Johor
is keen to develop into a centre for Malay art and culture. It comes as no surprise then that there is a
state initiative to revive Johor’s cultural heritage in tenun or woven cloth
and in particular, the weaving industry.
 |
| The art of weaving threads into cloth is a tedious process that involves passing the spool of thread [Left hand] over and under the woven section of the cloth |
This
is in response to a request by Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar during the Johor
Sultan’s visit to Yayasan Warisan Johor (YWJ) or Johor Heritage Foundation, in
2012.
The
launch event for the revival of the state’s weaving industry took place
recently at the YWJ complex and was officiated by State Executive Councilor for
Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage, Datuk Zulkanain Kamisan.
Between
2013 and 2015, YWJ worked in cooperation with the National Design Centre and
UiTM Shah Alam to research the history of weaving in Johor.
They
also collaborated with Johor Malay cultural activist, Professor Dr Siti Zainon
Ismail and tenun designer, Dr Norwani Nawawi, to create ten new tenun designs
with a uniquely Johor identity. These
designs have been submitted to be patented by the Intellectual Property
Licensing Board.
New
Designs
 |
| Examples of the tenun fabrics in the man's samping [Right] and the lady's sarong [Left] worn in the Johor traditional Teluk Belanga style |
Tenun
fabrics were traditionally designed to order for royalty and special
events. For the skills and time involved
in the production of a single piece of cloth, it is obviously a high-value
product. Depending on the skills of the
weaver and the intricacy of the design, it may take up to three to four months
to weave one piece of finished product.
For
a start, YWJ has created ten new designs exclusively for royalty and also for commoners.
Among them are fabrics named, Songket
Johor Jauhar and Songket Johor Medini for the Johor Sultan, Songket Johor Maharani
for Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah and Songket Tengku
Mahkota Johor for the Crown Prince, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
Other
designs include Tenun Johor Tanjung Piai, Tenun Mayang Selida and Tenun Johor
Berbunga Renek with Johor inspired motifs of flowers, herbs and spices,
specially for the people of Johor.
While
YWJ aims to preserve the traditions in tenun weaving, it continues to explore
and learn new production techniques from other nations like Thailand, India and
Pakistan that have developed modern and faster ways to produce quality fabrics.
Tenun
Heritage
 |
| Weaving the threads on a foot-pedal loom requires good coordination of hands, arms and feet, with a great deal of skills, patience and craftsmanship |
One
of the earliest written records of tenun traditions is found in a book by Professor
Datuk Dr Ramlah Adam on Johor Menteri Besar and founder of United Malays
National Organisation (UMNO), Datuk Onn Jaafar.
According
to this book, the art of tenun in Johor can be traced back to the middle of the
18th century. In 1838, his
father, Datuk Jaafar Muhammad, was the most trusted administrator during the
reign of Sultan Abu Bakar in Telok Belanga.
The record shows that the father of Datuk Jaafar, Haji Muhammad, was
skilled in the art of tenun.
When
Tengku Ampuan Mariam, eldest daughter of Sultan Abu Bakar, returned from Pahang
in 1946, she was inspired to start a weaving centre at Jalan Mahmoodiah named,
Rumah Tenun Johor. Zamilah Bilal, better
known as Mak Ambak or Tok Ambak, an active member of the women’s association
established by Ibu Zain or Zainon Munshi Sulaiman, a pioneer female politician
and renowned educationist, was in charge of this weaving centre.
 |
| The Tenun Workshop at the YWJ Complex in JB |
Tok
Ambak invited four skilled weavers from Terengganu to Rumah Tenun Johor who
trained local weavers in the art of tenun.
Even after the demise of Tengku Ampuan Mariam in 1952, the weaving
centre continued to accept weaving orders from the Palace and the local
community. The centre also became a popular
destination, visited by both local and foreign tourists, until it ceased operations
in 1980.
The
historical value of tenun and the sophisticated techniques used to create
colours, motifs and types of threads and fabrics can be traced to each region
with their unique characteristics. Tasked
with tracing the history and reviving interest in the art of tenun in Johor,
YWJ sent out study teams to gather more information from other states like Terengganu,
Kelantan, Pahang and even abroad to Makassar.
It
was interesting to discover that patterns woven in the plaid design are known
as tenun corak Muar, a design named
after Muar, a district in Johor. The
study also revealed that Johor designs are strongly influenced by Bugis
patterns common in Makassar.
Tenun
Workshop
 |
| Preparing cotton threads in its required length, strand by strand, before affixing the spools to the weaving loom |
The
Johor Tenun Workshop will train youths who are keen to develop their skills in
the art of tenun through a training syllabus organised in collaboration with
the Institute of Malaysian Handicrafts.
While the tenun heritage was originally a cottage industry with
artisanal skills handed down by word-of-mouth from mother to daughter, Johor
aims to revive interest in traditional weaving among the younger generation and
start small and medium enterprises in the weaving industry.
With
the help of two skilled tenun weavers in Johor, this workshop in YWJ has been
in operations since early February 2016.
Through skills development, YWJ aims to develop more interest in this
traditional art-form starting in JB and spreading it to other districts in the
state by encouraging locals to open small enterprises in the weaving
industry. This is an YWJ initiative to
develop tenun products that will reflect the local identity of each district in
Johor.
Tenun
Gallery
 |
| A range of cotton threads dyed in natural colours |
Designed
with information plaques, static displays and weavers working at their wooden
looms, the Johor Tenun Gallery is also a tourist destination.
Visitors
learn that the traditional weaving process from thread to cloth is a long and
tedious one. It begins with the preparation
of the threads. While synthetic dyes may
be used for commercial and practical reasons, threads were traditionally
coloured by natural dyes from plants.
For
instance, blue was from the indigo plant, yellow obtained from turmeric (curcuma domestic) and red from
sappanwood (caesalpinia sappan). Tamarind seeds, mahogany bark and betel vine
leaves were also used for natural dyes that are more environmentally friendly.
 |
| Using a traditional spinning wheel to spin cotton threads into a spool |
After
selecting the base colour for the cloth, the weaver prepares spools of cotton thread in
its required length, strand by strand.
Once this has been completed, she will calculate the number of strands
of thread required, depending on the size of the cloth to be woven and it may
number from 1200 to 1500 strands.
When
the pattern has been decided and the spools fixed onto the weaving loom, then
the weaving process may start. The
technique used is centuries old, where the highly skilled and patient weaver
works steadily at the hand loom.
 |
| A section of woven cloth [Left] with threads [Right] that are yet to be woven into intricate designs |
In
the long run, the foundation hopes to collaborate with relevant agencies like
Kraftangan Johor and the Johor State Tourism Office to share more information
on the Johor tenun heritage and promote Johor tenun products.
YWJ also aims to increase their range of
woven products in different categories – handmade and machine-made – so that
these quality products can be more affordable.
With
new designs that reflect a uniquely Johor identity and the revival of
traditional tenun weaving skills through training young weavers, the tenun heritage
is carefully preserved in Johor as a traditional art-form for the benefit of
future generations.
A version of this was published in The New Sunday Times, Life & Times on 12 June 2016
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