Ketupat Weaving Instructions

"Kampung" is the Malay word for "village". Literary licence is taken here in the use of the term "kampung" in its euphemistic sense to describe and encompass the traditional and village crafts of the Malays in Singapore and Malaysia and the Indonesians.

This section records some of the crafts, activities and customs associated with the "sarong culture" of the the indigenous Malays of Singapore and Malaysia and the Indonesians who inhabit the larger Malay archipelego of the Southeast Asian region.

It is also the intention here to preserve a sampling of the simple crafts of these people by collating instructional data so that these cultural heritage can be passed on to present and future generations.

As it is the way with culture, they grow and evolve - so has the Malay culture, for instance in the area of music - with the advent of the Zikir Barat and in fashion - with the creation of the Baju Kurung Moden and changes in Batik motifs and hues.

As undercurrents to these movements and evolutions, bonds of family and kin, friendship and country retain their basic values. Somewhat lost in the passing years are the influences of the Adat Perpateh (matriarchal) practices which dominated the lives of the Malays on the west coast states of the early Malay Peninsular.

As the races inter-mingle, part of the so called "sarong culture" had been adopted by the Straits-born Chinese of Malaysia and Singapore who adopted not only the language (patua) of the Malays, but also some of the Malay cuisines (now distinctly adapted as Peranakan cuisine.) The Straits-born Chinese womenfolk also wear the sarong and Baju Kebaya of the Malays (but in Swiss Voille and with beautiful embroidaries) as their traditional garb.

Religious practices are not within the ambit of this presentation.

Contents Summary

1. Ketupat Weaving -