Sumbanese ikat weaving may be going west

By Izabel Deuff

JAKARTA (JP): The famed ikat weaving of Sumba may well be going west. More than 100 expatriates attended a lecture on Sumba Ikat, its methods and mythology at Erasmus Huis on Sept. 22, attesting the interest of Western buyers.

Ikat refers to a weaving technique as well as the textile itself. Ikat weavings are produced all around Indonesia but Sumba, an island in East Nusa Tenggara, is particularly renowned for beautiful hand-woven examples of the technique.

In Sumbanese society, ikat weavings have always been used as a currency. They are also given at weddings and funerals. Brides usually give them to their husband's family. In burial ceremonies, bodies can be covered with between fifty and one hundred different weavings. After the burial, guests are sometimes given the textiles to take home.

Although the island's society is dominated by males, it is the women who are the best weavers. They are responsible for the whole process, from growing the cotton to weaving and selling the finished product.

They follow a precise schedule over a period lasting slightly longer than one year, spinning locally-produced cotton between July and October, creating motifs from September to December, dying the threads after the rainy season in April and finally weaving them in August.

To control colors imbued into the thread during the dying process, parts of the thread which are not to be dyed are tightly wrapped in agel, a fiber obtained from the Gawan palm leaf, before the thread is immersed in dye baths. This operation is repeated until all the required colors have been stained into the thread. Then, the colorful yarns are woven on a body-fitted loom.

Generally speaking, products from each area have their own range of colors.

"Ikats are very colorful and territorial so you can identify where they come from", said lecturer Catherine Forgey who has been to Sumba several times.

The three main colors which characterize Sumbanese ikats are themselves part of the island's cultural identity because the plants used to prepare the natural dyes used to stain the weavings are all grown locally.

"The first color to dye is indigo. The seeds of indigo can be collected. It takes 30 kilos of seeds for 1 kg of dye. It is usually difficult to know the exact recipe the women use. Once the indigo powder is put in the pot, they pour in rain water. The ikat has to stay two days and two nights in the mixture", Forgey explained.

Once the indigo has dried, weavers stain in red coloring made from the roots of the Mengkudu tree. Black dye made from mud or by mixing red and indigo then follows.

Local motifs

The weavings are loaded with meaning, both in their colors and designs, which are highly symbolic and make ikats from Sumba very specific.

Weavings from West Sumba are striped or display earrings and floral patterns, while those from East Sumba are characterized by images of the flora and fauna which can be found on an around the island. Horses, deer, snakes, fish, squid, turtles, shrimp, roosters, turtles, hawks and cockatoos commonly adorn the weavings alongside images of plants, skull trees and anthropoids.

Humans are symbolized by anthropoids with raised arms and bent knees. Sumbanese textiles often portray these figures as horsemen, unlike weavings from other parts of Indonesia.

Forgey explained: "Ikat shapes vary depending on sex and indicate the social standing and clan of the person wearing them".

Indeed, social distinctions are indicated by the ikats you are allowed to wear. Slaves captured in war were not permitted to wear woven clothing, whereas noblemen were the only members of society permitted to wear special designs.

The deer is indicative of noble lineage as a result of its association with hunting.

The skull tree, also known as the tree of life, is a typical Sumbanese motif. It recalls wartime eras when enemies were beheaded and their heads hung from the branches of a tree. The spirits of the dead were supposed to provide the village with fertile women.

Skull trees are often seen in association with cockerels, especially on weavings made for men, where the birds are often depicted fighting. This motif indicates the important role played by roosters in Sumbanese society, where they are considered an acceptable form of currency and symbolize material wealth.

Sumbanese ikats also feature more complex figures such as two- headed roosters and pheasants, the latter being determined by its straight tail.

Another motif which makes ikats from Sumba so distinctive is the frequent representation of sea creatures common in the local environment. Large shrimp with pincers are often depicted shedding their shells in an image symbolizing life after death and the changing phases of this mortal coil. Shrimp are most commonly seen on hinggi clothes.

The hinggi is worn by men around their waists and joined by an ikat stole worn over one shoulder. Women usually wear tubular sarongs called lau. Lau hada are ceremonial black sarongs decorated with Nassa shells.

Sumbanese weavers have for a long time incorporated outside motifs into their creations. Dragons on Chinese ceramics and lions from the Dutch coat of arms are heraldic signs which have inspired them in the past. As Forgey pointed out, "people love Sumbanese ikats because the motives change every year to enhance the production and make it more special."