Discovering interesting production details helps Alan Teh Leam Seng better appreciate Perak's rich and diverse handicraft heritage.
MEDAN Kraftangan Lembah Kuala Kangsar is definitely a key tourist destination judging from the fleet of excursion buses parked at its vicinity.
Strategically located beside Sungai Perak and with the heart of Perak's royal town just a stone's throw away, this craft complex is a must visit place for those who appreciate functional traditional art in its many forms.
Consisting of no less than a dozen enterprises, this collective offers a wide range of eye-catching handicrafts which range from colourful woven baskets to intricately moulded earthenware.
The variety on offer is so diverse that it pays handsome dividends to patiently spend time perusing the items on display. This absorbing experience is further enriched by the warm service.
PRETTY CRAFT
Attentive and friendly, vendors willingly impart knowledge and interesting nuggets of information that enhance the intrinsic value of the display items. Case in point are the popular multi-functional wicker baskets.
At the same time, the wide variety of intricately woven items on display lend weight to fact that the specific skills developed by the Malays have managed to survive through the centuries in their pure form.
Until today, raw materials in the form of durable mengkuang and young coconut palm leaves together with pliable rattan and bamboo canes are plaited, twisted and coiled into a variety of functional as well as decorative objects.
Most popular among visitors are the mengkuang mats, rattan food covers and bamboo laundry baskets.
Sight of attractive clay receptacles neatly arranged on shelves at one of the shops calls to mind information gleaned in the past where archaeologists had proven that basketry craft had eventually led to pottery making as ancient baskets were used as moulds for early pots.
While the plant fibres have disintegrated over time, the unearthed vessels showed unmistakable patterns of baskets used to shape them.
The most sought after pottery item here is the labu, a generalised name for a variety of flask-shaped water storage vessels. Produced in great numbers at four great labu production centres - Sayong, Pulau Tiga, Bukit Gantang and Lenggong, it is widely accepted that labu making expertise reached Perak shores through Tok Kaluk, a skilled Minangkabau craftsman.
Enjoying a close relationship with the palace, the adept artisan won favours from the reigning monarch and was bestowed land at Kampung Kepala Bendang, a picturesque village in Sayong district, Kuala Kangsar.
Taking on apprentices who came from all over the state, effective knowledge transfer turned Perak into a major pottery production centre.
THE MAKING OF A LABU
Casting eyes on the nearby muddy banks of Sungai Perak, it is easy to understand how readily available clay have sustained riverine settlements in their endeavour to produce labu pitchers.
Like in the past, modern-day potters still head out to select spots along the river to harvest the much needed raw material from as deep as three feet from the surface.
After that, the collected clay is left to dry naturally in the sun for a few days. Patience is definitely a prerequisite as this process may last up to a fortnight during the rainy season.
Once sufficiently desiccated, a foot pounder is used to pulverise the lumpy mixture into powder. Further sieving ensures that only fine particles remain.
The next kneading stage involves manual clay compaction with just the right amount of water. Although laborious and time consuming, this step is necessary to eliminate air pockets in the mixture.
Then, time spent on the potter's wheel is most crucial as it determines the labu vessel's eventual beauty and robustness. As the contraption rotates, experienced fingers pinches the clay with measured pressure to give the clay its desired familiar form.
Once achieved, a bamboo spatula and batu luru are used to give the pitcher an even curvature and smoothened sheen, respectively. The final stage on the potter's wheel sees the craftsman bringing his creativity to the fore when decorating the vessel's exterior surface.
In keeping with the key Islamic belief of not depicting animals or human beings in motifs, potters source inspiration from nature like flowers, leaves and fruits for decorative patterns on their creations.
Lately, advancements in technology have allowed creators to make their pieces unique by adopting creative state-of-the-art embossing and pasting techniques.
Although most labu pitchers for sale at the Medan Kraftangan are generally uniform in shape, many vary in colour. This distinctive attribute is acquired during the final production process which involves smoking the inverted vessels in small but extremely efficient makeshift kilns.
Smouldering firewood and coconut husks under a rack filled with neatly arranged pitchers provided a constant heat while a neatly arranged banana and palm leaf canopy help maintain the required temperature for six hours.
Despite the fact that the firing process already produces pleasing light to dark reddish tones, producers cater to demand for popular darker hues by smothering pitcher surfaces with firewood and coconut husk ash.
Finally, the labu vessel bases are coated with damar resin harvested from nearby hardwood meranti trees to enhance their water retention capabilities.
Together with the other meticulously produced items available, labu vessels not only serve their intended purpose well but also act as great conversation pieces during gettogethers and poignant reminders of the enduring rich Malay cultural heritage.
FAST FACTS
Medan Kraftangan Lembah Kuala Kangsar,
Jalan Tebing (Persisiran Sungai Perak),
33000 Kuala Kangsar
Perak
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