"pua kumbu"
Pua Kumbu is a traditional patterned multicolored ceremonial cotton cloth used by the Iban made and used in Sarawak Malaysia Pua kumbu are woven by Dayak women and are considered to be sacred objects. They are used for lifecycle rituals and special events including the birth of a child, coming of age celebrations, receipt of an important item to a longhouse, and to screen a corpse that is being laid out in a longhouse prior to burial.
The pua kumbu is the famous double-ikat blanket made by Iban women, who are acknowledged to be the finest weavers in all of Borneo. The pua kumbu is woven from individually-dyed threads on a simple backstrap loom, and a particularly fine piece can take months to produce. The patterns and motifs are derived from traditional animistic beliefs, and include guardian figures, rice spirits, and symbols of the supernatural. Weaving of certain designs requires great spiritual power on the part of the weaver. In the egalitarian Iban society, a woman who wove a superb pua kumbu could achieve the same social status as a great warrior.
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Iban sourvenier and handicraft (Pua Kumbu)
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