KUCHING: There is a new documentary series which touches on women’s headgear and its significance to Sarawak’s culture and tradition.
Titled “Headgear Hunting with Dr Welyne Jehom” the documentary series follows anthropologist Dr Welyne Jehom on an adventure to hunt for the most iconic female headgears of the different ethnic communities of the land.
“Welyne will talk to traditional headgear makers in order to deepen her own knowledge of the craft and preserve the tradition for the benefit of future generations.
“She will also experience putting on the headgear together with the traditional attire of the various ethnic groups,” said a press release issued today.
Director of the series Yusmal Ghazali said that his inspiration behind the series came from the word “headhunting” which is synonymous with Borneo island in the 18th century.
“From there, I did tons of research on headgear in Sarawak and I found that many facts about Sarawak’s headgear have not been known to the public yet.
“Therefore, I listed out six women’s headgear in Sarawak to appear on the series and of course I have to find an expert on headgear and that’s where Welyne came in.
“I have known Welyne before and she is a suitable candidate for the narrator of this series,” he said.
On another note, Welyne added that the reason she got involved in the project was that women’s headgear holds significant importance across various cultures and contexts, and serves as a symbol of identity, modesty, and adherence to cultural or religious traditions and it often represents values, beliefs, and customs specific to a particular community or faith.
“It is the case in our Sarawak culture and tradition and not many of us know the significance of these headgears that we portrayed in this programme.
“That is the reason I got involved in this project, knowing that a small anthropological analysis and observation would bring the public to connect with these headgears and make them curious to know even more,” she said.
The documentary, which airs currently on TVS at 6.30 pm premiered on May 8, spans six episodes and will end on June 13.
