Launching of Certification System for Kelabit beads

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Launching of Certification System for Kelabit beads

Tuesday, 16 November 2010 13:43

KUCHING: The Wanita Rurum Kelabit Sarawak (WRKS) Beads Committee is launching the Certification of Kelabit beads at the Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club in Miri on 17 November 2010.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan, who is also Minister of Tourism and Heritage, will be officiating at the launching.

The aim of the event themed “Celebrating Our Mothers’ Beads” is to protect the identity and value of the Kelabit community’s heirloom beads which had been passed down the generations.

The traditional beads have always been regarded as an expression of wealth, artistry and deep tradition among the community and therefore, unless the origins and authenticity of the traditional beads can be protected through a registry and certification system as initiated by the WRKS Beads Committee, their real values will not be understood or appreciated by future generations.

According to Lucy Bulan, Organising Chairperson of the event and Deputy Chairperson of the WRKS Beads’ Committee, beads to the Kelabit, as it is to some of the other Orang Ulu communities, were equivalent to currency as well as symbols of wealth, power and beauty.

“There used to be so few antique beads in the community that everyone knew exactly which family had what type of beads, and how many.

They used to be confined only to the ‘noble’ families”, said Lucy.

She added that with the influx of almost exact replicas of the beads that the Kelabit valued so much, which were brought in by Indonesian traders some years ago, everyone could own a “peta b’ao rawir” beadcap or the precious “alai beads”. The Kelabit identity is so entwined in the use of these beads that these new arrivals became real blessings to everyone.

“However, the experienced eye would always be able to tell the antique from the replica. Not only that, they could trace the history of the beads.

“To ensure that these antique beads remain antique and their value preserved, Rurum Kelabit Sarawak Women’s Unit had for some years now been proposing that authenticity certificates be given to the owners. It is for this reason that this event has been organised”, said Lucy.

The members of this Committee comprise appointed elders from the community who are knowledgeable about the history and authenticity of the antique beads, as well as representatives from community leaders such as the Pemancas and Penghulus.

“The registration and certification is on a voluntary basis and we encourage those families with antique beads to come forward to have their beads certified by the Committee, so as to preserve the value of their beads and to control and minimise the passing of new and fake beads as heirlooms or antique beads”, said Datin Sri Mariam Balan, the Chairperson of Wanita RKS Beads Committee who is also Advisor to the event’s Organising Committee and Wanita RKS.