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Crafts and Culture |
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Written by asiamind
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Monday, 20 October 2008 06:48 |
Due to its multi-culturality, there are many types of crafts in Malaysia which includes Batik, Songket, Woodcarving, Menkuang, Kite Making, Keris, Boat Making and Ratan Weaving.
Batik is a type of textile that exudes colored designs on cotton or silk. It is produced with wax beign applied to parts of the textile left uncolored. Batik, although not originating from Malaysia has its own unique style and tradition in Malaysia. Batik is widely used to make clothing, home items and also for daily use while is one of the highly demanded crafts among tourists.
Songket, is a Thai influenced craft and is used generally on special occasions. Known also as the “cloth of gold”, it is typically a weaving technique using gold and silver threads. Originated from the northern neighbor, it has a long history here, making its way into the traditional Baju Melayu.
One of the oldest traditional crafts in the country woodcarving is used mainly in furniture making. It is applied into the home in around balustrades, windows, doors, shutters, table legs, among others. Historically, the carvings can be seen in mostly royal palaces although the modern lifestyle have since made these art into the common home. Apart from furniture and homes, one could also buy woodcarving souvenirs in most shops when purchasing mementos. These items make great eye candies especially for remembrance and they last longer than many other types of souvenirs.
One craft where tall thorny leaves are used to make daily novelties like fans, hats, beach bags, mats, slippers and purses is the Menkuang. This used to be a leisure past time for the village women, today due to the demand of tourists, it has become a normal manufacturing produce.
Kite Making and flying which is a very popular activity from Kelantan, an eastern state is also one of the trademarks. Different from normal kites, the Wau as it is known locally, is bigger, uses more skills and is more difficult to fly. There are man versions of the Wau, for instance Wau Bulan and Wau Kucing of which each version possesses its own unique trait and issues.
The Wayang Kulit, said to be originated from some parts in Indonesia is also a common performance. This ‘Shadow Puppet Play’ is a story telling performance which is showed accompanied by traditional musical instruments.
Malaysia’s history dates back to many centuries ago. Although it was in Malacca that Islam became the official religion, there were various colonies before and after the Malacca Sultanate that left their traits here. The Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, Thai, Dutch, English and the Japanese all came and left some high influence that can still be seen in the buildings and architecture.
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