Kenyah sun hat remains among few traditional crafts of Sarawak that have maintained practical usage in modern era
Sandra at her worktable, where a couple of beaded panels for sun hats can be seen.
IT is good that some Kenyah and Kayan womenfolk in the Baram and Belaga regions continue to make sun hats, called the ‘saung’, well into the 21st century, but there is also a concern about the number of makers from these communities becoming smaller as time goes by.
According to Sandra Ahie, there are not that many sun hat artisans among the Kenyahs nowadays, ‘to a level of being rare’.
Operating a booth featuring Kenyah traditional items at the Miri Handicraft Centre, Sandra sells sun hats made by Kenyah villagers, apart from marketing her own collection.
“Our sun hats are loved and are amongst the iconic symbols of Baram.
“They are amongst the traditional items that remain practical in the modern day – to give the wearer some coverage from the hot sun or the rain.
“And the usage is not exclusive to the Kenyahs. Our sun hats are also worn by the men and women of other communities such as the Ibans and the Chinese in Baram.
“Some pieces are beautifully decorated with beads – perfect as gifts for visitors and friends,” she told thesundaypost.
Family legacy
According to Sandra, the heirloom sun hats are highly exquisite, and are handed down from one generation to the next.
“This legacy has been around for hundreds of years.
“Also, sun hats are essential in any traditional Kenyah weddings. One ceremony may require the making of up to eight new hats, each embellished with beads and other decorations.”
The structure of a Kenyah sun hat consists of the under-cap called ‘ulu saung’ that is made from ‘daun palas (leaves from a type of palm – in the Kenyah language, it is called ‘liad’), the brim and a sturdy rattan frame called the ‘ue kusah’ that holds everything together.
It would take between 10 and 14 days to sew the leaves together for the under-cap, before fitting it into the frame and under the brim, underneath of which also consists of skilfully-layered-and-stitched leaves.
Pieces of colourful cloths would then be sewn onto the top side of the brim, which has a central beaded panel.
This panel, with its elaborate beadwork, is amongst many produced by Sandra.
Occasionally, the maker would attach straws to the piece – in the past, hornbill feathers were also added, which is an impossible thing to do today.
A simple sun hat, without much decoration and measuring about two feet (slightly over half-metre) in diameter, would be priced around RM50.
A piece embellished with beads is at least RM700 – it may cost even more if it was ordered for a specific ceremony.
Sandra said the most elaborate one that she had ever made was a custom-made piece in 2020.
“It took me around two month to finish this order.
“The hat measured 32 inches (in diameter), and it sold for RM700,” she added.
She said the more intricate the designs on the hat, the longer it would take to finish it.
“Some heavily-beaded orders can take up to six months to make – some customers are just very particular in choosing their own colours, designs and even the type of beads, to be used.
“The size of a sun hat depends on the length and the width of the ‘daun palas’.
“Nevertheless, it is very satisfying to see many people love my collection. Many of my sun hats have been brought to the US by the tourists who just love Kenyah arts.”
Maker’s profile
Sandra, now in her 70s, had worked as an assistant librarian at Lutong Public Library until her retirement in 2006.
She enjoyed living in Miri so much that she decided to not go back to her village in Long Tungan to settle; instead, she went ahead to sell Kenyah handicrafts in Miri.
However, she would return home periodically where apart from catching up with her relatives and other villagers, she would also take the opportunity to gather ‘daun palas’ and other raw materials to make hats.
“I like doing this myself as I would know the exact size of ‘daun palas’ that I need for my work,” she said.
It has been close to 16 years since Sandra first opened her booth at the centre, and her enthusiasm for the art has grown even stronger than before.
It has been a successful endeavour, which can be attributed to her craftsmanship and also her fluency in English, which helps a lot in explaining the traditional items to the tourists.
Sandra never stops picking up more skills and also experimenting – she now incorporates manufactured materials like packing strips and plastic recyclables in making items like baskets.
Still, her passion is in making Kenyah sun hats.
Sandra would go for geometric shapes in making her sun hats and for the colours, she would follow customers’ requirements.
Her home village of Long Tungan is nestled in one of the remote pockets along the Baram River, between Lio Mato and Long Semiyang.
A long list of arrangements must be made just for a homecoming trip.
“It is not easy to go back as viable transport is not readily available.
“I have to close my booth at least for a week whenever I plan a trip back to Long Tungan.
“The logging or oil palm roads are very rough; furthermore, the whole journey is very costly.”
Nonetheless, Sandra insists on getting the ‘daun palas’ from her village because it is too expensive to buy even one bundle at the market.
“Moreover, it is not easy to find the right kind of ‘daun palas’; I especially look for the broader and longer variety,” she said.
After collecting these leaves, she would leave them out in the open to dry under the sun, in order to produce highly-durable hats.
“Sun hats made from well dried-out ‘daun palas’ can last up to 70 years, if not more.
“These dried leaves themselves can keep for a long time, you don’t need refrigeration; thus, facilitating storage during the long journey to Miri,” she said, while lamenting about the difficulty in finding jungle rattan in Baram.
This beautiful piece is one of many Kenyah sun hats for sale at Sandra Handicrafts.
Motifs and symbolism
Asked about the motifs, Sandra said some sun hat makers would make the arrangements of beads to depict ‘the faces of the divine deities’.
For her, however, she would rather go for geometric shapes and for the colours, she would follow customers’ requirements.
Visitors to her booth at Miri Handicraft Centre could request for hands-on demonstrations on making a sun hat.
Photo shows Sandra’s booth at Miri Handicraft Centre.
“In the past, scraps and leftover pieces from homemade clothing would be saved to decorate the hats. In a way, every strip represented a memory for each family – how the grandmothers would use the cotton threads bought in Marudi to stitch cloths onto the hats; how the womenfolk would gather to finish the pieces meant for a wedding; how the stories would be told to the children by the elders during their gatherings on the veranda.
“I love every sun hat that I have made, and I appreciate all my customers for wearing my hats.
“Each is special, each has a story behind its origin and perhaps, the owners now – or going to – have their own stories as well,” said Sandra.
Trends
Priscilla shows a ‘saung’ with a strap, used to hang it on the wall, made from beads.
Another Kenyah sun hat maker Priscilla Aping operates a kiosk at the Borneo Heritage Centre, located at High Street in Miri.
She regards sun hats as among the ‘prerequisite decorative items adorning the walls of many Kenyah households all over Sarawak’.
“A customer from Kuching, who bought two hats from me, had requested for each to have a hanging strap made from beads instead of the usual rattan.
“It seems to be a trend now. You can request for an all-beaded strap, and I’ll be happy to make it for you,” said Priscilla, who hails from Long Moh – another Kenyah village in rural Baram.
“I’m glad that Long Moh still has a lush jungle, where my mother can still harvest bundles of ‘daun palas’.
One can see the geometrically-neat layering and stitching of ‘daun palas’ on the underside of the brim.
“Should this plant no longer exist in the future, we’d no longer be able to make our ‘saung’. “Even now, rattan is already very difficult to find. Only a traditional hat maker would know the plight of fellow hat makers,” she said.
Sonia J Lahung, who is a Kayan from Marudi, said she learned to make Kenyah sun hats when she was first stationed at a school in Lio Mato.
“It was in the 1990s. I was taught by the Kenyah womenfolk there.
“The place was so remote, so I thought it would be best to fill my free time with learning a new craft,” she said.
Now, Sonia can make not only sun hats, but can also weave Kenyah traditional baskets and mats.
Her woven items now adorn the walls of her house in Marudi.
“They are my pride. They’d have plenty of stories to tell, if only they could talk.”
However, the hats not only serve as decorative items in her household.
“My family members and I would wear sun hats whenever we do some farming during the weekends and the holidays.
“I’m looking forward to my retirement, so that I could make more sun hats,” she smiled.