The handicraft fair featuring local handicrafts, crafted by hand by the local native women is located at the end of a busy street under large temporary marquees.
It wasn’t as hot as I had expected it to be as there were many fans. Many stalls displayed beaded items such as bracelets, bangles, necklaces cleverly created in a variety of designs and colors.
There were also boxes woven from local materials, some sort of leaves and dyed into pretty colors.
Some were tightly woven in their original colors and made into decorative containers as well as bags.
Carved wooden scabbards that housed parangs ( long bladed knives ) were also on display.
Native costumes were also on sale. The costume for a young girl was decorated with different types of sequins and beads. I was told it’s from Lotud Tuaran. Tuaran is a district not far from Kota Kinabalu. There was also an outfit from the district of Penampang. The headgear for a man is called a sigah.
I made a few purchases, which were inexpensive, considering the delicate handiwork.
One is meant to be placed on the upper arm and I think it is very pretty with its floral motif. It’s from Kudat, a district at the tip of Borneo Island.
It is good to note that although most of the handicraft were produced by the older women, there were some young girls learning from their mums who were teaching them how to mix and string the beads into creative adornments.
