Kumang Iban's Facebook Page

Hello there readers...

For the past few months eversince Kumang Gawai competitions being going on during the pre-Gawai period I was thinking it would be nice if I can put all the Kumang "Alumni" in compilation of albums according to district/division/State/National or other different competitions such as the Borneo Hornbill Festival and the Miss World Harvest Festival.

 

Basically this page will feature the many Iban beauties who have reigned as Kumang and their experiences and advise to the younger future Kumang hopefuls. Not only focusing on photos, this page will show the various accessories worn in a Kumang competition.

The cover page...

The album page..(will be updated with more compilation of photos).

Would love it so much if my Facebook friends can tag their collection of Kumang Gawai photos for this page's compilation from here we can see who's who in the Kumang arena and also the evolution of the ngepan indu Iban...Do help me ya :)

 

I hope I can reach out to the community on Kumang Iban through Facebook, the medium that almost everybody is addicted to.

 

Cheers!

Antin Pirak (Silver Stud Earring)

After searching high and low around Kuching town finally I found the silver stud earrings). 

" Kumang, the great beauty of all Iban goddesses, was the epitome of style and class. She only wore the kain kebat, rawai tinggi betating pirak and an elegant silver lampit belt, the sugu, a pair of stud ear-rings, silver necklaces and a complete set of tumpak pirak for the lower and upper arms. Maybe some feet bangles with tiny bells too. In her right hand a white lace handkerchief, in her left the silver buah pauh - her purse. And tucked discreetly in between her sanggul siput, a flower - the seri mua. "

*Note: this is the depiction of the English writer during the days of his stay with the Saribas tribe. It may differ from the Iban from other tribe. 

It is quite difficult for me to find this silver stud earrings and if there is it may not be a pair but I stroke jackpot and found two pair of silver stud earrings. It was said by the manager of the gallery that normally the silver works (mostly intricate ones) are made by the Chinese goldsmiths. He further told me and my brother that these pieces are quite old and could reached around a hundred years.

Stud no.1

Side view

Rear view

Stud No.2

Side view

Rear view

This pair is about the size of 
Malaysian 50 cent coin

The second stud is almost 
the size of a 20 cent coin

Close up view of the more intricate stud

 

The "fake" silver stud earrings 
in the middle

During the photoshoot at Taman Tasik Permaisuri

During the Borneo Hornbill Festival 2011

Due to the non-existent of the silver stud earrings during my quest to wear the almost authentic Ngepan Indu Saribas, I had to wear the "fake" silver stud bought at a local accessories store in Kuala Lumpur so as to look as close as to the original one. 

So there you go,silver stud earrings or what the Iban call antin pirak. For those who are interested there are still a few antin pirak available in Kuching, provided you have the will to look for it...

                          
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