Meet the master craftspeople defending Malaysian arts and crafts

Azizah was awarded the Tokoh Kraf Negara in 2018. Photos: Filepic

In a double-storey house at Kampung Rampayan Laut in Kota Belud, Sabah, lives Pandian Sulaiman, a 69-year-old master craftswoman. She’s known for her expertise in weaving the Dastar, a traditional hand-woven cloth of the Iranun community, an ethnic group mainly found in the northern Sabah district.

Pandian runs a Dastar weaving workshop next to her home, which is officially recognised by the state government and is often on the Sabah Tourism Board’s recommended list of interesting places to visit.