RUNGUS03

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Beads and Beadwork of the Rungus of Sabah

by Bucklee Bell

Part Three: Making the Pinakol

A full pinakol.

Rose Sabala let me photograph her in the process of making the flat weave part of the pinakol.

The Rungus use an off-loom method with the beads strung on warp threads only (there are no weft threads). The warp threads are secured to a dowel and held between the toes or the stick can be inserted into a heavy ceramic jar to hold it in place. Both parts of the pinakol are worked on at the same time to keep the beadwork even.

The beads are strung onto the twisted-together ends of two warp threads by hand (without a beading needle) and the ends of the thread are bees-waxed to aid in stringing.

The warp threads are alternated to make the weave.

Introduction
The Pinakol
Making the Pinakol
Other Ornaments
Grandmother's Beads
References and links
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