Malaysia · Basketry / Structural Craft
Melanau sago (lemantak) processing
The Melanau of Sarawak's coastal Mukah and Oya region have long depended on the sago palm (Metroxylon sagu) for food and materials. Sago starch (lemantak) is extracted from the palm's pith and made into staples such as sago pearls, rolled through a bamboo mold with a tool woven from nipah leaves and baked for hours. Sago-palm leaves are also used in ritual: at the Kaul festival, food for the sea spirits is placed in a seraheng, an offering basket made from sago-palm leaves. An earlier description here of a 'lekat' waterproof box could not be confirmed and has been withdrawn.
Risk level: Endangered · Not inscribed
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