quality of beads to full advantage. A curious beaded jacket (thap suang) is worn by the performers during the manor a dance drama in southern Thailand.71 This drama, while loosely based on Jataka Buddhist tales from India, also appears to re-enact an ancient ritual where the manora master is the pre-eminent shaman whose magical powers were called upon for exorcisms, ordinations of priests, topknot-cutting ceremonies, funerals, weddings and temple fairs. It seems that the function of this dance is to make an offering (kae bon) to placate a particular spirit who has granted a request (Ginsburg, 1975: 69-73). The tua nora can also use his powers to curse others, particularly rival nora, and to this end every tua nora wears protective charms arid amulets, including these mysterious beaded vests with ancient, diamond grid patterns.
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Where relationships are defined by family membership, the ritual leaders who intercede with the spirits and deities are often prominent clan elders and the donning of particular garments, such as the large shawls of the Lio of central Flores, transforms the situation into one of portent. The Lords of the Earth are responsible for important decisions affecting the life of the community, such as pronouncements about the opening of the agricultural season. In these cases, leaders make magical use of heirloom textiles and other paraphernalia such as special betel-nut pouches.
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Offerings to spirits and deities are an important facet of ritual and textiles are often included in these rites. Balinese offerings, which are set out as clothing for the gods (rantasan), contain textiles chosen for their sacred qualities and their suitability of colour. In Java the tie-dyed kain kembangan are offered to the gods as ritual gifts. Iban offerings are covered with the finest pua kumbu textiles and the Toraja make offerings of sacred ma 'a to the spirits that are responsible for securing fertility and safety for their villages and fields (Crystal, 1979: 58). In the Ngada region of Flores, it is customary at the completion of a successful harvest to cover a portion of it with fine cloths during the subsequent celebrations.
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Given the antiquity and centrality of beliefs in ancestors and spirits and their apparent depiction in prehistoric art, it is not surprising that supernatural beings have secured an important place in textile iconography. Throughout Southeast Asia, gods, spirits and ancestors are widely depicted in anthropomorphic form. Sometimes, however, the style of these motifs is so schematic that their real meaning is not immediately apparent, and may not even be understood by present-day weavers. This problem is evident on many Iban textiles, particularly on older style pua where the anthropomorphic forms are concealed within the rhomb and hook patterns. Exact identification is only possible by experienced older weavers, and only by those women who still use these designs on their own textiles.
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While some Iban weavers are still able to identify particular gods and spirits among the twists and curves of the patterns produced by ikat and weft-wrapping techniques, the meaning of both realistic and stylized representations of the anthropomorphic form are more problematic in other Southeast Asian cultures. It is possible that both the human figures and other more schematic shapes found on many textiles represent supernatural beings. The oldest realistic representation of the human body on textiles presents a full frontal view, standing or squatting. Strength is conveyed in the stance, usually with feet apart and arms raised, although the bold 'hands-on-hips' pose is also an ancient representation. Compelling anthropomorphs, either in isolation or as figures within larger figures, appear on various types of Timorese textiles. On the méo ritual warrior's head-dress, such figures may have been intended to invoke the protection of particular spirits. In south Sumatra, extremely stylized linked figures appear as a dominant motif on one specific banded type of palepai, while other palepai and tampan are filled with more realistic, solid, frontal images.
ilaf vilu bokof (?) ceremonial regalia of a ritual warrior Tetum people (?), south Belu region, Timor, Indonesia handspun cotton, natural dyes tapestry weave, twining, supplementary weft wrapping 29.2 x 69.4 cm Australian National Gallery 1982.2294
Figurative motifs are sometimes found on the small headbands, belts and decorative regalia of the méo warriors. Details such as five-fingered hands and body decoration suggest that these are stylized depictions of human figures. The mirror image of the design may be merely decorative or it may have been intended to symbolize copulation. Since traditional warfare was associated with fertility and potency, this would be an appropriate motif on the costume of ritual war leaders. Red and orange weft threads appear against a dark blue ground. Late nineteenth or early twentieth century
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While linked or enmeshed patterns of realistically depicted human figures decorate many woven textiles, it has been suggested that certain schematic designs such as the sekong rhomb and key motif of the Toraja, may also be viewed as genealogical figures (Schuster, 1965: 341-6). In many cultures where these decorative designs appear, revered and deified ancestors and clan founders are believed to play an active part in the everyday affairs of their descendants. Elsewhere in the region, anthropomorphic designs may have a quite different and specific meaning. On the beaded skirts and jackets of the Maloh of west Kalimantan, the kakalétau motif depicts both guardian spirits and also slaves whose fate was controlled by the class of nobles with the right to make and wear the finest beaded textiles (King, 1985;J.R. Maxwell, 1980). In some examples of Maloh art, this motif is truncated to form a mask or face (udo). Similar images are found on funerary structures in Kalimantan where they serve to frighten away marauding spirits.
(detail) beti jut atoni; mau jut atoni man's cloth Atoni or Dawan people, Timor, Indonesia cotton, dyes warp ikat 175.0 x 104.0 cm Australian National Gallery 1980.1655
Patterns built up of interlocking figures are found in many parts of Southeast Asia. On this Dawan cloth, the largest blue and white warp ikat motifs are clearly depicted with five fingers and toes suggesting their anthropomorphic form. Whether these jut atoni (human ikat motifs) were once intended to depict specific ancestral figures is now unclear. However, the cycle of generations is wonderfully portrayed by the interlocking and repeating arrangement of these motifs of abundance. The background of the central panel is filled with tiny birds and other small creatures. Mid-twentieth century
(details) paiepai ceremonial hangings Paminggir people, north Semangka Bay region, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia handspun cotton, natural dyes supplementary weft weave 304.0 x 63.8 em; 277.0 x 62.5 em; 302.0 x 65.0 cm Australian National Gallery 1985.504 (Gift of Mrs Bamberger, 1985); 1982.140 (Gift of Russell Zeeng, 1982); 1984.1192
A type of palepai, in which the motifs are worked in horizontal bands, shows seated (or male?) figures with curling limbs wearing head-dresses or horns. In the past, palepai (the largest of the supplementary cotton weavings of the Paminggir people) passed to the eldest son of the local clan or district leader as a symbol of hereditary leadership. In certain cases, the palepai textiles have been found cut into two, perhaps as a result of disputes over inheritance. These cloths are predominantly red, blue and orange and date from the nineteenth century.
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