Keeping the art of Lepa-Lepa carving alive
Kota Kinabalu: Alpakah Hamah, a Bajau from Semporna has been in the business of making Lepa- Lepa ships for about 40 years already but now he spends his time carving detailed smaller model handicrafts for tourists in the State to take home as souvenirs.
When met at the Kadaiku Sinsuran as part of their month-long Sabah Fest Handicraft Showcase, he was busy demonstrating to tourists how to carve the Lepa2 handicraft.
“My skills in making the Lepa2 handicraft ships was passed down to me from my father who was a skilled Lepa-Lepa maker in the 60s and 70s in Semporna.
“My father knew how to make the Lepa-Lepa ships, so when I was small I hung around and eventually picked up the skills to make the ships as well which I then applied into carving these handicrafts these days.
“Now I have also passed down these skills to my children. One of my sons also is quite good at making these carvings but now he is working with the government. But I have some friends as well in addition to some youths there who are also making these handicrafts.”
He said there are four carvers in his village who are also engaged in the handicraft trade.
“They have learnt the art of Lepa-Lepa handicraft carving from me and now their skill are about the same as mine. They are now also selling their own handicrafts.
He said it would take him about two days normally to finish carving a one and a half feet sized model in a workshop and he can makes a range of sizes range up to five feet long.
“Pricewise it can cost up to RM250 for this one and a half feet Lepa-Lepa model. The wood used is what is known by Bajau people in Semporna as ‘Tambo tambo’ wood or ‘Kayu Nyiri’ by the Malays.
“It comes from a species of trees that grows in the mangrove areas. The wood is good for carving as it is not easy to split and has good grain pattern.
“I normally source it myself and select the timber myself. This wood can also be used to make the Lepa-Lepa ships as the wood is also saltwater resistant.
“Most of my buyers are tourists both from overseas and from the peninsula not so much locals.
“Normally I produce my pieces based on orders as normally the buyer will ask for a certain number of pieces, but I can finish making about 30 such models in a month.”
He said the Lepa-Lepa making and carving was mainly a small scale home industry as there are many who want to learn and take up the skill but there is no school or workshop place to teach it.
“There are skilled craftsmen in Semporna who can teach the skills but there is no work place to teach it.
“I have suggested before to the relevant authorities for a workshop to be set up to teach the younger generation, especially those who are just loafing around to take up these skills but till today there has not been a response on the matter.”
Speaking a little more on the Lepa-Lepa ship making industry he said there was not much being constructed these days other than for the regatta as building one was expensive already.
The Pelauh Bajau people who purchase these ships and live on them can no longer afford the cost of these ships. In the 60s and 70s, these Lepa-Lepa ships which can be up to 40 to 60 feet long typically cost only from RM750- RM1,200 each.
“But now they can cost up to RM15,000 each which the Pelauh Bajau cannot afford. Hence, many of them now live on Kumpit boats which they construct themselves from regular lumber or stilt homes on the water as a result. Which is also why nowadays the Lepa-Lepa ships one can find being used for the regatta only,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bajau Kota Belud Sadi Basal when met at Kadaiku was demonstrating his skills in manufacturing Serdang (leaf weaving) handicrafts.
Working on a woven gift box made from thin metal plate, nipah and colourful Serdang leaves, he said he learnt his handicraft skills by observing his mother when he was small.
“After much time observing eventually we learn how to do it ourselves,” he said, adding he has been weaving for close to 20 years already.
“But in the olden days we only made the Tudung Duang (food cover) which can also be a colourful wall decoration, while the colourful ethnic casings and boxes you see here for putting in things like jewellery and other smaller items are a more recent thing.
“However nowadays I concentrate on making these boxes as the demand for the food covers has dropped. There is almost no demand for them already from the tourism buyers.
“Normally the buyers will request a certain size and design and we will go about producing them. We can normally finish making two handicraft woven boxes in a day. So in a month I can make about 30 pieces according to size.
“In my village there are about six craftsmen making these boxes. These are the younger generation of craftsmen as the older generation typically are the ones who are making the Tudung Duang for sale in the weekend tamu in Kota Belud.
“I myself don’t make these boxes for sale in the tamu as the tourism orders coming in for them are more than enough. As soon as I finish an order another one comes, It’s almost back to back,” he said with a laugh.
When asked his opinion on whether foreign or local tourists were the one who bought his wares, he said he was not sure as local buyers would buy his wares to be resold elsewhere.
“So I’m not really sure who exactly buys my wares. But most of the woven boxes displayed here at Kadaiku are from me and Karyaneka shop in Kuala Lumpur, I also supply to them ,” he said, adding that his wares can range from RM9 up to RM55 depending on size.
The bigger sizes (which are used as gift boxes) are easier for me to make (as I can get my hand on the inside to sew) while the smaller ones (used for small jewellery and trinkets) are bit of a challenge.
He said most of the younger generation nowadays in his area are not as keen to take up the art.
“Most of them after they graduate and leave school are interested in getting a job (with the government or private company’s).
He said that to his knowledge there is no programme set up at the moment to encourage the younger generation in his area to take up the handicraft skill.
When asked on his view whether this means the future of the industry could be affected one day, he said it still hard to say at the moment.
When asked whether he would like to vary his designs and colours he said he would like to try it, however the buyers preferred the traditional colours and design and would specify their sizes, so it was difficult to change things as there would then be no market for it.
Source: Daily Express
