Wear local costumes at events: Board
Published on: Thursday, July 21, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: The State Cultural Board wants local folk costumes worn with pride at functions or formal occasions like Batik. A stepping stone for this, however, involves getting the younger generation to appreciate their own costumes and for ethnic associations to take up the task to upgrade them to fit for all occasions," he said its Chairman Tan Sri Wences Angang. "What I have seen so far only two ethnic communities from Penampang and Matunggong took the initiatives to make the changes to their traditional garments so they could be used in functions.
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"This is the direction we want. Ethnic associations should be in the forefront to modify their own folk costumes, commercialise them so it can be used during occasions," he said after closing the folk costume sewing skill course, here. The programme is one of the board's effort to "rehabilitate" the Sabah folk costumes and since its inception in 2007, the course had generated a total of 21 collections to date. But more works are needed to make things happened, he said. "There are over 40 ethnic groups in Sabah. But the ones which had been openly exposed was no more than 10.
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There are still many yet to be covered. "The Rungus and Murut, each and every sub-ethnics have its own designs and patterns. The same goes with other ethnics and ethnics in different districts.
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"Some ethnics are already proud to don their folk costumes but others are not," he pointed out. Towards this end, Angang said cultural or ethnic associations should make the move to commercialise their own garments. Earlier, he pointed out that some of the folk costumes in Sabah is on the brink of extinction due to poor interest from the younger generation, especially women. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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