Pua adalah tenunan ikat warisan turun temurun suku kaum
Iban yang memaparkan identiti dan pegangan kuat kaum tersebut kepada adat dan
tradisi hidup mereka.
Selain daripada kegunaan di upacara adat istiadat dan
keagamaan, tenunan pua juga telah dijadikan pelbagai jenis pakaian tradisi
seperti bidang (skirt), sirat (cawat) kalambi (jaket), pua kumbu (selimut
tradisional) dan dangdong (kain selempang).
Pada zaman dahulu, tukang tenun dikatakan menerima reka
corak tenunan pua dari mimpi. Reka corak
yang terhasil menonjolkan unsur-unsur estetik dan mistik yang tersendiri.
Motif tumbuh-tumbuhan, binatang seperti mengkarung
(engkarung) dan buaya, serta bentuk manusia (engkaramba) memaparkan keunikan
reka corak tradisional tenunan pua.
Unsur budaya Dongson pula amat ketara dalam penampilan motif keluk dan
pilin berganda di samping motif tempatan yang memancarkan unsur alam.
Penenun mewarna benang tenunan dengan warna asli sejak abad ke 20. Warna-warna asli
seperti perang kemerahan, biru tua dan merah telah dihasilkan daripada sumber
semulajadi seperti akar mengkudu, daun tarum, kunyit dan daun pokok engkrebai.
Kini, motif moden seperti bentuk tumbuhan dan geometri
lebih digemari. Sesetengah penenun mula
menggunakan benang sutera dan pelbagai warna baru yang menghasilkan tenunan yang lebih halus,
lembut dan lebih menarik.
The pua is a
renowned Iban textile made using the warp ikat,
a technique where patterns are created by tying resists on the warp
(longitudinal threads) prior to dyeing it. The pua is still woven in cotton yarn on a simple backstrap loom by
Iban women throughout Sarawak and parts of Kalimantan.
Pua, especially the pua kumbu (large
ceremonial cloth), are often used for ceremonial and ritual purposes. Pua textiles are also worn as part of
traditional Iban costumery: the bidang (skirt)
and dangdong (shoulder cloth) for
women, sirat (loincloth) and kalambi (jacket) for men.
The types of motifs and patterns were once governed by a
hierarchal system. Complex or new motifs were only to be attempted after senior
weavers had obtained inspiration and 'permission' from dreams. Younger weavers
started off with less potent symbol such as fern shoots.
Many of the characteristic 'key and rhomb' motifs and
the 'Iban spiral' reflect probable Dongson (Bronze Age) influence. Common
motifs include those derived from plants (creepers, shoots and fruits), animals
(including birds and lizards), utilitarian objects, natural phenomenon, and
occasionally, potent anthropomorphic figures (engkaramba).
Natural dyes were once widely used prior to the introduction
of chemical dyes in the early 20th century. The characteristic reddish hues of
the pua were obtained from various
plants including engkudu root (Morinda citrifolia) and engkerebai leaves (Psychotria sp.). Tarum or
indigo was also used, but mainly to overdye.
Today, contemporary pua feature simpler designs, floral or geometrical in nature. Some
weavers have also experimented using silk yarn to produce much finer pieces,
while others have even tried out new colour schemes.
Sumber : Bahagian Pemuliharaan, Kraftangan Malaysia
Artikel ini telah ditulis pada
hari Selasa
, Selasa, April 17, 2012
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