KUCHING: The Borneo International Textile Festival (BiTF) 2025 served as a reunion between Pahang and Sarawak on shared heritage, craftsmanship and cultural memory.
Tengku Ampuan Pahang, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, said the festival celebrated a heritage woven not only with thread and colour, but with memory, identity and the living soul of Borneo itself.
She recalled Sarawak’s strong presence at the Pahang Heritage Festival last September, describing the bond between both states as more than friendship.
“And now here we are again, reunited. This is not just friendship. This is a long, joyful love affair between Pahang and Sarawak, two states united by heritage, respect and affection.
“BiTF 2025 is more than an exhibition; it is a tribute to the extraordinary cultural wealth that flourishes across this magnificent island,” she said when delivering her keynote address at the event here Monday (Dec 8).
Tunku Azizah said both states also shared a deep cultural relationship with nature, shaped by rivers, forests and ancestral memory.
She expressed light-hearted affection for Sarawak, joking that she often saw Burung Kenyalang motifs in Kuantan and Pekan.
“And perhaps I should send all our crocodiles to Sarawak as an exchange, not that you need more Bujang Senang terrorising your rivers,” she quipped.
Humour aside, she said Pahang and Sarawak were historically connected through shared cultural elements across communities, landscapes and trade routes.
“Today is not just a festival. It is a reunion, between Pahang and Sarawak, between past and future, between tradition and innovation. May our crafts continue to unite us,” she added.
Tunku Azizah asserted that Sarawak remained unparalleled in its breadth of craft traditions, ranging from pua kumbu and keringkam to beadwork, basketry, batik linut, wood carving and pottery.
“Pahang has tenun, some batik and woodcraft, but nothing close to the vast cultural universe Sarawak holds. That is why I am humbled when Sarawak asks me to lead or inspire. In truth, I am the student here,” she said.
She added that Sarawak’s support extended beyond local borders, noting the state’s participation alongside Pahang during London Craft Week, where indigenous arts were introduced to international audiences through workshops, demonstrations and storytelling.
“London came expecting fashion, but they found civilisation. We did not just bring crafts to London. We brought our soul,” she said.
