Datin Amar Margaret Linggi: 1949-2006.

News of the premature death of Datin Amar Margaret Linggi on November 20, 2006, was received with denial and shock by friends and colleagues who were as deeply saddened as were the members of Margaret's own family. In a very real sense, those of us who were privileged to know her as she welcomed us as friends into her home, and emerged as a colleague and a dynamic force for cultural preservation, feel that we have been adopted as members of her extended family.

Margaret Linggi was born in Julau in Sarawak's Third Division on October 20, 1949. She was the daughter of the late Temenggong Banyang anak Janting, and grew up in a traditional longhouse, whose members had some time earlier converted to the Christian faith in the Roman Catholic tradition. Her early childhood experiences imbued her with a love of Iban society and culture, which persisted throughout her later education in primary and secondary schools, and university. A person of deep faith and broad perspective, Margaret wove the dominant values of her traditional culture--cordiality and hospitality, and respect, to all--and Christian faith--love of God, love of others--into the rich tapestry that was her life.

Five days short of her 20th birthday, she married Datuk Amar Linggi Jugah, a union that was to produce two sons, one adopted, and two daughters. It is no exaggeration at all to note that her family was the center of her life. Margaret was unreservedly devoted to her children, and her enormous capacity for compassion and generosity of spirit were nowhere more evident than in her parenting. Margaret and Linggi were to greatly enrich each other's lives--the two literally becoming one in "Limar"--and resulting in the remarkable successes they achieved together in business, politics, and in cultural preservation.

With three children in the United Kingdom, at various levels of their studies, Margaret determined to extend her own education. And so, in the 1990s, she took courses in Britain's Open University. She was ever the keen learner, and was persistent and tireless in grasping the nomenclature and concepts of courses in the sciences, natural and social.

At about the same time, nascent interests she had nurtured in Iban culture came to full flower. She had worked with her sister-in-law, Siah anak Tun Jugah, and other weavers, and in 1993, was initiated as a weaver. The setting and rite de passage for her initiation best reveal the two worlds in which she lived: The setting, the splendid foyer of her thoroughly modern home, in which were the collected heirlooms of her family, provided the background; while the ritual, a traditional blessing upon her, invoked the presence of a weaver-spirit.

Even before completion of the 12-story Tun Jugah Center in Kuching, Margaret already had involved Iban women in weaving, encouraging them to continue this ancient craft. With the opening of the Center, she and her family created a stunning museum room, preceded by a weaving gallery. A back-strap loom, material, and instruction were available to any woman who wanted to take up the art of weaving. As in this endeavor, Margaret was thorough. She showed no hesitation to get "down and dirty," collecting tree barks, roots, and leaves for the manufacture of natural dyes. She mastered the technique of preparing the mordant bath for treatment of raw cotton, and of weaving the challenging designs.

In 1998, with the joint sponsorship of The Tun Jugah Foundation and a grant from the National Science Foundation, Margaret led a team of six weavers, and two male companions--Datuk Amar Linggi and Robert Menua Saleh--to Williamsburg, Virginia, for an exhibition at The Muscarelle Museum of The College of William and Mary. Seventy fabrics from her own collection were displayed throughout the Museum, and each day, the weavers demonstrated each of the stages of preparing a loom, tying in designs, and weaving. The exhibition was a smash hit, attracting visitors of all ages, and the weavers, under the direction of Margaret, are still remembered by friends of the College as charming and gracious. The catalogue for the exhibition, Ties That Bind, later became the basis for a much expanded volume she authored with the same title.

It was at about this time that Margaret was first diagnosed with the cancer that a decade later would take her life. As concerned as she doubtlessly was for her own health, Margaret was much more concerned to protect her mother from the knowledge that she was suffering a malignancy. She received the best medical care available, spending extensive periods in Singapore. But despite the ablest doctors and most powerful medications, she passed quietly, surrounded by her family.

Kumang Lenta', "The Beautiful Princess", now rests from her labors.

(Vinson H. Sutlive, Professor Emeritus, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA)