Sasak funerals.
(detail) pidan (?) cerembnial hanging Khmer people; Chvear Dam, Kanda! province, Cambodia silk, natural dyes weft ikat Musee de L'Homme, Paris 70.61.33
A figurative design in weft ikat (hol) contains trees, temples, birds, dragons and other creatures from each of the realms - sea, land and air. Elaborate sailing vessels are a prominent motif on these cloths which were used to decorate the bride's home during the marriage ceremony. Early twentieth century
(detail) kré alang skirtcloth Semawa people, west Sumbawa, Indonesia cotton, dyes, metallic thread supplementary weft weave 181.0 x 124.0 cm Australian National Gallery 1983.3687
The head-panel of this ceremonial skirtcloth from the court of Sumbawa displays ships with masts and rigging. The structure at the feet of the oversize crew suggests an outrigger, a familiar and ancient feature of Southeast Asian sailing craft, although it may also be an attempt to depict the poop deck of a local prau, repeated in mirror image during the supplementary weft weaving process. Like other Southeast Asian textiles that display these motifs, the ship on Sumbawa cloth is often linked with the ancient symbols of trees and birds. The human figures are presented in a flat frontal style with arms akimbo, and the field displays a characteristic diagonal grid pattern. The division of this early twentieth-century cloth's design into separate grey-green field and red head-panel is typical of later developments in the cloth structures of coastal principalities.
pha biang (?) ceremonial cloth Phutai people, Laos silk, cotton, dyes supplementary weft weave 40.0 x 75.0 em Australian National Gallery 1987.1824
In the mountainous northern areas of mainland Southeast Asia, the ship is usually a minor textile motif combined with other cosmic symbols, and small boats can be found on many Tai shawls in the bands that flank the central design. However, on this early twentieth-century Phutai example, a human figure stands on a platform, possibly a schematic version of a mythical creature, and the clearly depicted dragon-scaled boat is bordered by tree motifs. The foundation weave is lac-red with numerous bright supplementary coloured silks.
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The people of the island of Sumbawa, who have been closely connected with seafaring and trade for over a millenium, weave supplementary weft skirts containing figures in poses with arms akimbo and on boats which vary from simple canoes to fully-rigged barques. On the textiles of south Lembata, boat motifs allude to the important place of ships and voyages in the economic life and legendary history of this coastal community. Significantly, ship motifs are also a part of the textile iconography of the hill-dwellers in Cambodia, Laos and northern Thailand. On their garments, for instance, the small figures - sailors and riders of mythical beasts -are depicted in a symmetrical frontal perspective.
The upward curving bows of the more schematic versions of the ship motif can be linked with other transition symbols in Southeast Asian art. On certain textiles used in south Sumatran rites of passage, an ambiguous, bifurcated and hooked shape appears to be a compound symbol of ship, bird, tree and shrine, an important and highly appropriate image on such occasions (Gittinger, 197 4). On other Southeast Asian textiles, and on jewellery and sculpture, the curved ship form blurs with the buffalo horn and the crescent moon shapes or with the traditional house and its characteristic upward curving roof.
ayaboñ ña sinapowan woman shaman's headcloth Tinguian people, Luzon, Philippines handspun cotton, natural dyes supplementary weft weave 152.0 x 19.0 cm Australian National Gallery 1984.3190
This white head cloth, with an ancient Southeast Asian interlocking oval design in floating indigo wefts, was worn by female shaman during the dawak ceremony. Early twentieth century
COMMUNICATING WITH SPIRITS AND ANCESTORS
Supernatural beings are believed to have the power to intrude upon the lives of humans and affect the course of an already uncertain natural world. In legend, they are often credited with the creation or the discovery of the most fundamental objects upon which a culture is founded - staple foodstuffs such as rice, domestic animals such as the buffalo, and the basic raw materials from which clothing is fashioned such as cotton. Legends often refer to the role of great ancestors or gods in the discovery of important skills such as the art of spinning and weaving and the invention of many sacred designs.67 Great care is taken to appease the wrath of ancestors and spirits and to ensure their pleasure, and their protection is invoked at times of crisis. Textiles are often a central part of the many mediating rituals that are performed to achieve and maintain this cosmic harmony and personal health.
Related to these notions about the role of ancestors and spirits are beliefs in omens and magic. Throughout Southeast Asia certain textiles are incorporated into magical practices and are believed to have sacred qualities. These qualities are invoked at life and death ceremonies when the ancestors and spirits are attracted or appeased by prominent displays and offerings of sacred fabrics, while dangerous or malevolent beings are kept at bay and their evil work thwarted.
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Among the Iban of Sarawak there is evidently a close relationship between textiles and a belief in omens and dreams (Vogelsanger, 1980). Dreams seem to provide inspiration, in particular, for the arrangement of Iban motifs, and for the special name and the meaning that a cloth assumes. Iban women, however, clearly re-create the fabrics of their dreams from the artistic symbols available within their culture, and certain powerful and visually appealing patterns have been repeated from generation to generation, with minor design changes resulting from aesthetic or personal reinterpretations. Consequently when dreams are translated on to cloth it is sometimes possible to recognize familiar elements or even complete designs, although one Iban design may have a specific contextual meaning and it may be interpreted differently in another longhouse or district.
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Communication with spirits for the benefit of individuals or the social group is often performed by a shaman, a specialized religious practitioner who possesses the personal qualities and sense of calling essential for this dangerous task. Since natural disasters and personal misfortunes are widely believed to be the work of malevolent supernatural beings, a shaman is required to call back the wandering soul of a sick person, ensure the safe arrival of a new baby, or clean and cool the village after a visitation of pestilence. Throughout Southeast Asia a shaman may either be male or female. In fact, the restoration of the cosmic order is often best performed by religious practitioners who incorporate both male and female qualities. Bisexuality is displayed in transvestite apparel, and in certain societies a male shaman, after initiation, wears women's clothing and performs women's tasks, including weaving.68 Some Southeast Asian textiles, like the shaman, harness these complementary yet opposing forces, and display symbolism containing male, female, or even bisexual elements.
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Among the various Batak peoples of north Sumatra, there are a number of important ceremonial textiles that have male and female ends where each set of gender-related elements is concentrated. These include Toba Batak cloths (such as the ulos ragidup and the ulos pinunsaan), the Simalungun Batak headcloth, and some nineteenth-century Mandailing
