| Description |
A common plant found in or nearby Orang Asli villages are acrew pines or Pandanus fascicularis, a clumping plant with long, thorny leaves. The fibrous leaves are harvested, processed, and dyed before the leaf strips are woven by women into a variety of mats, baskets, and pouches. Orang Asli handicrafts are often utilitarian in nature, but with availability of cheap plastic replicates of mats and other products, the art of Pandanus weaving (anyam) is now on the wane. The synthetic products have slowly been replacing the crafts that were once woven from wild or cultivated Pandanus harvests. Overall, efforts to ensure the continuation of Orang Asli Pandanus weaving should focus on encouraging women not only to weave, but also to appreciate that their craft heritage was shaped by valuable communally shared knowledge that is still relevant today. |
