WEAVING FROM BEMBAN (REED) & RATTANS (ROTAN)

Bemban (REED) Basket For centuries, Sarawakians have been using intricately carved baskets made from bemban reeds and basket making has evolved from a craft into an art. Now, the modern world is discovering that these items make eye-catching fashion accessories and household items. Bemban baskets come in a variety of styles and colours and have many uses. They make chic shopping baskets, purses and handbags. (Click here for more) © Sarawak Craft Council For further enquiries please contact us BEMBAN

Wherever you go in Sarawak, whether in rural areas or town, you will see bemban baskets. They are used as rucksacks, tote bags and even fashion items such as purses. Bemban may be an easily harvested, relatively cheap material, but the skill with which local basket weavers fashion intricate patterns make even the most mundane object a work of art.

Water or Marsh Bemban The bemban reed grows on wet ground near streams or on more hilly terrain. The Iban bemban is a handsome, light to deep green plant with broad shiny leaves growing to a height of several metres. Two varieties are used in plaiting: bemban ai or bemban paya (water or marsh bemban) grows closer to water, is fragile and only used in mats. Bemban batu or bemban bukit (stone or hill bemban), a very close species is tougher and lives on higher ground. It is of a deeper green than the other varieties and is used for baskets. Like most things in Sarawak, bemban comes with its own legends. It is considered taboo (mali) in some areas to use the hill bemban in making mats. In the Saribas district, people claim that it will eat the flesh of the person who lies on such a mat. Stone or Hill Bemban

The women of Sarawak have been weaving bemban into handy every objects since time immemorial. Today, they are equally expert at weaving this useful reed into modern fashion items such as purses and handbags or household objects like wastepaper baskets or laundry hampers. Bemban baskets have a thousand uses.

Rattan Mats The kesah and lampit mats made from split rattan and woven into intricate and fanciful designs are used as both sleeping mats and carpets. Preparation of the rattan fibre from the thorny vine is a long and tedious process of stripping and drying, but the result is well worth the effort. Durable, practical and beautiful, kesah and lampit mats, made from rattan, add a touch of the exotic to the floor of any home or office. Their beautiful designs and durability make them much sought after both by Sarawakians and visitors. (Click here for more) © Sarawak Craft Council For further enquiries please contact us RATTAN MATS Rattan mats are not just beautiful works of art. They are prized because the more these mats are walked the more the rattan fibre develops a sheen and patina that makes the mats ever more beautiful and more pliable. This unusual quality means that they can be handed down as heirlooms and their designs are forever fashionable. Though the finished product is beautiful, gathering the raw rattan can be arduous and dangerous and processing it is hard work. In the jungle, the rattan gatherer pulls down the canes in coils dislodging wasps and ants nests and risking being lacerated with its spines and barbed whips. The leaves and leaf sheaves are removed by pulling them round or over a tree trunk, a process known as runti rattan. Some of the finest mats are made by the Penan people; nomads who live in the rainforest. Their mats are extremely durable and finely plaited. Their myriad designs are truly spectacular although formed from only two colours, basic black and the beige colour of the undyed fibre. Several Sarawak ethnic groups produce mats but the Penan are said to weave them so fine that they are watertight. A really heavy-duty mat is the tikar lampit a large mat measuring up to 2.5 m x 6 m although smaller, rug lengths are also produced. While plaiting of mats is usually carried out by woman between rice planting seasons, the tikar lampit is woven by men. Its unique design is achieved by laying split rods of rattan about one centimeter thick, side by side. The rods are pierced and bound together by braiding them with rattan fibred. To make a secure edging, the ends of the canes are crushed to break them down to fibres which are then plaited into a decorative border. The tikar lampit can be rolled but never folded. Rattan mats of all types are frequently decorated with the star pattern buah andau or buah bintang, a four-pointed geometric figure frequently found on baskets as well as mats. Rattan mats have stood the test of time and are now becoming popular with modern decorators and homemakers who are seeking unusual, beautiful and long lasting floor coverings. © Sarawak Craft Council 2001 For further enquiries please contact us