Weaving

Articles Tagged with: Weaving

5 May, 2014

Bambooing in Buayan

by Aida Rahman

I was fortunate to be sent to Kg Buayan by Camp Borneo to participate in the Ulu Papar Bamboo Masterclass, one of the Masterclass Series by Arkitrek in February 2014.

This was my second trip to Kg Buayan within these last two years and it is indeed a magical place. Too bad that the whole valley where Kg Buayan is situated is going to be drowned once the Kaiduan Dam is built (when its built).

Nevertheless, the experience I gained was a valuable one. The mysteries behind making those beautiful bamboo baskets, the solid structures of bamboo slats and those sturdy bamboo furnitures was unravelled in just 5 wonderful days! I have been fascinated by bamboo in general for a while but it has puzzled me in the past on how are those hollow tube like pieces can be made into beautiful, wonderful and functional objects of desire.

Armed with a few ‘parangs’ (machetes) and a ‘pais’ (a small sheath of a knife) the master bamboo craftman, Jowitt, had showed us how to split, strip, slice, peel, shape, shave and sharpen pieces of bamboo into bits to make lampshades, racks and tables.

In time I shall impart the knowledge I have gained by training the Camp Borneo staff who had unfortunately missed attending the course themselves. I am now determined to continue with my own little bamboo projects and who knows when the time comes I may be able to build my own dream bamboo treehouse… 🙂

Those interested in participating in the next Masterclass Series can also help complete the magnificent Bio-Cultural Heritage Centre building in Kg Buayan alongside Tom and Nadhira the ever dedicated Arkitrek interns. I promise you it would be an experience to remember if not a reason to be converted… to a sustainable builder.

29 July, 2013

Bamboo Weaving at Buayan

By Nur Filzah Jamjam
Buayan: 20-26th June 2013

This workshop, led by weaving expert Joiwit from Buayan, began making woven bamboo building components for a Community Bio-cultural Heritage Centre in the Ulu Papar region of Sabah. The workshop was coordinated by Arkitrek and Global Diversity Foundation.

Joiwit introduced a selection of weaving patterns to learn throughout the workshop. Representatives of the community gathered in the balai raya (community hall) to try out the patterns with coloured paper first. Next, participants were given 2 hours to go harvesting bamboo, after which the weaving lesson started with a pattern named ‘Minangulop’.

Everyone worked on a standard panel size of 2feet x 3feet and by the end the day each had a half-completed panel.

Workshop on day two had new participants arrive and some of them used polypropylene straps for practice. Later after lunch Joiwit introduced a new pattern which is perforated and suitable for blinds.

The day two went smoothly where everybody tried to finish their panel. By the end of the day, two panels were finished.

On the last day, 23rd June, the agenda was to finish all the patterns and then learn to make a frame from bamboo tied with rattan. We also had new participants from another nearby village in the Ulu Papar area named Tiku.

After the end of the workshop everyone was keen to continue on their own to finish the panel. An extra day was needed to dry the bamboo used for framing and to fully complete the panel.

To put in a nut shell, the workshop went well and got positive feedback from the community. They enjoyed learning new patterns from each other and are motivated to develop this as an enterprise opportunity. They also started to imagine the weavings being used on the proposed Bio-cultural Centre building and are looking forward to the project.

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