Sarawak’s Material Culture with Emphasis on Preservation.
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THE SARAWAK MUSEUM JOURNAL |
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Title :
Sarawak’s Material Culture with Emphasis on Preservation. |
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Author :
Lucas Chin |
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Abstract:
Although there are no majestic or magnificent monuments like the Pyramids or the Great Wall in Sarawak, the cultural achievements of the indigenous people are by no means lacking. The massive megaliths (batu-sanupad) or stone structures erected by the up land Kelabit in memory of their dead chiefs, the huge burial poles: the Klirieng and salong carved by the Melanau and the Orang Ulu: the Punan, the Berawan, the Kajang and the Kayan to keep the remains of their dead aristocrats, the intricately woven blankets (pua kumbu) and the stylised hornbill images or effigies (kenyalang papan) carved by the lowland Iban in connection with their major Bird Festival (Gawai Burong), the wide variety of miniature sickness images (blum) carved by the coastal Melanau in connection with their elaborate healing ceremony and the colourful sarong, the kain songket,woven by the Malay, just to mention a few examples here, are indeed most impressive and perhaps somewhat unique in this part of the world. Even in prehistoric times, our early ancestors were no less creative or artistic. The discovery of ornarnents like beads and pendants made of shell and bone and sharpened bone tools such as needles and pointers, the large quantity of pottery, both plain and decorative, and the different types of stone tools at the Niah sites attest to this fact.
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| DOI: XXXX |
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How to cite:
Chin, L. (1989). Sarawak’s Material Culture with Emphasis on Preservation. The Sarawak Museum Journal, XL (61): 99-104 |
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References
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