A complicated and ordered sequence of weaving the intricate, supplementary weft ends containing these male and female motifs, in the sacred tricolour of black, white and red, is strictly observed - even by younger weavers who are uncertain or ignorant of the sexual references of these ancient motifs. In the Porsea district on the eastern shores of Lake Toba, the three central sections of the ulos pinunsaan are woven separately, cut and then sewn together with the side panels to form a completed cloth. The ulos ragidup that are woven by the Toba Batak peoples south of the lake and the brick-red woman's headcloth (bulang) from the Simalungun Batak (sometimes also referred to as the Eastern Batak or Batak Timur) have an elaborately woven central section. The two end-panels are not woven separately but are worked on a second, white warp which is inserted during the weaving process (Gittinger, 1975: 13-15). This difficult and lengthy procedure can only be understood through an awareness of the supernatural powers that these traditional cloths are thought to possess and the notion of an unbroken, circulating warp as a metaphor linking male and female realms. Both cloths probably date from the early twentieth century.
kain bidak (?) shouldercloth; skirtcloth Pasemah region, Sumatra, Indonesia silk, natural dyes, gold thread supplementary weft weave, weft ikat 250.0 x 112.0 cm Australian National Gallery 1980.728
The ornate, metallic thread foliated elements on Pasemah ceremonial gold and silk textiles contrast strangely with the simple, narrow, weft ikat stripes and the rows of riders on animals at each end. The foundation weave is predominantly red-brown. These archaic symbols of transition proliferate on the textiles of the Lampung region to the south. The sex of the riders is clearly represented and the cloth is a rare example of a Pasemah textile of this type with explicit male and female ends. Nineteenth century
tengkuluk; pelung shouldercloths, waist -sashes Pasemah-Bengkulu region, Sumatra, Indonesia cotton, metallic thread, natural dyes, silk supplementary weft weave 38.0 x 220.1 cm; 34.4 x 230.0 cm Australian National Gallery 1981.1133; 1984.572
While little remains of identifiably male and female character in the end sections of these cloths, the subtle but deliberate differences suggest a comparison with the explicit sexual symbolism found on many textiles woven by Sumatran peoples further to the north. On these cloths the schematic patterns appear in elaborate, continuous supplementary weft brocade on either red or indigo grounds. Fringes formed from silk floss have been added after weaving. Early twentieth century
(detail) tengkuluak; kain sandang woman's headcloth; shouldercloth Minangkabau people, Batu Sangkar district, west Sumatra, Indonesia cotton, silk, gold thread, natural dyes supplementary weft weave 271.0 x 74.0 em Australian National Gallery 1984.574
The characteristic bright red and orange silk bands which are woven into the sumptuous gold brocade cloths from the Batu Sangkar district of the Minangkabau highlands also appear to include both male and female elements. The end-panels stand out against the deep purple centre. Cotton textiles with similar bright multicoloured bands are also woven by the Angkola Batak people to the north. Nineteenth century
pua kumbu ceremonial cloth Iban people, Sarawak, Malaysia handspun cotton, natural dyes warp ikat 203.0 x 136.8 cm Australian National Gallery 1981.1096
This huge pua was made to be hung at various longhouse ceremonies. T he exact meaning of its formal design is not known although the large, stippled, spiral motifs depict highly stylized river serpents (nabau). Food, in the form of small creatures, is depicted upside-down swimming towards the serpent. Early twentieth century
This image of the Raja of the Lio domain of central Flores was taken from an early twentieth-century photograph. The wide ikat shawl, maroon headcloth, huge ivory bracelets and heavy gold earrings are still used as ceremonial dress for traditional leaders in that domain.
semba mosalaki man's ceremonial shawl Lio people, Flores, Indonesia cotton, natural dyes warp ikat 113.5 x 209.0 cm Australian National Gallery 1980. 1656
A wide, two-panel, rich red-brown shawl worn by the Lords of the Earth (mosalaki) of central Flores. The sections of the warp intended to be the fringe have been carefully protected from contact with the dyes, and remain white. While the designs of many of these shawls were inspired by Indian trade textiles, this particular pattern seems to represent the linked genealogical figures found on many Southeast Asian warp ikat fabrics. Early twentieth century
tapis inu woman's ceremonial skirt Paminggir people, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia handspun cotton, silk, natural dyes warp ikat, embroidery 121.8 x 126.5 cm Australian National Gallery 1989. 1490
This type of Paminggir woman's skirt is highly unusual because the design in the central embroidery band can only be read clearly when the textile is turned on its side (that is, not as it is intended to be worn). A row of finely worked and highly stylized human figures appear, each crowned with an elaborate curling head-dress. While these are ancient motifs, the rich red warp ikat field that flanks the silk embroidery has been strongly influenced by imported Indian trade textiles. Nineteenth century
tau pahudu woman's skirt Sumbanese people, east Sumba, Indonesia handspun cotton, natural dyes supplementary warp weave, staining, embroidery 155.0 x 58.5 cm Australian National Gallery 1984.617
This finely worked skirt was made by a member of a royal family in east Sumba. The foundation weave has a subtle black-on-black supplementary warp pattern in the top section and is joined to the lower panel with red-orange embroidery. The same colours appear in an added fringe. Though made in the twentieth century, the cloth contains motifs that have been used for many generations, including skull trees and human figures carrying lizards on shoulder poles. On most eastern-Indonesian cloths human figures are depicted in a two-dimensional form, although on rare Sumba examples like this one, a three-dimensional effect is achieved by the addition of ribs and shading through staining sections of the thick white supplementary warps after weaving.
subahnalé sacred cloth Sasak people, Lombok, Indonesia handspun cotton, natural dyes supplementary weft weave 111.0 x 42.0 cm Australian National Gallery 1986.2113
Until recently figurative Sasak textiles did not exist in museum collections. In present-day central Lombok, Sasak weavers make supplementary weft textiles containing figures in the style of Balinese shadow-puppets, sometimes using metallic thread. However, the Sasak still distinguish between the routine weaving of these modern cloths and the careful rituals that were required in the past to create a textile they refer to by the term subahnalé. For those cloths, a small ceremony was performed and the weaving occurred in a special place where a woman remained undisturbed. On this example, simple figures with arms outstretched are separated by triangular structures. Like all sacred Sasak cloths, the cotton thread and dyes are entirely locally produced. The dominant colours are black and brown against a cream ground, with narrow green stripes as highlights between each band of figures. Early twentieth century
It is often a shaman who uses the
