Munah keeps art of Mengkuang weaving alive

Though the mats, a must-have in most Malay homes, have been replaced with synthetic floor mats or colourful carpets over the years, many still appreciate its fine craftsmanship and this has spurred Munah Othman of Kampung Baru Selama Estet in Bandar Baharu, Kedah South, to keep this dying art alive.

Munah, 60, when met by Bernama recently at her home said, she could produce between 10 and 15 mats of various sizes in a month, and the price ranges from RM65 to RM180 a piece.

"Initially I made them for my own use, but when visitors came over and saw the beautiful handicraft in my house, they became interested and started placing their orders," she said.

While the entire weaving process is undertaken by Munah alone, her husband Abdul Khalid Man, 70, would assist her in going into the forest to look for the screwpine leaves.

“We will usually be out as early as 8.30 am and it would take about two to three hours cutting the leaves.

“With the sharp thorns running along both edges, it is normal to cut our fingers when stripping them off with a knife,” she said.

"We do have screwpine plants grown around our house but they are not sufficient,” she said adding that to produce two pieces of mats, it required about 120 mengkuang stems.

According to Munah the weaving skill had been passed down to her from her mother, and the income earned was to help her husband, formerly an estate worker, in raising their 10 children, now aged between 24 and 47 years old.

"Weaving mengkuang mats is time consuming as it is intricate and requires patience. This is because as the day wears on, the leaves harden making it difficult to intertwine.

"But everything has come easy for me as I enjoy what I am doing and weaving has been my passion,” said Munah while expressing her willingness to teach young people interested in this traditional craftsmanship.

Meanwhile, Bandar Baharu state assemblyman Datuk Norsabrina Mohd Noor said to her knowledge, Munah is the only person still actively pursuing this traditional art in the district.

She said Munah’s mengkuang mat products have the potential to be commercialised and she would assist her to expand her business and move forward, adding that the handicraft skill could be introduced to youths interested to produce and sell mengkuang mats as a source of income.

On Feb 1, Norsabrina in her Facebook update informed about her visit to Munah's house where she witnessed the mengkuang mat weaving process.

She added that as Munah’s creation only came in the mengkuang leave natural colour, she has introduced her to a supplier who could help produce more colourful and attractive mats.