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The bead culture of Sarawak, part of a greater Malaysian heritage, is rooted in centuries of tradition. An ancient maritime trading network linked Sarawak to the world. The beads most treasured today came from production centres on the Malay Peninsula, from India, China and even further afield. In the hands of Sarawak‘s craftswomen and collectors, these masterpieces of the glassmaker‘s art became intrinsically “Borneo Beads”.
The second edition of International Beads Conference (BIBCo) will be held in Kuching, on the 7-9 October 2011, with conferences, Beads exhibitions and sales and workshops. This international event is organized by Crafthub Sdn.Bhd.
Crafthub is a non-profit organisation which aims to promote and sell Sarawak handicrafts in an economically viable way, with international standard quality control. Crafthub was set up in 2008 by a small group of people who understand the various crafts of Sarawak and who are passionate about bringing Sarawak craftwork to that wider world. It promotes handicrafts as a worthwhile occupation that provides a viable living for local craftspeople, and endeavours to encourage the younger generation into craft-oriented careers before many skills inherent in Sarawak’s craft heritage are lost.
Special pre– and post– conference tours to the Bario Highlands will be organized for BIBCo participants.
Detailed program on the Crafthub website or by downloading the Bib Co Brochure.
Related posts : the Tun Jugah Foundation, Pua Kumbu Museum in Kuching ; The Society Atelier, organises the World Eco Fiber and TextilesForum (WEFT), Kuching;
Mats of Sarawak by Heidi Munan; Iban sleeping Mat by Heidi Munan; GERAI OA The Indigenous people stall where you can buy Borneo Beads in KL
Lun Bawan ladies, Sidney Wee
Organised by Crafthub for the Sarawak Craft Council and supported by the Sarawak Tourism Board, the event coincides with the Rainforest World Music Festival which has been attracting huge crowds from all over the world for 11 years – 12,000 persons attended in 2008!
The main focus of the Rainforest World Craft Bazaar is on the use of traditional materials and traditional skills enhanced by competent modern design.
Mat-making is a skill known to every Borneo society. The rainforest abounds in suitable raw materials: reeds, leaves, barks or rinds. These ever-renewable fibres were fashioned into mats for everyday use; until the early 20th century few longhouse dwellers had furniture other than maybe a storage chest inside their family rooms. Sitting, eating, sleeping was done on the floor, on mats. Read the rest of this entry »
Kuching is a perfect destination for a traveller to start exploring Sarawak in Borneo, especially if you travel with children and are aware of responsible travel.
Kuching is a nice town offering a wide range of good museum – maybe among the best in Malaysia -, nice heritage buildings from the 19th century, wide and safe sidewalks that allow you to discover the place slowly – everything is at a walking distance – and the best sunset I have ever seen in Malaysia
Nature and wilderness – proboscis monkeys, orang-outan, turtles,birds, big spiders..- are easily accessible at less than one hour, as well as nice and quiet beaches. And no leeches waiting for your blood, that’s great!
The place offers also many opportunities to learn about the indigenous communities of Sarawak.
Check out the 2 posts we already published :
The Society Atelier, which conducts research and promotes the traditional craft of Sarawak, especially weaving. Now you can even have your lunch in the beautiful bungalow.
The Tun Jugah Fondation, Kuching, Sarawak : a must see museum for textile lovers especially for the indigenous ikat weaving of the Iban, called Pua Kumbu.
Check out our selection of useful links before I finish my writing about Kuching. Read the rest of this entry »
At the finale of the Stylo Kuala Lumpur Fashion Festival held last week, the designer Edric Ong was accorded the Mercedes Benz Stylo Award for Heritage for his collection and designs that best reflects the cultural heritage of Malaysia.
Edric Ong has been promoting Sarawak indigenous craft with the Atelier for over twenty years. He uses natural fibers and natural dyes in his fashion collections and works closely with some skillful craft persons from the Iban community. His work contributes to the appreciation and promotion of Pua Kumbu in Malaysia and worldwide. http://edricong.com/
We are very proud of you Edric and very happy.
I need to hurry to write a post about your fabulous work.
Catherine Bossis, 6th april 2009
Responsible Tourism and Travel in Malaysia 