Sumbanese ikat weaving may be going west

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."