Meanings and motifs of the 'ikat' weavings of NTT
Meanings and motifs of the 'ikat' weavings of NTT
By Emilie Sueur
JAKARTA (JP): NTT, three letters which stand for Nusa Tenggara
Timur, the southeastern part of Indonesia, but also, as Jes A.
Therik, governor of NTT and specialist in ikat designs subtly
notices, three letters for Nusa Tenun Tangan, "The Land of Hand-
woven Textiles".
One of the major weaving techniques in the southeastern part
of the archipelago is ikat, a name which comes from an Indonesian
word which means tying. Appropriately, tying is at the core of
ikat-weaving. As a matter of fact, the ikat motifs are created by
tying and dying threads before weaving them.
Protective fibers are tied around the parts of the yarn that
must not be dyed. Each color requires the ties be put on specific
parts of the thread, so that when woven, the design appears.
NTT, the land of ikat, is known for its great diversity of
tribes and ethnic groups. Yet, as communication between the
multitude of islands was rare in the past, each of them managed
to build its own strong identity through the creation of specific
ikat designs.
Therefore, understanding the meaning of a design requires a
precise knowledge of the cultural background involved in the
weaving.
A researcher cannot seriously intend to interpret an ikat
after having spent only one month in a village. The significance
of the motifs are ethnic group or family secrets. Winning the
villagers' confidence is essential to catch a glimpse of
understanding.
"Designers might let you guess a secret," Therik adds, "but
will never betray it". Understanding ikat is therefore a question
of relationship, time and heart.
Besides winning the populations confidence, historical
knowledge is indubitably necessary to find the origin of some
motifs Mrs. Jo Seda, a long time and passionate collector of
ikat, adds.
The commerce between traders from India and Indonesia in the
15th century allowed the introduction of the Indian patola
motifs.
In those times in the archipelago, ikat were merely dull
colors on rough textile, whereas the colors of the patola
textiles were bright and the material rich.
Consequently, the patola motifs became the symbol of power and
wealth and were worn only by people of high status.
Mrs. Seda remarks that the same phenomenon happened with Dutch
colonization. Thus, the crown motif that can be seen on some ikat
comes from the Dutch coats of arms that were introduced in NTT in
the last years of the 19th century.
Today, this process of assimilation is still on going as the
most recent influences for ikat designs are, as Mrs. Seda
explains, the garuda bird from the Pancasila (Five Principles),
state philosophy of Indonesia, or the banyan tree, the symbol of
national unity.
There are no real taboos concerning the designs themselves,
but each person in the village is granted a specific motif
according to his gender, age or status.
Thus, in Flores, a noble man until middle age wears a small
horse design (jara kedhi). An older noble man wears a large horse
design (jara meze). Only the eldest noble men who sponsor ritual
ceremonies are allowed to wear the elephant design (sapu gajah).
Designs are identity markers. Until recently, had anyone worn
a design that didn't tally with his status, his life could have
been cut short.
Human figure designs are pretty interesting to decipher. The
ones designed in East Sumba are noticeable for their long arms.
Their disproportionate length symbolizes a person's influence.
Long reaching hands signify authority and protection over the
whole kingdom.
Strong feet, knees and shoulders emphasize the strength and
stability of the person.
A head filled with motifs is the symbol of wisdom. It shows
that the person who wears the ikat is the most able descendant of
their ancestors.
Most human figures are drawn with ears, representative of the
capacity to hear everything and therefore not to be betrayed.
Imposing human figures are often surrounded with small
characters, dwarfs. They symbolize the weakness of the enemies.
The whole representation is aimed at idealizing the leader.
Ikat designs can be understood only if the holistic essence of
the Indonesian culture is kept in mind.
The whole world is considered in a cosmological way. The
future, the past and today are linked. The new-born will be a man
and then an ancestor according to the cyclic representation of
life.
Sometimes, different designs that could appear contradictory
are woven on the same ikat. Thus, a crocodile, which represents
strength and power, can stand close to a turtle, a symbol of
femininity and fertility.
These two motifs can be found together as the local culture
considers human beings to be a blend of feminine and masculine
traits. One trend balances the other in a quest for harmony.
The snake takes a significant place among ikat symbols,
especially during funerals. For instance, kings in Sumba were
buried in textiles ornate with snakes. Jes A. Therik proposes two
interpretations for this design.
As snakes shed their skins, they are the perfect symbol for
rebirth after death. Here again is the idea of a continuous
circle. The dead man is born again in the village of the
ancestors.
The snake might also be a nobility marker. Thus, it can help
the ancestors to recognize and to accept the newcomer at his
right rank.
Sometimes, snakes appear with legs. Therik explains this
representation with the influence of the sandalwood trade between
Indonesia and China. During the trade exchanges, Chinese ceramics
ornate with dragoon motifs were introduced in NTT.
Ikat weavers have certainly appropriated those motifs and
adapted them to their own culture. They reinterpreted them as a
symbol of strength.
Apart from the motifs themselves, the colors are interesting
to decipher. Since the dyes are only made from natural plants,
each ethnic group has developed its own shades of color according
to the ecological environment.
Colors have specific meanings too. Red, for instance,
symbolizes spirituality, fertility and strength. It is the color
of the kings. Warriors used to wear a bright red scarf on their
head as red was said to be protective.
Beyond the meaning of the designs, "ikat is a way to tie
people together", as Therik poetically says it. Giving an ikat
helps ease conflicts, it binds the soul and the body, the dead
and the living. Ikat provides harmony in the "extended" family
life.
It is comforting to know that many scholars are still
interested in studying ikat and their meanings, as in our times
of globalization and mass production, it can definitely be a way
to preserve an archipelago of cultural identity.