Malaysia

Shadow puppetry (wayang kulit)

Wayang kulit or shadow play is an art form most often associated with the northeastern state of Kelantan in Peninsular Malaysia. It is here...

Ceramics (Malay)

There are two main types of pottery made by the Malays: tall, gourd-shaped water containers (labu air) for storage of drinking water, in Sayong...

Wood carving (Malay)

The Malays have a long tradition of woodcarving stemming from the availability of timbers for constructing buildings (palaces, mosques and private houses), boats and...

Brassware (Malay)

It is believed that the art of casting brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, was introduced from Thailand to Terengganu and Kelantan on...

Silverware (Malay)

Silver does not occur naturally in the Malay Peninsula and thus silversmithing started relatively late as an offshoot of an established gold working tradition....

Kite (wau) making

Huge, highly decorative kites (wau), made primarily in the east coast states of Kelantan and Terengganu, are noteworthy for their size, design, craftsmanship, decoration...

Basketry and plaiting (Malay)

The Malays of the Peninsula have long plaited, twisted and coiled a variety of plant fibres obtained from forests, swamps and coastlines to make...

Sarawak textiles

The earliest evidence of textiles in Sarawak, located in the west of the island of Borneo, are fragments associated with burials recovered from the...

Pua Kumbu (Sarawak)

Pua kumbu is a single warp ikat textile woven on a backstrap floor loom by the Iban women of Sarawak, traditionally to mark their...

Basketry and plaiting (Sabah)

A wide variety of baskets and plaited objects are produced during lulls in the agricultural cycle in Sabah where plant resources and raw materials...

Linangkit (Sabah)

Linangkit is a generic term for a needlework technique that is a unique feature of textiles worn by several indigenous groups on the west...

Dastar (Sabah)

The dastar, one of Sabah’s most iconic textiles, is worn as a headdress by many indigenous people as part of their costume. Production was...