An ethnic Lun Bawang, Nur Rahmah Ranong Abdullah grew up in a close-knit community in the mountainous village of Ba’Kalalan in Sarawak. A small tribal community by most standards, it was one that fostered a strong sense of family bonding and, as it happens, artistic flair.
Known to her friends and family simply as Ranong Peru, the industrious artisan grew up watching her mother beading her ethnic headgear and traditional costumes at the end of a long day working in the paddy field.
“I came from a rural community and grew up with a family background of hard toil,” shares Ranong.
“I never knew then that I had the capacity for handicrafts in my motor skills, but it became a more dominant trait after I left my career in the hospitality industry.”
While accompanying her husband on an overseas posting to Jakarta, Ranong earned her certification in Spa Management from Mustika Ratu Indonesia.
It was later, during similar travels to Cape Town in South Africa, that she would truly discover the uplifting potential of arts and crafts.
“In Cape Town, I networked and developed a very close relationship with the motherly ‘Big Black Mamas’ – as they’re fondly called for their cheerfulness and hospitality – and we’d gather together to knit.
“The cost of knitting yarns was relatively cheaper there and the choices of types and colours were in abundance! I realised that being in a conducive environment like this and surrounded by friendly people helped me to express my creativity.”
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