1. TRADITIONAL HANDICRAFTS OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM: TENUNAN (CLOTH WEAVING)
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The Handicraft Series:
1. Silverwork - continues to flourish
2. Weaving (Tenunan) - an art into a tradition
3. Kris - the Malays' unique and ancient weapon
4. Songkok - the cap that became a symbol
5. Tudung Dulang - a dish of a cover
6. Weaving (Anyaman) - the hobby that became a traditional art
7. Brasswork - another ancient craft of Brunei Darussalam
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PART II - WEAVING - AN ART INTO A TRADITION
Southeast Asia is justifiably famous for its woven fabrics. Intricate designs made with fine and expensive
threads are the hallmark of an industry that has been carried out in this region for many centuries.
Brunei Darussalam in particular is proud of her tradition in this ancient craft and produces some of the
finest examples of woven material to be seen anywhere in the world.
Perhaps it is the skill that is passed through generation to generation; maybe it is the inherent patience
and love of fine workmanship which Bruneians possess to produce such examples of exquisite beauty.

2. Whatever the reason there s no doubt that to be owner of such gown or sarung is to be treasured and
savoured for life.
This is well examplified. If a King is to be crowned what will he be wearing? If a man and woman decide
to marry what will they both wear on this most important occassion? Both royalty and commoner alike
will be proud to adorn their very best for such an occassion. Naturally the silver and golden thread -
man's most expensive materials - will constitute a large part of looking and feeling good for these
auspicious events.
Fig.1 Kain Sipugut
Beautiful
Increased mechanisation has reduced many of the world's ancient crafts into a production line of
inferior products. It is reassuring to know that Brunei's woven fabrics, one of the arts central to Brunei
culture, are not likely to suffer such a fate. Weaving today is carried out much the same way as it has
always been - that is with pride, patience and learning, which can only come about with years of
experience and dedication to this art.
The earliest recorded mention of cloth-weaving in Brunei Darussalam can be traced to Sultan Bolkiah's
reign from 1485 to 1524. Magellan visited Brunei sometime during this period and his official chronicler,
Antonia Pigafetta, reported seeing beautiful examples of Brunei handicrafts in particular the woven
cloth.
It was common cottage industry even in those days so it is clear that woven cloth can be dated earlier
than the 16th century. Like most proud traditions the art has been preserved through the centuries by
the age-old system of father teaching son - only in this case, mother teaching daughter. The technology
is much the same today as it was then. You will see no expensive sophisticated automatic weaving
machinery; only a hand loom operated by highly skilled, artistic and patient women.

3. Fig.2 Kain Bertabur
Jongsarat
The designs too have also survived many centuries. The most well-known and famous is the Jongsarat. It
is generally acknowledged to be the design that above all others reflects the skill, artistic beauty and fine
workmanship in which a quality cloth possesses.
It is well-known in this region because more people see Jongsarat being used than any other design. It is
worn on royal and state occassions, worn by brides and grooms for marriage ceremonies and is also
sometimes used as elaborate and decorative wall coverings. Such is the high regard people in this region
hold for the Jongsarat that is also given to visiting foreign dignitaries as souvenirs. Of course there are
many other designs. The Kain Bertabur, Sipugut, Sukmaindera, Silubang Bangsi and Arab Gagati are but a
few of the many examples of patterned cloth available today in Brunei Darussalam.
Fig.3 Kain Arab Gagati
Inspiration
Cloth-weaving in Brunei Darussalam undoubtedly originated within the confines of Kampung Ayer. Apart
from the indigenous Borneo tribes and nomadic hunters, the majority of Brunei's population lived on
the waterfront. It was in their homes that the women - perhaps many of them living closely together -
perfected their skills. They probably exchanged patters and equipment, helped each other when
difficulties arose and generally operated within a tightly knit cooperative. It was from this beginning that
the art flourished and it is not difficult to see where the inspiration for the designs came from. Living in
harmony with their natural beautiful surroundings and their deep faith in Islam inspired many of the
designs, which have survived to this day. Thus the popular creations of yesteryears, incorporating
nature's abundant source of idea such as leaves, local flowers as well as Islamic patterns, make up the
majority of designs one can see today.

4. Fig.4 Kain Sukmaindera
Process
Before cloth can be produced obviously the thread has to be prepared first. Nowadays much of the
thread comes from Japan. After selecting the base colour of the cotton, the weaver prepares ten
bamboo spools of thread and then sorts it to a required length, depending upon how many pieces of
cloth she intends to weave at one time - it could be one or even four. Once this has been completed she
calculates the number of strands of thread she intends to use but this is usually dependent on the size of
cloth to be woven. It can number anywhere between 1200 and 1500. The process of weaving starts as
soon as the thread has been affixed to the loom and the pattern or design selected.
Fig.5 Kain Tenunan Beragi Bertabur
It is in fact the gold and silver thread that makes up the design so a good deal of attention is paid to this
detail. The actual job of weaving thread into cloth is a complicated one and would be difficult to
describe step by step. It is generally considered however that a good coordination between hands, arms
and feet is necessary, coupled with inordinate amounts of skill, patience and, of course, craftsmanship
learnt over many years of practise. The finished standard piece of cloth measures about 2.2 meters by
0.8 meters and can take anything from 10 to 15 days and sometimes even months to finish depending
on the intricacy of the design and the speed at which the woman works.
Fig.6 Kain Jongsarat
Preserve
One of the sadder aspects of modernisation and development is the inevitable loss of interest in the
labour-intensive craft industries in preference to working in better remunirative office jobs in the
capital. This has also been the case in Brunei Darussalam and had the government not taken steps to

5. preserve the traditional arts and handicraft industry there is no doubt that very little would remain of it
today. Prior to 1975, skill in weaving was certainly on the decline and the government, recognising that
this most important aspect of the country's heritage was in danger of dying out, took active steps to
preserve and promote it.
In September 1975, the Brunei Arts and Handicrafts Training Centre (BAHTC) was opened and took in its
first batch of 24 trainees, including eight in cloth-weaving. Designed as a temporary facility, it moved in
1984 to a purpose-built edifice that is situated on a prominent site overlooking the Brunei River and
Kampong Ayer. The centre is now the premier teaching facility for Bruneian arts and handicrafts.