Malaysian Cultural Outfits - Orang Asal

Orang Asal

Before the creation of ancient kingdoms, most aboriginal people wore bark costumes decorated with beads. In the times of early kingdoms hand-crafted textiles were used, and trade from other areas brought other outfits such as silk costumes, pulicats and sarongs, and jubbahs. The Orang Asli still wear clothing of natural materials, often out of treebark and skirt. Leaf fronds are sometimes crafted into headbands or other ornaments.

In East Malaysia similar clothes are worn. The Orang Ulu wear hand-loomed cloths as well as tree bark fabrics. Beads and feathers are used for decoration. The Iban are known for their woven "pua kumbu". Another well known clothing item is the "songket" of the Sarawak Malay. In Sabah the clothing of different tribes differs with different amounts, with tribes in close proximity having similar clothing. Notable ones are the Kadazan-Dusun straw hats for ladies, the "dastar" of the Bajau. Men from the Lotud tribe wear a headdress which has a number of fold points equal to the number of his wives.