Sacred Textile, Social Fabric:

Aesthetic Formation and Cohesion in Iban Pua Kumbu

Abstract

Indigenous textiles function not merely as utilitarian or decorative objects but as material expressions of cultural knowledge, social order, and spiritual belief. Among indigenous communities in Southeast Asia, the Pua Kumbu of the Iban in Sarawak, Malaysia, stands as a highly symbolic ritual textile. This study examines the aesthetic formation of Pua Kumbu and its role in sustaining social cohesion, framing indigenous aesthetics as an active social system rather than a purely visual domain. Guided by Material Culture Theory, Indigenous Aesthetic Theory, and Social Cohesion Theory, the research employs qualitative ethnographic methods, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews with weavers and ritual specialists, visual motif analysis, and archival research. Findings indicate that Pua Kumbu aesthetics—expressed through motif structure, colour symbolism, weaving techniques, and ritual protocols—are governed by cosmological beliefs, ancestral authority, and communal regulation. Iban aesthetics prioritise moral responsibility, relational legitimacy, and collective validation over individual artistic autonomy. The study further shows that Pua Kumbu reinforces shared identity, transmits cultural knowledge, regulates social relationships, and mediates connections between human and spiritual realms. By reconceptualising indigenous aesthetics as social praxis and cultural governance, this research challenges universalist aesthetic models and highlights the importance of safeguarding textile artefacts and their underlying knowledge systems.