Baskets, Beads, Fabrics

Baskets

Baskets woven with tree bark, rattan and bamboo are still used by the natives everyday. They use the baskets to carry harvest such as fruits, paddy and other crops, as well as any tools that they need to take with them when they go out to work in a field or the jungles. Today techniques used for making woven baskets have been used to make contemporary products such as stationery holders, trays and decorative pieces for the home. Seen here is the carrier called “wakid“, a basket made by the Dusun/Kadazan people who live at the foot of Mount Kinabalu. The back carrier is cylindrical at the base and has a flared-out top. The body is made from pieces of carefully split bamboo that tightly fit at an elongated base. A pair of shoulder straps made either of woven split rattan or bark cloth complete the form and function of this basket.

Beads

Beaded products made by the Rungus people from Kudat are especially known for their burst of colours and intricate designs. According to tradition, the patterns on the beads knit together represent special meanings and tell a story. Most Rungus beaded products are worn as a part of the Rungus traditional costume, as a loose band of beads worn crossed over the chest and back. Current pieces also function as deco pieces for the home and used as wall hangings. The beaded necklaces seen here are known as “pinakol”. 

Fabrics

Fabrics with elaborate patterns and designs like the “tinohian” woven by the Rungus women of Kudat and the “kain dastar” made by the Bajau take months to complete and are consequently some of the most expensive traditional crafts there is to purchase. The “tinohian” is a heavily embroidered piece while the “kain dastar” is woven with great concentration to detail but they are both similar in that they are both worn on the head by the men of their respective makers. There are many more traditional textiles made by the Rungus, the Bajau as well as the other cultures around the state, each strongly expressing a different ethnicity.