... nOtes abOut cOmpetitiOn...

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.

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 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:
   1. a good launch
   2. a shallow figure eight flight pattern
   3. a high angle of flight
   4. 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 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.