KUCHING: Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah has consented to part with one of her wedding gifts, a Sarawak Keringkam, to be displayed in the Sarawak Museum.
She said the Sarawak Keringkam was a wedding gift given by her husband, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
“Today, I want to present a gift to the Sarawak government and for it to be displayed in the Sarawak Museum.
“This (Sarawak Keringkam) is a wedding gift that was placed in one of the 16 trays that I received when I married my husband.
“Therefore, I would like to present this (Sarawak Keringkam) back to Sarawak so that you can display it in the museum.
“This is Sarawak Keringkam made in Sarawak, and it is 36 years old, so is my married life,” she said when officiating at the Lembaran Emas Series 2: Borneo Textile Symposium held at Pullman Hotel on Tuesday (Dec 6).
On another note, Tunku Azizah said that Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei have a vast wealth of textile heritage that remains untapped to the outside world.
Therefore, she said she has agreed to bring the unique arts and crafts from Sarawak namely, the Malay Songket and Keringkam, Iban Pua Kumbu, Melanau songket, unique Sabah and Kalimantan Batik, the Indonesian Ikat and many others to the London Craft Week next year.
“God willing, in May 2023, we are going to London again to take part in the London Craft Week and this time it is about the indigenous ethnic and tribal arts and crafts.
“So, I hope Sarawak will support me here, and I hope by going to London, we will be able to show the rich indigenous art that we have and we want to show the world what we have,” she said.
On another note, Tunku Azizah called on skilled weavers to continue to share their knowledge and pass it down to the future generations.
“This knowledge and heritage must not fade with the passage of time. Hence, it is important that all these artists pass down their knowledge and for us to document every part of it for us to be able to pass it down to the next generations,” she said.
“The knowledge of weaving is very much worth preserving and it is not only for our future generation but also for us at present,” she stressed.
The textile industry at the moment, she said, is expanding and evolving globally and there is a rise in the demand for textiles, the resultant effect being an increase in textile import and export value.
“Hence, we should also take this opportunity to ensure the sustainable growth of our textile,” said Tunku Azizah.
