| Relics
and other various artistic heritage of Brunei Darussalam
besides the ones mentioned above include Malay weaponry,
woodcarvings, traditional games, traditional musical
instruments, 'silat' (the traditional art of self defense)
and decorative items for women.
Cambodia: Angkor Wat, the world's largest
temple and the other temples of the Angkor Archaeological
Park are Cambodia's greatest works of art. Angkor Wat
has been called the "eighth wonder of the world"
and contains many sculptures, and stone carvings depicting
epic Indian stories such as The Mahabharata and The
Ramayana. In the Bayon, in Angkor Thom, carvings show
people going about their daily lives, farming and shopping.
The craft of carving continues today, along with crafts
such as silver work and weaving.
Indonesia:
Indonesian crafts have various styles,
patterns and designs. Most of the patterns and designs
were inherited from ancestors with various cultural
backgrounds. Traditional or spiritual values from many
tribes are reflected in the colors, forms and typical
crafts from various regions.
Cloth
weaving with different motifs, patterns, and colors
are done all over the country. Songket and ikat weaving
are done in Sumbawa, Flores, Kalimantan, South Sumatra,
West Sumatra, Bali and East Timor.
Indonesia
is well known for its rattan baskets. Earthenware, ceramics
and silverware are also part of Indonesian crafts. Other
crafts include plait work of lontar leaves, bamboo and
pandanus leaves into various forms such as baskets,
bags, hats, mats, wallets and household articles.
Laos PDR:
The most famous Lao craft is hand-woven textiles made
from locally produced cotton and silk. The motifs in
Lao textiles include thousand year old symbols such
as Tantric diamonds providing protection from evil spirits.
Animal motifs include people, birds, spirits, and mythical
animals such as the royal long-nosed lion, naga snakes,
and the two-headed river dragon. The best weavings are
usually associated with religious occasions. In some
parts of Laos priests or priestesses use a special style
of red scarf in purification ceremonies. Besides textiles,
other crafts include embroidery, basket making, batik,
and woodcarving.
Malaysia:
Malaysia has a variety of crafts. The more popular crafts
in Malaysia include batik, songket weaving, kite making,
pewter making, knife making, weaving and wood carving.
Songket, woven from gold and silver threads, is used
for ceremonial occasions and weddings.
Malaysian
batik is perhaps the most well known in the world. There
are four methods to batik making - tie dying, block-printed,
silk-screened or simply by drawing with a free hand.
Free hand and block printing are the most widely used
methods of making batik designs. Designs are painted
on in wax, with the cloth then being immersed in a dye
bath.
Kite
making as a craft is widely practiced in Kelantan. Various
types of kites include wau kuching (cat kite), wau merak
(peacock kite), and wau bulan (moon kite). Kite-making
requires tremendous skill and patience and this knowledge
is usually handed down from father to son.
Weaving is particularly popular in the east coast states
of Kelantan and Terengganu on the Malay Peninsula. Pandan
and Mengkuang leaves are woven into baskets, mats, wallets,
lampshades, food covers, handbags, hats and even sandals.
Malaysia
is famed for its Selangor Pewter - a mixture of tin,
copper and antimony, which is made into over 1000 different
tableware and gift items. Other crafts include silver
craft from Kelantan, renowned for its intricacy of design
and superior workmanship. Silversmiths use two kinds
of techniques - filigree and repousse. Items range from
the functional to the purely ornamental and include
fruit bowls, tea sets, ash trays, brooches and bracelets.
Myanmar:
Myanmar has a rich history in crafts. Mandalay, the
ancient capital and the glory of Myanmar Kings, represents
the largest repository of Myanmar crafts. The pagodas,
religious monuments, and major Buddhist sculptures seen
all over Myanmar are authentic examples of the rich
tradition of Bagan crafts and of prior eras of craftmanship
so evident throughout Myanmar's history.
Tapestry,
one of Myanmar arts and crafts mainly originated in
Mandalay and famous souvenir. Myanmar tapestry involves
an intricate weaving of colored threads with appliqué
work and lavish embellishment with gilded materials
and semi precious gems to yield a picture
In
Myanmar, gold leaves are widely sold at the famous pagodas
to gild the Buddha image or stupa with gold leaf. Sheets
of gold are beaten into gossamer-thin pieces, which
are cut into squares and sold in packets to devotees
to use for gilding images or even complete stupas.
Since
Myanmar produces good quality teak wood, lavish embellishment
with wood carvings can be seen at the religious buildings
and hotels. Wood carving furniture and other decorative
materials are widely used in Myanmar.
In
Mandalay, ancient brass moulding factories produce innumerable
Buddha images and other decorated objects. They are
still using primitive technique very skillfully.
Phillippines:
Weaving is one of the important crafts of Philippines.
Fibers from piña, piña seda, banana seda,
banana or abaca leaves are widely used in weaving clothes.
Apart
from cloths, various other craft items are made from
these leaves. Abaca is used in making braided bowls
and bins. Buri is used for making hats, boxes and other
novelty items. Caragumoy is used traditionally for mat-making,
hats, bags and baskets. Pandan-Dagat is made into hats
and mats and ahs evolved to be a favored material for
cushions and canisters. Coconut is probably the most
utilized palm in the Philippines. The cocomidrib is
used primarily in the handicraft industry as a material
for coarse brooms (tingting) and baskets. It can be
dyed easily and formed into interesting products such
as canisters and tabletop accessories (ceramic liners,
bowls, etc) in combination with other materials.
In
addition, bamboo and rattan are widely used in making
furniture items.
Thailand:
Thailand has a uniquely long-standing tradition of arts
and crafts. Unlike most of its neighbours, it has never
been occupied by a foreign power or engaged in wars
of conquest. Thailand has enjoyed a relatively peaceful
development since ancient times. Patronized by the court
and the temples, the designs and craftsmanship of Thai
artisans has flourished.
Thailand's
handicrafts are delicate in workmanship and intricate
in design, giving people in other countries a glimpse
of what Thai culture is all about. Thai craftspeople
are adroit in making beautiful handmade crafts, gifts
and decorative items for the home and garden.
Thai textiles are probably the best-known example of
its indigenous handicrafts. Other craft items include
silverware, laquerware, jewelry, earthenware, baskets
furniture and wood carving. Wooden pieces can be crafted
into elegant floral displays, stunning carvings or graceful
and unusual furniture.
Vietnam:
Vietnam is a land of handicrafts, so long established
and so varied that the names of many villages, hamlets
and city streets have become synonymous over the centuries
with particular occupations or production processes.
Wood carving gave birth as a matter of course to the
art of lacquer-work, then to other crafts such as the
production of red paint from mineral sands. The skill
of the gold and silver smiths further embellished and
increased the value of each lacquered item. The Vietnamese
people have traditionally coated their utensils with
lacquer in order to enhance their durability and beauty.
Lacquered objects are to be found in profusion in any
house, pagoda, temple, palace or shrine, and the hundreds
of thousands of items that survive to this day attest
to the important position held by this particular craft
in the nation's cultural history.
Other crafts include embroidery, weaving, pottery making,
and wickerwork. Some of the products of wickerwork include
baskets for winnowing, bags, mats, blinds, lattices,
chopsticks and even building materials. In Vietnam,
wickerwork incorporates a unique blend of the practical
and aesthetic.
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