Malaysia Wau Competition 3/13/18, 1:47 PM

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Malaysian National Wau Competition

Pasir Gudang 2001
On Tues, February 6, the national Wau competition began. The Wau kite flying and
judging took place on one part of the field, and on another were the tents where
master kite makers did demonstrations of Wau kite construction. During these three
days we learned a great deal about Wau construction and design. We were especially
interested in the process of judging the design and artwork on the kites. A substantial
part of the judging of a kite is based on the artistic design. We spent several hours one
afternoon with the senior judge learning how the artwork is judged.
The first consideration of the the judges is the overall shape of the kite. It must
conform to the basic proportions of the styles of the kites:

Wau bulan or 'moon kite'

Wau jala budi or 'woman kite'
Wau kuching or 'cat kite'
Wau barat or 'leaf kite', also known as the 'morning kite'
Wau merak or ‘peacock kite’ which has a tail and is a local traditional kite of the
Johor province.

Wau bulan
Moon Kite

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Wau jala budi

Woman Kite

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Wau kuching

Cat Kite

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Wau merak

Peacock Kite
All of these kites, except the Wau barat, are made by gluing cut out layers on top of
each other. It is almost a reverse appliqué method. Designs are traced onto the paper,
the paper is carefully cut out with a sharp knife, then the cutout sections are pasted. By
using different colors of shiny foil paper, the patterns emerge. The Wau barat kites,
which resemble a wider version of the Wau bulan are only painted rather than layers of
glued paper. Since the Wau barat kites are painted, the design work can be more
creative and is less formalized by tradition. These kites are able to fly in less wind and
are named the early morning kite, referring to the time of day when the wind is lightest.
(Special thanks here to David Wagner for helping with the information on the Malaysian
kites. He and Tal Streeter are completing a book about the Malaysian kites, so look
forward to seeing this book soon).
Judging starts with the Wau bulan category first, and the kites are judged to be A, B or
C on the shape and overall craftsmanship of the kite. Better kites have the back more
opaque so you cannot see the detail of the cutout design work from the back.
The judges go through each category several times, often reevaluating specific kites
once the A, B or C group has been judged. The kites are scored on a 1-20 basis, with
the A category naturally having the higher scores. The top ones of the art and
construction judging are then judged on the basis of their ability to fly and their
hummers.
Wau kites must follow a traditional style of artwork in which a vine comes out of a vase
at the base or tail of the kite.

The pattern must include leaves and

flowers. The vine signifies the course of a
man's life and the flowers are the women.
When the flowers are in bud form, it
symbolizes a young woman. The judge
told us that nowadays the kite makers
often picture the flowers from the front,
which is simpler and easier to draw. He
thought it was analogous to the fact that
woman today were more direct and looked
you in the face. In the older kites, flowers
were drawn from the side and back,
representing the shy and more reserved
way women acted in earlier times. How the
leaves are shaded is a considered too,
showing how the leaves turn in the wind.

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On better kites, there are two or more tones in the coloration.

The more meandering the vine is drawn, representing the twists and turns of life, the
more interesting is the person's life. In the center of the kite is a large central flower,
called the ibu or mother of all life, which looks like a mandala and is a required element
in the traditional design.

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The connection to the vine is hidden and the flower is often a complex geometric
design. The wings of the kites have an open area and inset in this area are designs of a
more expressionist nature. More freedom is permitted in the design of this area than
elsewhere in the kite.
The choice of colors is very important. If the colors clash or are more contrasting, the
kite is considered not as good quality. A better quality kite has harmonious colors,
representing the inner state of the kite maker. If the kite is colored with bright reds and
contrasting blues, then it means the kite maker might be quick to anger and more
emotional. A kite with shades of blues and purples, or colors in soft harmony, indicates
a kite maker with a more peaceful nature.
Kite makers demonstrating the construction of traditional
Wau kites

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David Wagner's notes on the 1999 competiton

Sail graphics

1. The border motif is called ‘larat’

2. The center flower is called ‘ibu’(mother) all life, represented here by numerous
vines and flowers originate out of sight, behind ibu, because origin of life is
mysterious and unknown. Ibu generates wing vines, leaves, flowers, etc.
3. The image at base of kites is the ‘flower pot’ from which vines for the tail area
originate (kuching, bulan)
4. The vines must follow from each other properly and connect logically – they
cannot begin independently
5. The vines are usually referred to as ‘twisting dragons’.
6. Various other border motifs are referred to as ‘shark teeth’, ‘duck walk’
(referring to the outspread tracks of a duck)
7. The flowers on the sail never face toward the viewer. They are always
sideways, or oblique. It is considered rude for the flowers to be shown from
the front
8. The form of the leaves is meant to suggest leaves twisting in the wind, so they
are often turned or distorted.

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Wau barat

1. The Wau barat are always painted – as opposed to paper applique of other
kites.
2. The Wau barat is the only Wau that has no hummer
3. The Wau barat is often made using batik techniques; in fact, are usually
painted by batik artists, not kite makers
4. Much more change is taking place with the barat design, often they are unique
and original designs (only in the last 6 years) which are being gradually
accepted in competition. It should be understood that this is mostly because
these sails are painted by artists from other disciplines.

Wau merak

1. The merak has a completely different leaf and flower design from other wau
kites. It is more Indonesian than Malaysian, and reflects the supposed origin
of the design
2. It also has a head and tail, two of the reasons it is not readily accepted in
official Pelayang competition (with the notable exception of events held in
Johor)
3. The tail is usually heavy colored yarn, and the head is wire or bamboo
wrapped with the same yarn.

Judging

Judges are trained by the Majlis Pelayang Malaysia, a state funded and regulated
body. These judges are awarded certificates of achievement, and regularly attend
seminars. There are different levels of judges for different aspects of the judging
process. Those judging the artistic quality of the kites are often art teachers, or
batik designers. Flight judges are usually former or current kitemakers.

Materials

Usually independently bought, but often the same, as paper sources are few in
Malaysia. The humming strips or ‘busurs’ can be ribbon or magnetic tape (which
many flyers prefer for casual flying) but for competition, they must be a rattan strip

The best bamboo for wau kite frames is considered to be ‘buyoh’ or ‘duri’. It is cut
during November or December for use 10 months later. The bamboo is treated in a
number of different ways. Typically, it is soaked in water, then heated to straighten
and toughen. This is often accomplished by wiring it into the center of a steel pipe
which is heated in a diesel oil and wood fire.

Wau kites were originally said to be developed by wood carvers who developed the

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layered paper technique. Malay wood carvings greatly influenced the design

The original Waus were flown with very large hummers, and flown over the rice
paddies all night long during the windy planting season. The rice farmer often
stayed in a little shack for days at a time in the center of his paddies, and had a lot
of free time for making kites. The villagers and farmers could hear the humming
sound in the dark – when it moved, they could track the changes in the wind
direction, and it was a very relaxing and soothing sound at night.

Competition

1. Scheduling of different classes is often instantly modified to suit daily winds

2. All lines are carefully measured at 150 meters long. Everyone uses
monofilament fisihing line for flying because it is cheap, readily available and
has low wind drag.
3. A competition flight lasts for 10 minutes, which is carefully timed. Years ago,
(and still in some outer kampongs) the flight was measured by the time it took
a half coconut shell with a small hole to sink in a bucket of water.
4. Four main flight measurements:
a. a good launch
b. a shallow figure eight flight pattern
c. a high angle of flight
d. the sound of the hummer
5. The angle of flight is an important measure of flight performance, and is only
measured once, at the time of it’s highest level. 90 degrees is not uncommon
with very well built kites and ideal wind
6. The hummer sound is usually quickly ascertained during the launch – and is
not a high point item
7. The flyer is allowed to handle the line for the first minute of the flight. After that
it is tied to the measuring device and cannot be touched, unless the kite is in
trouble, such as coming down and requiring relaunch, or gets tangled with
other kites. The judges are usually tolerant about this. The line can not be
touched to raise the kite's flying angle.
8. Typically most team members gather around the line, near the judge, to loudly
exhort the kite to higher altitude. This can be very entertaining to witness,
especially when 8 to 10 kite teams are working at once

It is important to note that Wau kites are almost never built by a single individual,
but by a group of people. A Wau club will usually have one or two people (almost
always men, with the notable exception of one club in Langkawi, dominated by a
woman designer) who are very good at building frames, one that does most of the
sail designs, etc.

The prize money for these events is a significant reason many builders are

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involved in the sport.

Occasionally, some older men do build an entire kite themselves. It is rare, and
they are usually not as high a quality in terms of sail design complexity as the club
built kites.

Festival Continued with International

Kite Fliers

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