Category FAQs Search : Sarawakiana
Question: What is Pua Kumbu?
Answer: Pua kumbu is a single warp ikat textile woven on a backstrap floor loom by the Iban women of Sarawak, traditionally to mark their womanhood and worth in the community. Woven in cotton, the blanket size textile, formed of two mirror image panels hand stitched together, is primarily used in sacred ceremonies and in rites of passage and healing rituals. The warp ikat technique (called kebat by the Iban) is also used to weave women’s short tube skirts, men’s loincloths, shaman’s robes, and jackets/vests. Both the dyeing and weaving processes, which are governed by rules and prohibitions, and the general layout and symbolic designs on pua kumbu are inextricably connected to Iban beliefs and the supernatural world.
Natural dyes produced from the roots and stems of Engkudu (Morinda citrifolia) and the leaves of the native indigo plant Tarum (Marsdenia tinctoria) are the most common dyes used, giving the distinctive reddish-brown and black tones of the textiles. The designs and patterns on each textile, including stylized plant, human and animal figures contained in the potent central panel enclosed by vertical stripes, represent meanings that are inspired through dreams passed to master weavers by the Iban weaving goddesses.
(Source: , 29 Jul 2024)