Founders Ngo (left) and Fong has grown Tanoti into a network of over 600 artisans, spread across 25 remote villages. — Photos: Tanoti
IN 2012, when the future of a weaving workshop hung in the balance due to funding issues, a social enterprise was set up to assume this community of weavers and allow them to continue producing songket.
Today, Tanoti Sdn Bhd has grown from just 11 songket weavers to a vibrant network of over 600 artisans spread across 25 remote villages.
Founded by Dr June Ngo and Jacqueline Fong, the organisation represents seven ethnic groups and a full spectrum of Sarawakian indigenous handicrafts.
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It has expanded its scope over the years to include indigenous food products, offering tourism and training services, and developing content that highlights the cultural significance of crafts.
Accessing markets, both local and international, presents another crucial aspect of Tanoti’s mission.
The enterprise has been working with various designers and design houses to further their crafts, adding home decor and fashion to their growing list of products.
“For instance, we have been collaborating with product design house, Aureole Design, since 2019 to develop unique products with our traditional craft techniques, and our Ketupat Pouf has received the Malaysia Good Design Award 2023,” said Fong.
“We also frequently collaborate with fashion designer Melinda Looi to produce fashion garments and accessories for her own market,” she added.
Recently, singer Aina Abdul wore a gown specially created by Melinda Looi, in collaboration with rattan artisans from the Penan ethnic group in Sungai Tutoh village, Baram, Sarawak, at an event to celebrate National Unity Week 2024.
Tanoti facilitated this collaboration, resulting in a voluminous gown made of rattan, adorned with pink embroidery.
These collaborations result in the creation of innovative products that blend traditional craft techniques with contemporary design.
Tanoti’s initiative enables artisans in rural Sarawak to continue practising their craft.
Facing up to the challenges
Preserving traditional Sarawakian crafts is more than just a matter of maintaining cultural heritage; it is a crucial lifeline for remote communities.
Many of these artisans live far from urban centres, where job opportunities are scarce.
By marketing their crafts, Tanoti not only preserves these ancient techniques but also creates economic opportunities.
The sale of handcrafted products helps generate income for artisans, which is reinvested into their villages, fostering local economies.
This model has proven remarkably effective in Sarawak, where vast landscapes and dispersed populations present both challenges and opportunities for economic activation through traditional crafts.
“When I first started engaging with the communities, the biggest challenge was the lack of telecommunication infrastructure,” said Fong. “Work orders were hard to relay and production was difficult to monitor.”
Creations such as this handwoven clutch highlight traditional crafts in the fashion industry.
“Over time, this problem literally overcame itself, with the government’s various initiatives to install WiFi facilities around the time of the pandemic, and as more and more towers are being built, telecommunications will only improve. I’m happy to see that today, almost all of our artisans are accessible by data communications.”
Ensuring sustainability of the industry
Beyond just supporting artisans, keeping the craft relevant and desirable demands collaborative efforts between the government, institutional and private stakeholders together with the artisans themselves.
“For all industries to sustain, they have to stay relevant. For crafts to sustain, the consumer market has to have the desire to consume; and similarly, the producers need to find a reason to produce crafts. At Tanoti, we put in a lot of effort into advocacy – we advocate to the public as much as we advocate to artisans,” said Fong.
Tanoti is also a partner in the Hasanah Gold Threads Awards – the other partner is ASEAN Handicraft Promotion & Development Association (AHPADA) – where it highlights Malaysia’s rich heritage textiles, showcasing them through exhibitions, artisan residencies and media campaigns.
This award is presented by Yayasan Hasanah and the Ministry of Finance.
A handwoven songket shawl in silk organza, which can also be worn as a top, paired with a grand songket fabric that can be tailored for a baju kurung and other styles of clothing.
“The awards’ programme include a four-month run exhibition, artisan residencies, demonstrations and talks, as well as a comprehensive media campaign in order to make our heritage textiles and their artisans more relatable and more accessible to the general public,” said Fong, who added that they also work with Maybank Foundation to build capacity and upskill weavers.
Accessing markets, both local and international, presents another crucial aspect of Tanoti’s mission.
Traditionally, the focus was on selling crafts as products, however, Tanoti has diversified its approach by offering crafts as services and content as well.
Artisans now provide tourism services, conduct workshops and engage in content creation, such as performing on stage or participating in video productions.
This expanded model not only enhances income opportunities for artisans but also helps to increase their visibility in broader markets.
“I believe that the industry is at its infancy and there is still a long way to go to access more markets. A lot more work needs to be done, to be able to capture both the local and the international audience,” said Fong.
While the impact of these collaborations on nation-building may still be unfolding, they represent significant steps toward creating a more integrated cultural landscape.
In serving as a bridge between Sarawak and the rest of the country, Tanoti’s efforts are a testament to this, and to the power of preserving and celebrating traditional crafts through their various collaborations.
