We are the proud owners of a new tikar (mat) that was made in Brunei using materials from the Brunei jungle and woven by a Bruneian. I acquired the masterpiece from my good friend Margaret who has a contact from the Melilas Longhouse in Ulu Belait. The longhouse is only accessible by boat (I understand they are going to build a road soon) but Margaret's contact lives closer to town only going back to the village to collect materials and baskets & mats to sell.
The mat however did not come cheap but it is afterall a dying trade in Brunei and who wants to buy bamban mats when you can buy synthetic rugs from China for cheaper. But I was happy to pay the price that I did because I never even knew that these mats were still being made in Brunei. One always struggles to find authentic "Made in Brunei" products (and no I don't want to give chilli sauce and prawn crackers as christmas presents). The only place one can think of to buy Bruneian souvenirs are the over-priced government run handicrafts centre and the odd souvenir shop in shopping centres selling key chains and fridge magnets with "I Love Brunei" mottos. So without Margaret I wouldn't have been able to purchase my mat which brings me to the question I am asking myself - why has it taken an expat for me to find out about this?
1 comment:
Maria the mat is a work of art, a lot of hours went into this. The person that made that must have great patience.Such an intricate pattern.
Post a Comment