2011/09/06
By Sim Bak Heng
For over 50 years, a kuda kepang maker has been preserving the art form
FOR the past 50 years,kuda kepang maker Naim Marjani, 70, has been training countless number of people not only to make the handicraft, but also how to use the two-dimensional bamboo horse in a graceful dance.
Some come to him to master the making of the Javanese handicraft to make a living out of it, but many treat it as just a hobby.
UiTM students enrolling in the studies of art and design will come to Naim if they choose dancing and making the kuda kepang as their practical training.
Naim, of Kampung Sungai Nibong in Batu Pahat, is probably the only one in Johor who has been keeping alive the tradition of making the kuda kepang .
He learnt about dancing with it when he was 18.
Today he owns a workshop specialising in making kuda kepang and a dance troupe comprising 20 members.
The kuda kepang is made by weaving bamboo strips into a mat before it is shaped into a a horse.
Some people use dried cattle skins but this is rather rare.
The outline of a kuda kepang is drawn on the mat before it is cut out along the outline.
The mat is later fastened onto a bamboo framework before it is painted, embroidered and decorated with animal fur.
The horse is drawn and painted to give it "character" and "personality".
In a performance, a dancer will look as if he or she is riding the limbless figure.
It is common to perform the kuda kepang dance upon arrivals of VIPs, for wedding ceremonies or major celebrations.
Salina Bohiran, 21, from neighbouring Kampung Sarang Buaya, is among the few who are passionate about kuda kepang culture, having devoted herself to the art which she treats as her life-long vocation.
She joined the workshop two years ago, and took only a month to master the art.
"It is basically my interest which prompted me to choose this handicraft-making art as my career.
"I never get bored weaving the bamboo strips and creating the framework.
"Now, I can easily make a medium-sized kuda kepang a day," she said.
Salina is also a member of the dance troupe.
The art not only attracts the young ones, but also senior citizens like Yunos Sulaiman, 67.
Yunos said he has been making the handicraft for seven years. He is also a kuda kepang dancer.
The former carpenter became interested in making kuda kepang after his retirement.
"The job is like a hobby, which keeps me occupied," said Yunos, who specialises in drawing and painting the kuda kepang to inject life into it.
Yunos said he would continue making the craft as long as his vision allows him to.
He said a good kuda kepang is judged by its aesthetic value, adding that beads and other accessories are added to enhance its value.
Fazirin Abdul Rahim is a UiTM student who had just completed his practical training at Naim's workshop.
He said he chose kuda kepang for his practical training as he was fascinated by the weaving work.
"After the two-month training, I also know how to make the handicraft now. I dance well too," he said.
Naim said schools with cultural clubs form the majority of the kuda kepang buyers, while tourists are more interested with miniature kuda kepang.
He said all his seven children have families of their own, and none of them are interested to inherit the art from him.
As for the future, Naim said he prefers to live one day at a time.
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