Lesson 2 Southeast Asian Folk

Arts and Crafts

Learning Targets
At the end of the lesson, you are expected to
1. identify and differentiate the arts and crafts of Southeast Asian countries;
2. create a replica of artwork designs of Southeast Asian countries dis-
playing the creativity of the people of the region; and
3. explain how they value the importance of preserving their traditional
arts and crafts.

Getting Ready
How are the folk arts and crafts of Southeast Asian countries unique
and different from others? Look at the pictures below and tell something
about them.

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 Learn and Share

Southeast Asian people are believed to be more “receptive” than

“creative,” which is reflected in how much they were influenced by other
civilizations. Later scholars, however, agreed that Southeast Asians,
especially those in the mainland (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos,
Myanmar/Burma), were already cultivating plants, making pottery, and
using bronze at about the same time as the peoples of ancient Middle East
so that it can be said that civilization spread from mainland Southeast Asia
to China and India and not the other way around. The belief that Southeast
Asians are “receptive” of foreign influences may have stemmed from their
apparent lack of strong tradition in art theory and literary and dramatic
criticism because they are more concerned with the actual production of
beautiful things than by the concept of aesthetics.

Indonesia
ART

Wayang is a Javanese word that denotes the traditional theater forms

in Indonesia. It means a “representation of a person” as in the form of
puppets and human stage characters. There are several forms of puppet
in theaters, such as the well-known leather shadow puppet, Wayang
Kulit, the flat wooden puppet, Wayang Klithik, and the three-dimensional
dressed puppets Wayang Golek. The Wayang Purwa is the most popular
genre of Wayang Kulit. Its plot is based on the Javanese versions of India’s
Mahabharata and Ramayana. Another is Wayang Gedog, which is the
story about the Javanese Prince named Panji of Koripan and Princess
Candra Kirana of Kediri. The performance of the Wayang Kulit lasts from
early evening to around 7:30 in the morning, accompanied by gamelan
ensemble.

Wayang Kulit shadow theater

The noble Prince Panji Princess Sita

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Malaysia
Wau Bulan, one of the national symbols of Malaysia, is an intricately
designed Malaysian moon-kite traditionally flown by men in
Kelantan. Wau Bulan got its name from the crescent moonlike
shape of its lower portion; bulan means “moon” in Bahasa. It is
bigger than other Malaysian traditional kites. Its usual size, 2.5
meters in width by 3.5 meters in length, makes its design very
visible when flown. It is typically designed with huge, colored floral
patterns. Wau bulan has various types, examples are wau kucing
or cat kite and wau merak or peacock kite.

Wau Bulan Wau Kucing (cat kite)

Wau Merak Other types of Wau

In Malaysia, there is a metal alloy called pewter. It is traditionally composed

of 85–99% tin, mixed with copper, antimony, bismuth, and sometimes
silver or lead. The word pewter is probably a variation of the word spelter,
a term for zinc alloys (originally a colloquial name for zinc). It was first
used in the beginning of the Bronze Age in the Near East and the earliest
piece of it was found in an Egyptian tomb. There are three grades of

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 pewter: first is the “fine metal,” used for tableware. Next is the “trifling
metal” or “trifle,” used for hollowware which is made up of fine metal with
approximately 4% lead. Lastly is the “lay” or “ley” metal used for items
that do not involve food or drink. This consisted of 15% tin with lead.
These three alloys were used with little variation until the 20th century.

Pieces of Pewter
ART

Thailand
Loi Krathong Festival was created by Buddhists in Thailand in order to honor
the original Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. The word loi literally means “to
float” while the word krathong stands for the lotus-shaped vessel that
is usually made from a banana tree stalk or even bread. It is decorated
with banana leaves, candles, and flowers and then it is left afloat down
a river on the night of full moon during the 12th month in the Thai lunar
calendar, which is usually November in the western calendar. This act
is symbolic of letting go of all anger and grudges and starting over, and
many people believe that it will also bring good luck and happiness.

The Loi Krathong Festival in Thailand

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Cambodia
Cambodian art history stretches back to ancient pottery, silk, basket
weaving, and stone carving. Its culture and arts have played a big role
in the development of tourism in the country as tourist market. The
government and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) have contributed
to the preservation of Cambodian culture. Cambodia produces many
hand-made items, such as furniture, intricate stones, and wood carvings,
colorful woven mats and baskets, and a variety of silver and silk ware.
Many of these items animals-peackocks are used regularly in the daily
lives of the Cambodian people. Most of the designs used in their crafts
make use of images of flowers, animals, crowns, jewels, and other motifs
inspired by the Angkor era, or handed down from previous generations.
Because of this, Cambodia was recognized as the home of the most
diverse and abundant arts and culture in Southeast Asia.

Cambodian pottery, silverware, and traditional lacquerware

Vietnam
Vietnam has a unique handicrafts industry featuring its products usually
named after the village that creates them. These products are also
considered as the pride of the village wherein most of the skillful craftsmen
have their own unique designs that are impossible to mimic. There were
eight traditional handicrafts in Vietnam.

1. Bat Trang Porcelain Village (Ha Noi)—a pottery-making village where

the pottery is made of a special kind of clay – the white clay
2. Van Phuc Silk Village (Ha Dong – Ha Noi)—a measuring village
with its silk famous for smoothness, softness, and coolness; and it is
an in-demand product in the country and is exported to many other
countries
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 3. Tho Ha Village (Bac Giang)—a pottery-making village where pottery
is extremely durable and lasts a long time, even though it is buried in
the ground or soaked in water for a long time
4. Dong Ho Painting Village (Bac Ninh)—a famous painting-making
village in Vietnam
5. Tay Ho – Conical Hat Village—(Hue)— a conical hat-making village
where the conical hats are famous for their thinness, gentle color,
subtleness, and beauty in the sewing
6. My Nghiep Village (Ninh Thuan)­­—a cham-brocade weaving-making
village where the craftsmen still utilize the traditional weaving method
to make brocade
7. Chau Giang Brocade Village (An Giang)—a a brocade weaving village
which includes not only the traditional beauty of brocade but also the
uniqueness of Cham’s culture
8. Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquer Village (Binh Duong)—a lacquer village
ART

industrialized with detailed line system but still retains the unique style
of each family.

Vietnam Pottery Products The Conical Hats of Tay Ho

Brunei

The Artistic legacy, appreciation, and continuity of national culture in

Brunei are held in high esteem in accordance with national concept of
Malay Islamic Monarchy. Its traditional arts and handicrafts include silver

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smithing/silverwork, weaving such as kain tenunan, woordcarving, and
head-gear or songkok. These are still handcrafted by skilled artisans and
sold through government agencies and private enterprises in the country.

Silver smithing Kain Tenunan

Myanmar

Myanmar arts and crafts mainly originated in Mandalay and they are
famous as souvenirs. The tapestry, which involves an intricate weaving of
colored threads with appliqué work and lavish embellishment with gilded
materials and precious gems, yields a picture. It was originally used by
royalty and monks mostly for ceremonial and decorative purposes, since
they were made of real gold, silver, and precious stones. Another type of
arts and crafts are the ancient Kalagas (a traditional name for embroidered
tapestries) which were made for royal palaces. There is also a well-known
ancient craft technique of attaching gold and silver threads, called shwe
chi doe, to the backing of a cloth and decorated with glass beads.

Kalaga Tapestry, Myanmar

Shwe Chi Doe - gold and silver thread embroidery

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 Activity

Clay Pottery
Materials
1. Modelling clay
2. Popsicle stick
3. Toothpick
4. Water
Procedure
1. Roll some clay around your hand to form a ball. Press the ball flat to
form a circular base for the pot.
2. Make several long coils of clay to form the pot.
3. Use a toothpick to line the edge of the pot’s base, and on the side of
coils.
ART

4. Gently press the edge of the coil against the base.

5. On the other side of the pot, use the popsicle stick or a finger stick or
a fingertip to rub a bit from the middle of the bottom coil downward
to the base.
6. Continue adding coils, scoring, and smoothening each one to finish
the pot.
7. Make the inside pot even smoother by moistening your fingertips.
8. Be sure to press your other hand against the outside of the pot so
that it does not collapse.
9. Smooth the coils outside the pot.
10. Cut designs on the pot if you wish. Be sure to scour both surfaces
when you attach handles or decorations.

Keep in Mind

 Southeast Asian countries traditional arts have specific importance

to the culture and life of Asians and are inspired by symbolism and
motif.
 Most of the designs used in the crafts of Columbia are incorporated
from the images of flowers, animals, crowns, jewels, and other motifs.

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 Evaluation

Describe some of the Southeast Asian arts and crafts.

Arts and Crafts Description

1. Indonesia
Wayang Kulit
2. Malaysia
Wau Bulan
3. Thailand
Loi Krathong
4. Vietnam
Tay Ho
5. Myanmar
Kalagas

Values Integration

Cite at least two examples of how people in Southeast Asian countries

value the importance of preserving their traditional arts and crafts.

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