Debong (second from right) raising the Guinness World Record certificate as (from left) Nath, Rohani and Sjotveit applaud.
A weaver showing the mat.
The woven mat is 1128.272m long and 28 inches wide.
The weavers putting the finishing touches at Sungai Asap Community Hall on Sunday.
BELAGA: Over 400 Orang Ulu weavers from Bakun, Murum and Baram earned themselves a place in the Guinness World Records yesterday for weaving the longest rotan mat in the world.
Their masterpiece was 1128.272m long and 28 inches wide, smashing the old record of 797.51m held by Sweden since 2010.
Organised by Belaga’s women non-governmental organisation (NGO) Peng Doh Belaga and sponsored by Sarawak Energy, the world record attempt united the weavers in a symbol of a shared heritage meant to be preserved for the younger Orang Ulu generation.
Their feat also showcased the weavers’ craftsmanship and artistic talents on a global platform.
Since January this year, the weavers have been weaving sections of the mat in their respective longhouses. Their efforts were recorded in a documentary titled The Mat Weavers Tale.
They finally came together on May 13 and weaved the pieces together at the Bakun Resettlement Scheme in Sungai Asap here.
Hailing from over 30 different longhouses, the 400 weavers were from five Orang Ulu sub-ethnic groups, namely Kayan, Kenyah, Buket, Penan and Lahanan.
The initiative also resulted in other villagers assisting in terms of harvesting, stripping and transporting the rattan.
According to the project director, Livan Tajang, mat plays a significant role in the Orang Ulu community.
“When we were born, we were laid on a mat during the naming ceremony. When we die, our bodies will be wrapped using a mat.
“It symbolises our entrance into this world and also our departure from this world.”
She added before there were beds and chairs, mats were used for everything, from sleeping, sitting, to drying farm products, such as pepper, rice and cocoa.
Sarawak Energy chief executive officer Datuk Torstein Dale Sjotveit lauded the determination shown by the women weavers in wanting to leave a cultural footprint of great importance to the Orang Ulu community.
“I believe this effort have reawakened an interest in the wonderful art of mat weaving of the Orang Ulu so that this wonderful heritage lives on.”
Rishi Nath, an official adjudicator from the Guinness World Records organisation, flew in to judge the event.
He congratulated the weavers for a job well done.
There to witness their achievement were Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim, Murum assemblyman Chukpai Ugon, Sarawak Energy executive vice president for corporate services Aisah Eden and Peng Doh Belaga chairman Datin Sri Debong Anyie.
Partner sponsors included Dayak Cultural Foundation, Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, and Ministry of Communications and Multimedia.