It is pretty hard to find tikar mengkuang today. I think it is slowly being replaced with the plastic mat. It took me ages to find somebody that can make one for me and my quest to find tikar mengkuang had brought me all the way to Terengganu. I remember when I was small, an old lady used to come door to door to sell tikar mengkuang, but not anymore. I’m not sure whether she is still around but I haven’t seen her for ages. In my opinion, not only it the art of weaving tikar meangkuang is dying, the mengkuang itself is hard to find today.
Some people frowned when I asked whether they know of any place/people that sell tikar mengkuang. They think that I’m old fashion girl. I don’t care what people think but I know that I love the smell of tikar mengkuang and I want one for my room. It feels so comfortable to sleep on it on a hot day and it also reminds me of my childhood.
The whole weaving process is a dying art and not many from our young generations are keen to learn it. I think the Craft Center is making the effort to preserve the skill. I saw some tikar mengkuang being displayed at the center in Kota Bharu. The tourists seem to appreciate it but our own people….
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment