KUCHING: Sarawak Museum Department will hold an exhibition called “Exhibition on Beads: Diversity In The Usage” in conjunction with the 5th Borneo International Beads Conference 2017 (BIBCo) at the Sarawak Textile Museum from 3 to 31 October.
The launching ceremony will be officiated at by Director of Sarawak Museum Department, Ipoi Datan on 12 October.
The exhibition is meant to celebrate the diversity and beauty of beads and to disseminate information of how beads are valued and used in Sarawak.
The items to be exhibited are headgears, sunhats, necklaces, baby carriers, bead baskets, costumes, beaded walking sticks, beaded weapons, tobacco boxes and others.
Beads are small and beautiful and made from various materials. They have been around for more than 40,000 years. They have been traded in South East Asia since pre-Christian time (Francis,Peter, Jr. 1998).
They were brought into Sarawak or Borneo in general through trades and were bartered for jungle produces. Beads are produced in various shapes, colours and sizes. Their usage represents the customs and cultures of an ethnic group which are interpreted in unique ways.
In Sarawak, beads have significant role in the lives of almost all the ethnic groups. They are great visual standing indicators as they denote the social status and wealth of the family. They are also used as bride wealth; testifies the beadwork skills of the owner; valued as personal adornments; used in symbolic healing ceremonies; and were used as a form of currency and as penalty, and many more.
Until today, beads have remained as favourite personal adornments, used as decorations for homes, and as souvenir items for friends and tourists.
