Balleh Pua Kumbu weaver enjoys good income from her trade

Gangging shows a silk Pua Kumbu, with the motif called ‘Buah Cubit Kumang’. — Photo by Conny Banji

SIBU (Sept 27): Weaving ‘Pua Kumbu’, one of the Iban community’s most identifiable heritage products, is more than a skill for Gangging Langkong.

The villager from Rumah Gare Timbang at Sungai Kain in Balleh, Kapit has been earning good income from her trade, enabling her to send her three daughters to enter tertiary education.

Gangging, now in her mid-40s, said she learned weaving the traditional fabric when she was very young, taught by her late grandmother.

The Pua Kumbu maker, whose husband is a pepper farmer, said she made use of her skill to supplement their household income.

“When my eldest daughter was accepted into Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) in Betong after she obtained 5As in the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), I realised that we needed money to make sure that she could further her studies to university level.

“She later scored 8As in her Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) and 10As in her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations. After that, she went to study accountancy at an institute in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

“She is now working in Kuala Lumpur,” she told The Borneo Post when met during a special programme run by Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) in Kapit recently, where one of the stopovers was at Rumah Gare.

Gangging admitted that she was illiterate, but she never regarded it as a reason to not put priority on education.

“As a parent, I would be disappointed if I was unable to send my children to further their studies due to financial limitations,” she said.

Gangging’s second daughter also obtained good results in her public examinations, which qualified her for a spot in university.

“She is now working as an X-ray technologist at Sarawak General Hospital.

“Her younger sister is currently studying at a polytechnic in Kuching,” said Gangging, adding that she was so proud of her daughters for having excelled in their studies despite living in a remote longhouse.

Gangging now makes Pua Kumbu full time, together with some fellow women weavers in her longhouse.

She said on average, it would take her around two weeks to finish weaving a cloth measuring 10 feet long and two feet wide (approximately 3m by 0.5m).

“But sometimes, it can take longer especially when we have to tend our pepper farm,” said Gangging.

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