Orang Ulu women in world record attempt

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The Orang Ulu women busy joining the pieces of woven mats in their world record attempt.

The Orang Ulu women busy joining the pieces of woven mats in their world record attempt.

SIBU: About 100 Orang Ulu women from Sungai Asap, Murum and Baram have weaved a very long rotan mat, and they will know today whether their masterpiece is the world’s longest.

Maren Uma (chieftain) Luhong Tajang said the women had gathered at her longhouse—Uma Nyaving—in Sungai Asap, Belaga, a few days ago for the challenge.

The project, she said, was sponsored by Sarawak Energy Berhad and organised by Belaga Pengdohh, a 40-year-old association for Orang Ulu women.

“The project started three months ago, and the deadline was Friday (May 13),” she said when contacted by The Borneo Post yesterday.

She added that the participants weaved the mat separately, and they came to her longhouse several days before the deadline to join the woven material together.

“We do not know the exact length of the mat until the measurement tomorrow (today).”

She said a representative from Guinness World Records arrived at her longhouse yesterday.

Luhong said one of the biggest challenges of the project was to find sufficient rotan.

She said the participants from Sungai Asap had to walk far into the jungle upriver, near the Bakun hydro dam area, to look for rotan.

“In Baram, rotan can be found easily, but not in Sungai Asap.

“Nonetheless, this is a very good project because it brought together the Orang Ulu community from three different places for a common goal, which is to create the world’s longest woven mat.”