Meet one of the few male weavers in Sabah

Rizan spends at least one week to finish a piece of artwork. — SHAHRIZAN JUIN

In many cultures and communities, weaving is a craft practised only by women. But that doesn’t mean men can’t learn how to do it, or even make a living from it.

Shahrizan Juin, 28, is one such person. Hailing from Keningau, Sabah, Shahrizan claims to be “one of the only male weavers” in the district, and is proud of it. He has been weaving since he was 10.

“It is traditionally only done by women, but being able to weave is very important to me,” says the passionate weaver, who is of Dusun Liwan descent.

As a kid, Rizan, as he prefers to be known, enjoyed watching his grandmother weave. He would observe her patiently from a corner, while she meticulously wove the bamboo strips together. Feeling a sense of responsibility to carry on his grandmother’s legacy, Rizan started picking up the skill soon after.

“If no one continues to learn how to do it, the craft will eventually die,” he says.

Sabahan weaver Shahrizan is said to be ‘one of the only male weavers in Keningau.’ — LOW LAY PHON/The Star

Instead of just producing mats or bags, Shahrizan also creates beautiful textiles, using an ancient weaving technique. Most of his works are made with a backstrap loom, an old tool used by weavers in the past.

He says that one of the most challenging things for him to do is creating contemporary motifs.

Among the motifs he’s done are the “mansau-ansau” (which means to travel or journey, usually aimlessly, in the Kadazandusun language) pattern, buah duku and lembing or spear.

Rizan says that weaving textiles would usually take him no more than two weeks to complete. However, he spent more than a year creating mansau-ansau.

“It’s 15m long, and every piece represents the many unknowns in our journey. As for buah duku, I was inspired by a memory of someone climbing the duku tree, while attempting to pluck the fruit,” he shares.

Rizan wants to raise awareness on his ancestral craft as a way to preserve his cultural heritage and identity.

“I hope to also reshape people’s perception of mat weaving – it’s not just restricted to women, men can weave too!” says Rizan.