BASKET MAKING AT MALACCA. 5 



bottom centre of the basket is reached when they cross each 

 other for strength and are cut off invisibly. On the way the 

 pretty designs are made by twisting the strands between 

 thumb and forefinger. This produces a raised ornamental 

 twist which is very attractive. The ornamentation is done by 

 twisting the strands, and starts from a single stitches called"Bras 

 Goring," or rice grains, and a star of six such stitches called 

 "Bunga Tanjong" flower of Mimusops lengi and a hexagon 

 built round the " Bunga Tanjong " called the " Bunga Kuntum," 

 or flower bud. These simple patterns are worked into large 

 and small triangles and diamonds called " puchok rebong " or 

 bamboo shoots, or " potong baji " or wedges. Combinations of 

 triangles are called "puchok rebong berantai " or festoons of 

 bamboo shoots, and " bunga tiga bersegi berantai " or festoons 

 of 3 sided ornaments. The edging round all the baskets is 

 called " bunga pending," or belt (PL 5). The lids are made in a 

 similar manner of the same number of strands as the bottoms 

 only woven slightly more loosely. The women make and sell 

 their baskets in nests or " susun " of five baskets, each basket 

 fitting into another very nearly (PI. 3). There should only be 

 the difference of two strands between each size. The baskets 

 are made in various shapes and forms — square, long, oval, 

 triangular, and diamond-shaped (PI. 3 and 5). All are built 

 up in the same way, starting with a six sided basket but with 

 added strands to bring to any other required shape. This is 

 an art by itself and many who can make hexagonal baskets 

 cannot make other shapes, therefore the hexagonal are the 

 cheapest; 50 cents extra being asked for the fancy shapes. 

 The long and the square are the most difficult. They also 

 make a basket of tiers, one on top of another, the lid of the 

 lower basket making also the bottom of the next, and so on. 

 This they call a " tengkat " and it is now almost a lost art. 

 Another fancy shape is the " tudong gelok " (a pointed-shaped 

 cover). They also make very coarse, large ornamented baskets 

 which are much bought by Europeans for carrying clothes 

 (plate 3). The women who make these live at Tanjong Kling, 

 but all in a separate quarter of the kampong from the finer 

 workers. It takes them a month to make a nest of very 



R. A. Soc, No. 46, 1906 



