`PUA' - THE WARP-IKAT WEAVINGS OF THE IBAN OF SARAWAK, ARE WIDELY ACKNOWLEDGED AS AMONG THE FINEST IN THE REGION. THE PUA KUMBU (CEREMONIAL BLANKETS), BIDANG (SKIRTS), KALAMBI (JACKETS), SIRAT (LOINCLOTH), AND DANGDONG (SHOULDER CLOTH) ARE NOT MERELY GARMENTS, BUT HAVE SPECIAL AND RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE THAT CAN ONLY STIR A CURIOSITY BEYOND A VISUAL AND ARTISTIC APPRECIATION - A CURIOSITY ABOUT THE WHOLE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF A PEOPLE; AND THE MOSTLY ANONYMOUS ARTISTS WHO CREATED THEM. THERE
IS A NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE SPLENDID SYMBOLS THAT SEEM TO BE REPEATED TIME AND AGAIN ON DIFFERENT WEAVINGS; A BETTER KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE WEAVING TECHNIQUE AND THE USE OF NATURAL DYES; A BETTER INSIGHT INTO THE GREAT TRADITION OF IBAN ARTISTIC EXPRESSION. IT
IS THE AIM THAT SUCH GREAT ARTISTS OF THIS UNIQUE CRAFT-TECHNIQUE ARE GIVEN THEIR DUE RECOGNITION, AND TO GENERATE THE INTEREST AND APPRECIATION OF THE `PUA' HERITAGE, THAT THE TRADITION MAY NOT ONLY BE PERPETUATED, BUT THAT THE ARTISTRY WOULD ALSO ENRICH OUR LIVES. EDRIC
ONG'S BOOK IS A STANDARD WORK ON THE PUA OF SARAWAK, WITH FULL COLOUR ILLUSTRATIONS. | 
