Purun is a tall type of grass commonly used for weaving that can be found in swamps. Women in the villages around Katingan Mentaya Project’s concession area, like the Parigi Village, use purun to craft household items ranging from mats, bags, to baskets. The purun are harvested during the day when the water subsides and then left to dry under the sun for an entire day. Once dried, the purun is pounded with a wooden stick to flatten and then woven and shaped into various products. Finished crafts are then sold to local markets or kept inside homes until generations to come.

In Parigi Village, the art of weaving is passed down from generations, while purun crafts are widely used as decorations in homes and as sources of incomes for families. But the purun business only started flourishing 3 years ago, when Katingan Mentaya Project introduced a new initiative to substitute polybags for plants with purun baskets in various reforestation efforts to cut down forest wastes. In doing so, Katingan Mentaya Project has ordered purun baskets in bulks from the craftswomen of villages surrounding the concession area, including Parigi Village. As a result, basket weaving is now a sustainable income in numerous villages around the concession area.

Misrah, one of the craftswomen of Parigi Village, spends her day weaving purun baskets with other women in a community workshop, where women are able to support and mentor one another. "Being able to work with KMP has given us more independence" said Misrah. "We can put food on the table and educate our children. Our husbands also encourage us and support us in every step. Furthermore, the community has been very appreciative as the business helped support women in our village."