THE ISLAND OF BORNEO

Sabah, Malaysia's easternmost state lies to the north of the Island of Borneo, surrounded by the waters of the South China Sea on the west, the Sulu Sea on the north-east and the Celebes Sea on the south-east. Inland, it is bordered by the state of Sarawak, Malaysia's other state in West Malaysia, and, Kalimantan a provincial territory of Indonesia. Formerly a British trading post and colony until 1963, the state has some fifty ethnic groups. About thirty of these groups consist of the indigenous people. These groups are further classified into three main groups of people namely, the Dusun Kadazan, the Murut, and the Bajaus. Apart from the various languages of these ethnic groups, Sabah has a rich heritage of traditional textiles and costumes.

KAIN DASTAR

Kain Dastar is woven by the Bajaus and Iranun ethnic groups. Measuring a meter square, the cloth is woven using the supplementary weft technique using red, yellow, green, orange and white imported yarns on a black ground. Metallic yarns are sometimes used to highlight certain decorative elements. Geometric and floral motifs are used. Recent innovation in design has incorporated motifs depicting the horse and rider to reflect the expert horsemanship of the Bajaus. The dastar is traditionally used as a head-cloth by the Bajau men. Other indigenous groups in Sabah also use the kain dastar as head-gear, and each ethnic group is identified by the style in which the dastar is folded and tied.