THERE is nothing special about a rattan basket, called an ambung. It’s about a meter tall and normally carried by men on their shoulders to transport coffee, bananas, oranges or durians from the field.

That evening, Sofyan, 50, a medium for Ambung Gila (Mad Basket) in Empeh village, demonstrated how the basket can move itself. A rattan rice bowl was first attached to the basket like a head wearing a hat, then the basket was dressed up in a b