KUCHING: Artist Gerald Goh has always been intrigued by Bidayuh women who wore brass rings on their forearms and calves from a very young age in days of old.
“It is something that we need to preserve and after knowing that their numbers are now down to three ring ladies, this tradition is something which is going to be extinct if we don’t preserve and create more awareness about it,” he told New Sarawak Tribune on the sidelines of the Sarawak Design Week held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), today.
As the ring ladies are his subject for his painting, Goh shared that he had interviewed them and was told the younger generation now are not able to continue the tradition of wearing the brass rings due to the constraints of modern life.
“The only way we can actually preserve it in my own effort would be to paint them.
“It is something that we should be proud of as the state has about over 30 ethnic groups. Should this heritage diminish, it would be such a pity,” he said.
The tradition of wearing the rings is not only to symbolise status and beauty, but as a form of recognition, where only those who wore the rings would be allowed to attend certain ceremonies and perform the rejang, or eagle dance.
On the event, he commended the organiser, Sarawak Design Centre for their effort in wanting the industrial design field to be taken seriously.
“In order to progress, more effort needs to be put into designing and making use of whatever we have as Sarawak content in order to make it (products) more global and sustainable,” he said.
