Traditional handicrafts abound in Malaysia. You'll find
everything from modern hand-made crafts to priceless antiques.
Here's just a selection.
Crafted water vessels make unique souvenirs, including Labu
Sayong, a black, gourd-shaped clay jar used to store and cool
water, as well as the terenang.
If you'd like some unique kitchen equipment you might like to
pick up a belanga, a round-based, wide-rimmed cooking pot commonly
used to cook curries, as well as some of the numerous other
traditional metal or wooden kitchenware.
Malaysia's substantial timber industry means that wooden items
can be purchased in many forms, including antique Malay-styled
engraved panels, keris dagger handles, Chinese containers, unique
Orang Asli spirit sculptures, intricate walking sticks and carved
scented woods
Traditional brass casting and bronze working techniques are
still used to make an array of utensils, and the discovery of tin
in Malaysia has led to high quality Malaysian pewter. Some examples
of these include tepak sireh sets, rose-water instruments and keris
blades.
Traditional items such as bags, baskets, mats, hats, tudung saji
and sepak raga balls are made using local plant fibres such as
bamboo, rattan, pandan and mengkuang leaves.
Malaysia's traditional textiles are greatly sought after,
including batik, songket, pua kumbu and tekat. These textiles are
made into all sorts of decorative items, from haute couture clothes
to shoes, colourful curtains and delicate bed linen. Malaysian
batik offers an endless array of styles, designs and colours and is
usually made using traditional methods rather than
mass-produced.
Jewellery and accessories range from indigenous beadwork from
Borneo to ornate and sophisticated gold and silver pieces.
Traditional pieces include brooches, hairpins and belt buckles.