Penans weaving a better livelihood
Villagers from Murum looking at good times thanks to their handicraft
KUCHING: Penan weavers from the Murum resettlement area are eyeing a wider market reach to raise their income and improve their standard of living.
In order to achieve this, the community is taking steps to upgrade its traditional handicrafts with contemporary designs.
A partnership has been forged between the Murum Penan weaving community, Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) to diversify the range of handicrafts and increase their commercial value.
SEB corporate services executive vice-president Aisah Eden said it was their commitment to work with the resettled Penan community to ensure that their standard of living would be improved.
The Penans were relocated to Tegulang and Metalun in 2013 to make way for the construction of the Murum dam.
“Penan handicraft is already admired throughout Sarawak due to its intricate designs and high standard of weaving.
“So, we choose to enhance and develop their craft skills to widen the marketability of their products,” said Aisah during the launch of their new product range at Menara Sarawak Energy here yesterday.
She said SEB partnered with Unimas last year to develop value-added craft products with contemporary designs which would appeal to a broader market.
“The artisans now have beautiful new designs for a range of versatile products,” she added.
The contemporary products, all handwoven from rattan, include tote bags, clutches, document bags, headbands, placemats, platters and lampshades and they were a big hit with the visitors here yesterday.
Penan weaver Bawe Adu said it took her a while to learn how to make the contemporary products as some of them involved complex weaving patterns.
“We usually make mats and ajat (traditional baskets) but now, we are also making new types of bags, headbands and bracelets,” she added.
Bawe, 40, said she appreciated the opportunity to expand her skills with the new designs.
“We can earn more from the new products and I’m glad that more people will get to see our handiwork.”
Another weaver, Diana Batang, 18, said she learnt to weave rattan handicrafts last year as a way to make a living.
“I earn about RM200 a month from handicrafts as I’m still quite new at it. I like making handbags because they sell for RM80 to RM90 each.
“I’m very thankful for the handicraft project as it provides an opportunity for us to see the outside world,” she added.