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Discover the culture and customs of the indigenous Iban peoples from the Malaysian state of Sarawak through the pua’ kumbu, the tribe’s sacred ceremonial blanket.

Take this rare opportunity to sit with the director of the Tun Jugah Foundation, custodians of Iban culture heritage from Sarawak. The Foundation was established in 1985 in order to collect and preserve the intangible heritage of the Iban, from all aspects of longhouse life, costumes, textile traditions and customs.

Explore a number of rare pieces of ikat Iban used during sacred rituals. In addition to learning how to identify the features and motifs of this textile, participants will also be guided by the Foundation’s weavers on looms provided for tying & weaving demonstrations.

The pua’ kumbu’s distinctive designs are led by the dreams of the weaver, believed to be guided by the ancestors of the Iban. These blankets are used to wrap a newborn after their first bath in the river, laid on a sick person and laid over the body of the newly deceased at their funeral. These pua’ kumbu are believed to protect the wearer for evil spirits.