For 34 years, this Malaysian master weaver has carried on the pua kumbu tradition

As the Rumah Gare Indu Ngar, Bangie is committed to her responsibility to conduct the ritual at least twice a year. — Photos: BEN FOO

Bangie Embol can’t remember how long her ancestors have lived next to Sungai Kain, an almost two-hour drive from Kapit in central Sarawak. But the 79-year-old remembers her first weaving experience.

“At 10, I learned to weave from my master weaver grandmother, who raised me after my mother died when I was only two months old.”