KUCHING: Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg recently proposed the setting-up of songket centres statewide to turn the traditional Malay handwoven fabric into a global textile product.
Besides preserving and promoting songket through this initiative, the Premier of Sarawak said it also gave weavers a chance to be part of the process in the state attaining high-income status by 2030.
The centres would offer a space for production, education and training. They could also operate as cooperatives to help market Sarawak songket and allow communities to sustain the industry in their respective locales.
Speaking at the Intangible Cultural Heritage Humanity and Community Awards ceremony on June 28, Abang Johari said Sarawak songket and other traditional products such as pua kumbu could be developed as industries through the specialised centres.
“To help with demand, we can encourage the use of Sarawak songket during state functions or official events as well as traditional performances like silat or dance,” he explained.
New Sarawak Tribune spoke with Jacqueline Fong, the director of Tanoti Sdn Bhd, a songket atelier, to gain an insight into the stunning and prestigious Sarawak songket.
What’s the difference between Sarawak songket and songket in other parts of Malaysia?
Sarawak songket has unique features as it is made with a technique which the weaver deploys to “menyongket” to produce the supplementary weaves.
The weaver will “menghitung sifir” – a multiplication formula/technique which requires them to choose a set sequence of numbers (sifir) out of a list of 21 sequences for every line of songket that they weave.
Every weaver has to master the multiplication technique first before learning the other processes.
This (because of the formula) means that there will be inconsistent weft floats to make the songket pattern or motifs.
In contrast, the weavers in Peninsular Malaysia will deploy a standard weft float which they call “tekat”. If one put Sarawak songket with its Peninsular counterpart side-by-side, one can see that Sarawak songket is much more complex in execution while the latter is presented in a grid form.
The Premier recently proposed the setting-up of songket centres statewide. What are your thoughts?
This is a positive move indeed. It is very heartening to see the Sarawak government’s involvement in sustaining this intangible cultural heritage, not only to ensure Sarawak songket survive but to thrive as well.
Currently, how many songket centres are there in Sarawak?
There are four active songket weaving centres in Sarawak, namely Tanoti, Rajang Songket, Seri Gedong Songket and Puncak Borneo Prison.
There are also three songket weaving training centres in Sarawak that I am aware of, which is run by Tanoti (as we do both weaving and training), Centre of Technical Excellence (Centexs) and Institut Kraf Negara (Sarawak) in Petra Jaya.
What does Sarawak need to do in order to elevate its songket from a ‘kampung’ item to a global product?
A lot of investment needs to be put into branding and marketing.
Most of the songket producers are specialists in weaving songket. We do not have the resources to undertake a large-scale industry focused branding exercise involving sustained global public relation campaigns, strategic collaborations, exhibitions and selling roadshows and advertising funds.
In my opinion, it is a great thing that the Sarawak government is taking the initiative.
Currently, how many weavers are at Tanoti? What are their ages and where do they mostly come from?
Tanoti has 10 skilled songket weavers and three songket weaving trainees, aged between 20 and 33.
They come from various areas in Sarawak, from Muara Tebas all the way to Batu Bungan, Mulu. A typical work-day is 8.5 hours and they work five-and-a-half days per week. All our weavers work based on a roster.
What kind of programme does Tanoti offer?
Tanoti provides a structured songket weaving training programme to those who wish to learn to weave and generate income. This programme is sponsored by Maybank Foundation under the Maybank Women Eco-Weavers Programme.
Trainees are put through an eight-month course where they have to learn to weave and complete two projects. Upon completion of the course, they will be given full-time employment at Tanoti.
Over the past 10 years, Tanoti has trained more than 50 young women. Many of our weavers left us after they gave birth as they don’t have the support system to care for their young children while they work.
But, that’s a good thing as our intention is always to ensure that more women are equipped with a skill that will give them income when they become older or when they have the time, especially when their children go to school.
How many songket weavers are there in Sarawak?
As far as I know, there are 13 active weavers at Tanoti, Seri Gedong Songket has about eight to nine, six at Rajang Songket… But I am not sure about weavers (also the inmates) at the Puncak Borneo Prison. As for non-active and skilled weavers, possibly up to 200 to 300 statewide.
Can you tell us more about Tanoti’s non-fungible token (NFT) project?
The project is designed as a global outreach exercise to educate the world about Sarawak’s ancestral crafts as well as keeping traditional crafts alive and ensuring a sustainable livelihood for our artisans.
We plan to release four NFT series in the next 12 months, with each series representing songket weaving, rattan basketry, pua kumbu (Iban ceremonial textile) weaving and beading – to generate awareness and appreciation of Sarawak’s traditional crafts.
A total of 40 per cent of the proceeds from the NFT royalties would go towards customised handwoven pieces for winners of quarterly raffles, 30 per cent towards awareness and capacity building programmes for Sarawakian artisans, 20 per cent towards Tanoti’s administration costs and 10 per cent to support Tanoti’s community charity projects.
This (NFT) is still a relatively new thing but at this moment, it is focused on exposure and education, where the goal is to reach a group of people that would not necessarily visit these cultural locations physically.
It is hoped that by doing this, there will be an interest and demand for the physical product through online purchase. NFTs give real ownership over digital assets using block chain technology. NFT investors will be able to buy, own/hold and sell their NFTs.
The idea of craft NFTs came to me in our quest to explore new markets for our craft. By tapping a different genre, then we would capture a different audience and allow them the opportunity to experience Tanoti’s work and the crafts that we represent.
Holders of the songket NFTs will be offered various privileges, including a 20 per cent discount on items in Tanoti’s online store, a free tour of Tanoti’s songket workshop and priority pre-sale announcements of the company’s subsequent NFT series.
The public can view the NFTs to be minted on the OpenSea platform and follow the company’s social media (Twitter/IG : @TanotiCrafts) and join the discord group @TanotiCrafts for updates and conversations relating to its NFTs.
