Elviana’s Efforts to Revive Dayak Traditional Crafts

Samarinda (ANTARA) – Among the 20 stalls in Long Pahangai II village, Mahakam Ulu regency, East Kalimantan, Elviana Ping busily arranges colourful beads on a piece of cloth. The 49-year-old is embellishing a taah, a traditional woven cloth worn during customary ceremonies.

The stall displays a range of Dayak handicrafts, neatly arranged, including beaded bracelets and necklaces, earrings, bluko (traditional dance hats) and anjat (backpacks woven from rattan). There are also traditional garments decorated with embroidery and motifs distinctive to the local community.

Elviana does not work alone. Her third daughter, Luwing, helps serve customers who come to the stall, while Elviana continues arranging the beads.

Elviana’s work to develop these skills has gone beyond making and selling crafts. Since 2016, she has also been actively teaching others how to make them.

That year, several people from North Kalimantan asked her to come and train women in handicraft-making. Although she had never worked as a trainer before, Elviana accepted the offer.

Elviana went on to establish a creative women’s community in Pampang, Samarinda, called Letut Udep. She also set up a training centre for people wishing to learn handicraft skills and understand the meanings behind the designs and the process of making them.

“If you’re only making bracelets and necklaces, the training takes just one day. But making traditional clothing takes weeks. You have to start by choosing the materials, creating the design and sewing, then attaching the accessories,” Elviana said as she decorated a bluko.

More than 1,000 people have attended Elviana’s training. In North Kalimantan, two people she trained are now able to develop these skills independently. In East Kutai regency, another 10 people are still actively making crafts.