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The Mission of Jungle Arts and Flora
Jungle Arts and Flora supports and promotes the arts and crafts of the indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia and South Asia where we have extensive travel experience. Our goal is to share our knowledge of these significant cultures through photographs, DVD documentaries and information about our indigenous peoples art collection.
The JA&F Store
We make some of this wonderful art, crafts and textiles available for sale through a small business.. We also collect and grow tropical plants. The larger plants will only be sold through local nurseries, the smaller plants by rapid postal delivery.
Our primary focus has been on the stunning woven textiles of Sarawak, East Malaysia, coordinated and distribute d by Edric Ong - writer, designer, architect, and noted authority on Borneo and other indigenous textiles. Edric is an internationally known fashion designer whose designs are based on Borneo indigenous peoples' motifs, handcrafted of woven silk and other natural fabrics, using natural dyes and block printed or hand painted batik. Recently, he has been using batik, clamp resist dye and shibori techniques. Edric is currently Senior Vice President of the World Crafts Council - Asia Pacific, Past President of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Handicraft Promotion and Development Association, and Hon. Secretary of the World Batik Council. He is the Convenor of the Bienniel World Eco-Fiber and Textile (WEFT) Forum since 1999, devoted to researching, sustaining, and promoting traditional crafts of the villages of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Also, Edric is consultant to UNESCO in its Award of Excellence for Handicrafts program.
The three Edric Ong Textiles Galleries show textiles in stock and available for sale. Retail prices are listed - the same prices as in exclusive boutiques and galleries in Kuching, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore. Edric's new videos of his work are linked below
Contact us for Wholesale Prices
2019 Edric Ong USA Textile Tour
In late June, early July, the 2019 USA Borneo Textiles Tour began with Edric and Senia Jugi in Honolulu at the East-West Center showing their work at a restrospective exhibition. Then on to Emily Carr University of Art and Design where they each did two-day workshops - Edric on natural dyes and steam dyeing and Senia on basketry. In Seattle, Edric did a one-day workshops on natural dyes and steam dyeing, and Senia taught a two-day workshop on basketry at Earthues Studios followed by trunkshows. There was also a Borneo Cultural Show at the Ballard NW Senior Center. The tour then traveled to the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market where Edric, Senia, David, Lucia and
Jimmy Catanes, and Gail Tanaka staffed the Malaysian and UNESCO booths.
2019 Edric Ong USA Textile Tour
Watch 2019 Santa Fe International Folk Art Market videos on the JA&F YouTube channel
(click on “more” to see the timeline with links to the events):
Edric's Recent Textiles
You can see a video of Edric's Bugaku collection shown at the International Workshop on Natural Dyes Fashion Show in Hyderabad
The oranges, pinks and reds come from sappan wood dye. The golden yellows are from 'ketapang' leaves
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Recent Designs
Bright orange shibori is obtained by combining sappan wood with ketapang leaves |
Videos of the Waste to Wealth International Symposium on Natural Dyes/World Eco-Fiber Textile Forum, Kuching 2012
Twenty-six designers showcased their collections at the Gala Dinner and International Fashion Show. Click on the photos below to see video of their collections.
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JA&F Videos on YouTube
1) "Dream Weavers of Rumah Garie" documents traditional Iban weaving at Rumah Garie Longhouse community in upriver Sarawak. Narrated by Edric Ong. 2) "Mathew Ngau Jau: Home in Long Semiyang" - follows artist and musician Mathew Ngau Jau to his longhouse, jungles and rivers in remote Borneo, where he makes music with friends and family, fishes, and chases the wild boar; 3) "Bandhani of Kutch" documents, step-by-step, Abdul Jabbar Khatri's techniques for design and dyeing of traditional micro tye-dyed bandhani textiles. The DVD has been revised to include his clamp dyeing technique; 4) In "Sarong Style with Edric Ong," Edric uses three models to show you, step-by-step, how you can master more than a dozen of the sarong's easy and comfortable style; 5) "Ajrakh Masterworks in the 21st Century: The Textiles of the Dr IM Khatri Family." This video documents the many steps involved in the ancient ajrakh textile block printing nad dyeing techniques as practiced in the family workshop in near Bhuj, Gujarat. 6) "Revival of Indian Embroidery: The Textiles of Asif Shaikh"documents the life's mission of Asif Shaikh as created in his workshop in Ahmedabad. The DVD copies of these videos can be ordered here
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Apart from the indigenous art of Borneo, we are adding photos and information from other areas to the web site, including Nagaland and Myanmar. Many pieces offered for sale will be first found in the Naga Art, Bead, and Textile Personal Collection Galleries, then moved to the For Sale Galleries when the updating process is completed.
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Abdul Jabbar Khatri - Designer and Master of Bandhani Tie-Dye
We are pleased to offer a selection of the traditional, intricately "micro" tie dyed "bandhani" textiles o f the Khatri people of north western India. Designer A. Jabbar Khatri works with 300 village women who do the tying while he does the dyeing processes to create striking wearable art. These textiles won the highly prized UNESCO Seal of Excellence Awards in both 2006 and 2007. We are helping with marketing in the US to support the villagers and "keep the traditions alive." See the three A. Jabbar Khatri Galleries. David visited A. Jabbar in April 2008 and November 2011, to do video documentary of the bandhani tying and dying process. This resulted in a 36 minute DVD, free with a bandhani purchase. The Seattle Art Museum recently purchased 22 pieces for the SAM Gift Shop.
A. Jabbar and JA&F participated in the 2009 and 2010 International Santa Fe Folk Art Market. More than 200 bandhani were sold in two days. In Seattle, many examples can be seen at the "Ancient Grounds Gallery, " on First Avenue in the block south of the Seattle Art Museum.
We now have some of Bina's fantastic silk shirts. The silk used in these shirts is gathered in the forests of India from wild silk moth cocoons. It is handwoven into filature "see-through" textile, then crafted into these shirts. A carved wooden hand block is used to print the design using natural dyes. They look great on women and men. Almost without fail, whenever we wear these shirts friends ask where they can get one like it. We have them in four colors - blue, grey, black, and red/orange
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Asif Shaikh - Designer and Authority on Traditional Indian Embroidery
We are very pleased to now be able to offer some of the work of Asif Shaikh, one of India's outstanding young desgners, who's work is so highly esteemed that he was chosen to revive 18th century aari embroidery for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and parsi gara embroidery for the UNESCO-PARZOR Foundation.
Asif's passion is in the revival of ancient traditional forms of embroidery. See more information about Asif here and examples of his work in Asif Shaikh's Gallery.
You can see a video of Asif's"Galaxy" collection shown at the International Workshop on Natural Dyes Fashion Show in Hyderabad in March 2014.
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Dr. Ismael Mohamad Khatri and sons Sufiyan and Juned - Masters of Arjakh Block Printing
David has visited the workshop of Dr. Ismael Mohamed Khatri and sons Sufiyan and Juned in Bhuj on three occasions to lay the groundwork for a video documentary on these world famous craftsmen who produce traditional Ajrakh blockprints. This family has been practicing these techniques for 8 generations. Arjakh is time consuming and arduous, using natural materials and dyes in a sustainable way. The documentany, hopefully finished in October, will illustrate each of the 14 - 18 steps required to complete one of these textiles. You can seesome of these textiles in cotton and silk in Dr. Mohammed Ismael Khatri's Gallery
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Chinthaka Ranatanake - Designer and Master of Batik
Ravi (Chinthaka Ranatanake) is a master of batik and the latest artist that we will represent in the US. He has long worked with Edric Ong to execute Edric's designs in batik, but also is an a designer on his own who has won recognition in Sri Lanka for his designs and expertise in using traditional batik processes. His workshop makes lots of diferent wearable textiles as well as products for the home such as table covers and bedspreads, cushion and pillow covers and wall hangings. Ravi also paints on textiles. See Ravi's gallery here
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Mathew Ngau Jau - Musician, Painter, Carver, Dancer, Blowpipe Marksman (and pretty good with a shotgun too)
 Mathew Ngau Jau is an acclaimed master of the sapeh, the traditional lute-like instrument of the Orang Ulu people who live in the longhouses along the rivers of Central Borneo. It was originally used for ritualistic music to induce trance. Its intricate rhythms may also be inspired by dreams. We are offering Mathew's CD, Mathew Ngau Jau, Keeper of the Songs.
Dream Weavers of Rumah Garie Longhouse
The Iban Rumah Garie Longhouse community weavers are the most accomplished in Borneo at adapting the use of silk for their traditional Pua Kumbu ikat weavings. For this they have won the coveted UNESCO Seal of Excellence. David's photos of th e Rumah Garie Longhouse, including its leading master weavers Bangie Embol and Nancy Ngali can be seen on the Rumah Garie Longhouse page. Click to view a short video of Rumah Garie.
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New Section on Indian Beadwork |
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Pachhitpati - wrapped around upper wall of the main living space of wealthy families in Saurashtra, Gujarat. Early 20th Century |
Beaded decoration that lay across horse's neck |
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Famous Kuching Laksa Bread
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Laksa is the favorite breakfast/brunch dish in Kuching. It consists of a soup mixture of spices, noodles, bean sprouts, calamondon, shrimp and shreaded chicken pieces.
David used a 300gm package of laksa paste from Kuching in his 40 year-old breadmaking recipe.
By all accounts, it has been a hit in Seattle and Kuching.
Click here for recipe - word.doc - - PDF |
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8424 California Ave SW
Seattle, Washington 98136
jungleartsandflora.com
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We now have a personally selected variety of handwoven silk from designer 
