Arts & Crafts of Sabah: Beadwork, Music & Galleries

Sabah's arts and crafts at a glance

Sabah's craft heritage is rooted in the 14 Sabah Bumiputera groups named in the 2020 census (DOSM, Census 2020 Sabah, checked 7 October 2026) and dozens of sub-groups, each with its own materials, motifs and techniques. The Rungus of the north are renowned bead weavers; the Kadazan-Dusun adorn their festival costumes with silver; coastal Bajau and Suluk communities and interior peoples share a sophisticated bronze gong music; and weavers across the state turn pandanus leaves into mats, baskets and hats.

Alongside these living traditions, Sabah has a growing contemporary art scene, with the green-rated Sabah Art Gallery and internationally collected artists. This hub links detailed guides to each craft and to the best places to see and buy them.

Beadwork and adornment

Two of Sabah's signature traditions are worn rather than displayed. Rungus pinakol beadwork uses off-loom weaving to build geometric patterns — human figures, flowers, spears and river creatures — into necklaces, headdresses and belts. The Kadazan-Dusun himpogot is a waist belt made from silver coins (trade dollars), often worn with the brass tangkong (JKKN cultural mapping portal, checked 7 October 2026). Women wear it over traditional costume, especially at the Kaamatan harvest festival.

Music and woven crafts

Sabah's most celebrated musical tradition is kulintangan, played on a row of small gongs, usually 8 or 9, on a wooden frame. Almost every ethnic group in Sabah has inherited it (JKKN cultural mapping portal, checked 7 October 2026), and related gong traditions are shared across the Sulu Archipelago and Borneo. In the home and the market, mengkuang weaving turns dried, dyed pandanus leaves into mats, baskets, hats and bags through herringbone and diamond plaiting, sustaining a cottage industry across coastal communities.

Galleries and markets

The Sabah Art Gallery in Kota Kinabalu was the first Green building in Sabah and Borneo, with silver accreditation from the Green Building Index in 2012. It features more than 3,000 paintings, carvings and sculptures and stages more than 12 exhibitions a year (Sabah Tourism Board, checked 7 October 2026). Sabahan artist Yee I-Lann, born in Kota Kinabalu in 1971, has work in collections including the Singapore Art Museum, the National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur and the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo (Yee I-Lann, checked 7 October 2026). For traditional crafts, the Gaya Street Sunday Market runs every Sunday from 6am to 1pm, with arts and crafts, batik, antiques and souvenirs alongside food and produce (Sabah Tourism Board, checked 7 October 2026).

Explore the arts and crafts guide

Buying Sabah crafts responsibly

Buying directly from artisans and recognised craft outlets keeps these traditions alive and ensures makers are fairly paid. Ask about provenance — genuine antique himpogot coins, for example, command very different prices from silver-plated reproductions — and treat ceremonial pieces with respect for their cultural meaning.

Frequently asked questions