Her fingers, steady and sure, move tirelessly over dried mengkuang leaves, transforming them into finely patterned mats to meet customer orders.

Age, she says with a gentle smile, has never dulled her love for the craft. Zainab learnt to weave at age 13 from her grandfather, inspired by the delicate workmanship long practised within the Malay community.

“Back then, Kampung Bukit Mentok was known as a centre for mengkuang mat weaving, with many villagers involved,” she told Bernama at her home in Kampung Bukit Mentok.

“Today, I am the only one still actively weaving. The younger generation is not interested in inheriting this skill.”

Zainab admits with some sadness that none of her daughters – aged between 52 and 70 – wishes to carry on the craft, even though they, too, are skilled at it.

A mother of five, grandmother to 29 and great-grandmother to 58, Zainab describes weaving as a test of patience and precision.

Every stage – from selecting leaves and splitting them to soaking, dyeing, drying and weaving – is done by hand: a process that demands time and care.

“I do everything myself, though my children and grandchildren help occasionally,” she added.

Blessed with good health, Zainab often begins her day at 4am to work in the cool, quiet hours of the morning. “It’s more comfortable then,” she explained, adding, however, that she only weaves when there are orders.

A standard mat measuring 2.29m by 1.37m takes about five days to complete and sells for between RM60 and RM70.