Orang Ulu weavers succeed in breaking world record for longest mat

Debong (second right) raising the Guinness World Record certificate as Nath (left), Rohani (second left) and Sjotveit (right) witness on.

Debong (second right) raising the Guinness World Record certificate as Nath (left), Rohani (second left) and Sjotveit (right) look on.

BELAGA: Over 400 Orang Ulu weavers from Bakun, Murum and Baram communities have earned themselves the title of the Guinness World Record for the longest woven mat in the world.

Measuring 1128.272m long and 28 inches wide, they were able to smash the previous record held by Sweden for having the longest rug measuring at 797.51m in 2010.

Organised by Belaga’s women NGO, Peng Doh Belaga and sponsored by Sarawak Energy, the world record attempt united weavers from three communities to weave the rattan floor mat as a symbol of a shared heritage to be preserved for the younger generation of Orang Ulu.

The attempt also showcased the weavers’ craftsmanship and artistic talent on a global platform.

Since January this year, they have been weaving sections of the mat in their respective longhouses with their efforts recorded in a documentary titled ‘The Mat Weavers Tale’.

They finally came together on May 13 and weaved the pieces as one at the Bakun Resettlement Scheme, Sungai Asap here.

Hailing from over 30 different longhouses, the 400 weavers were from five sub-ethnic groups of the Orang Ulu namely Kayan, Kenyah, Buket, Penan and Lahanan.

The initiative also saw the other villagers assisting in terms of harvesting, stripping and transporting the rattan.

One of the weavers holds up the completed mat.

According to the project director Livan Tajang, mats plays a significant role in the Orang Ulu communities.

“When we were born, we were laid upon on a mat during the naming ceremony. When we die, our bodies will be wrapped using a mat,” she explained.

“It symbolises our entry into this world and also our departure from this world.”

Sarawak Energy chief executive officer Datuk Torstein Dale Sjotveit lauded the determination shown by the women weavers in wanting to leave a cultural footprint of great importance to the Orang Ulu community.

He said, “I believe this effort have reawakened an interest in the wonderful art of mat weaving of the Orang Ulu so that this wonderful heritage lives on.”

Rishi Nath, an official adjudicator from the Guinness World Record organisation flew in to judge the event.

He congratulated the three communities for a job well done.

Present to witness their achievement were Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim and other officials.

#MatWeaversTale Peng Doh Belaga pecah rekod dunia Tikar Terpjg dgn1128.272 meter atasi Sweden 797.51meter @501Awani http://pic.twitter.com/Znr5ZQ1VnJ

— Noraida Abdul Kassim (@eida0109) May 16, 2016