadwork is done
by women) of this craft. Their elegantly finished head-bands, sashes, hat blazes and hat tops, vests, bracelets, belts, loincloth tails and seat mats were part of the traditional costume of aristocrats.
Today, the craft has adapted to the demands of the 21st Century. The time-honoured artefacts and designs are still in production, augmented by new motifs and many new colours. Modern beadwork items include handbags, purses, phone pouches, lampshades, book covers and desk sets; there is nothing an accomplished Sarawak beadworker can’t fashion out of tiny glass beads!
Traditional Arts - Beads & Beadwork
Ceramic Beads
The indigenous people of Sarawak have collected and treasured stone and glass beads for centuries. Beads from India, China, West Asia, Venice and Bohemia are highly valued by families lucky enough to have such heirloom treasures. Since the 1980s, a group of Lun Bawang women in Long Tumah, northeast Sarawak, have started using clay
to replicate opaque glass beads. From a ‘backyard activity’, clay beadmaking has become a small industry. Today’s output includes a lot of replica beads relevant to local cultures, but the bead- makers are branching out into ‘fancy beads’ of modern colours and designs.
Small monochrome glass beads have been excavated in many sites in Sarawak; grave finds indicate that they were used for personal ornamentation. The oldest are thought to originate from India (7th or 8th Century
The Orang Ulu produce stunning jewellery using hand-made Beads of Borneo, ceramic beads. Curator of Beads
the definitive work by Heidi Munan, at the Sarawak Museum.