Donggala silks, a rare 'dobel-ikat' weaving technique

Among the varieties of handwoven textiles produced by ethnic groups in this country, Donggala silk from Central Sulawesi stands out for its double-weaving technique, or dobel ikat.

Originally from India, it refers to the technique where the woven cloth is made by tying the vertical warp and horizontal weft threads in individual blocks of color.

The bound portions form the pattern while the unbound areas absorb the dye, forming the background squares.

Cloth made by tying only the vertical threads is called ikat lungsi while that made by tying only the horizontal threads is named ikat pakan.

According to National Museum textile expert Suwati Kartiwa, the number of regions that produce double-woven ikat in Indonesia have become fewer.

"It is rare because of the amount of time it takes to complete a piece of cloth. Beside Donggala, maybe it is only found now in Bali. The cloth from Bali is more complicated in technique and motifs," she said.

Located on the western coast of Central Sulawesi, just an hour's drive to the northwest of capital Palu, Donggala regency plays host to an important port.

The textiles of Donggala date back to the Hindu period in the fourth century.

The geometric ornamentation, however, was copied from the Dongson kettledrums which were part and parcel of early Indonesian culture before the arrival of Hinduism.

The weaving skills were passed down from mother to daughter.

Donggala sarongs are closely related to the Bugis sarongs of South Sulawesi. Not only are the two regions close to each other, but they also came within the periphery of Luwu power. Luwu was the oldest kingdom in South Sulawesi.

The patterns and the colors of Donggala sarongs are composed according to the individual tastes of the weavers, but the techniques are inflexible.

The gold-threaded songket (supplementary weft technique) weavings of Palembang in South Sumatra, Riau, and Sambas in West Kalimantan have left their imprint on the Donggala sarongs and yet the textiles remain distinctively Donggala.

There are six types of Donggala silk sarongs with the first being palekat garusu or buya cura, which is patterned with large and small squares, with the colors usually being pink and purple.

The second type is buya bomba, which is decorated with floral motifs or bomba. Usually with this type, both the warp and weft threads are the same color. Animal-derived motifs are also used.

Buya subi is the next type, which refers to the supplementary weft technique, where threads of different quality are inserted into the warp over the regular weft.

There are also combinations of bomba and subi, and also buya bomba kota, or dobel-ikat. The last type is buya awi, a monocolored rectangle of cloth (kain), not a tube (sarong). It measures from 1.8 to 2 meters or more in length, and functions as a bed cover or blanket. The two cut ends are embellished with silver lace.

-- Hera Diani