Glamorous Puak from Dayak

(id) 14 Juni 2010 - 10:20 WIB

Ema Arifah / Arwani - translated by Rosmi Julitasari

VHRmedia, Jakarta – Before they invented fabrics, Dayak tribe used bark to cover their bodies. On fashion designers’ hands, now the traditional clothes, renowned as puak, were changed into a modern and glamorous fashion.

 

Usually, Puak is worn by brooms and brides, or on a special ceremony of Dayak tribe. “Puak used to be worn to cover the body. But now, fashion designers in West Kalimantan modified it to be more glamorous and modern,” said Yasinta of Bentang Center Gallery, Pontianak, on Dayak Cultural Happening Art in Bentara Budaya Jakarta, Sunday (6/13).

 

Puak is made off bark of wood cork. The bark is planed and then beaten to be fabrics. After that, it is pressed by rubber machine until it is completely thick. It takes up to one month to make the puak.

 

Modern puak is modified by fabrics, coconut shell, rope, sequins, or beads, so it can show glamorous side of puak. The process is very complicated and needs long time to finish it, in order to achieve art values. “It can be sold at Rp 3million per clothe,” Yasinta said. (E4)