Textiles of Southeast Asia. Robyn Maxwell
a village between the Kalumpang and Rongkong regions of Sulawesi. Textiles from neighbouring regions are used for rituals in this part of central Sulawesi as the women in this area do not themselves weave. This particular type of warp banded cloth from Kalumpang is called rundun lola.
(detail) pori lonjong ceremonial hanging; shroud Toraja people, Rongkong district, central Sulawesi, Indonesia cotton, natural dyes warp ikat 485.0 x 165.0 cm Australian National Gallery 1988.521
The huge pori lonjong textiles, in bold, bright red, blue and white warp ikat, provide dramatic backdrops for the Toraja rituals of death. They are used throughout the Toraja region as hangings, temporary walls and shrouds, and also as women's ceremonial skirtcloths in the north of central Sulawesi. Each pori lonjong has a wide, patterned centre, usually composed of repeating sets of ancient schematic patterns- rhombs, spirals, crosses, zigzags and circles. These designs are bordered on each side by stark red, black (or blue) and white stripes. Most cloths are formed from two extremely long parallel panels. Twentieth century
A wooden chest containing the bones of the ancestors is stored under the eaves of a traditional Lio house. A fringed textile, which has faded over the years, is draped over the chest.
(detail) luka semba ceremonial shawl Lio people, Flores, Indonesia cotton, natural dyes warp ikat 70.0 x 220.2 cm Australian National Gallery 1984.1094
Fringed warp ikat textiles in deep rednues are worn by Lio men on ceremonial occasions, and are also draped over the deceased during funerary rites. This design combines simple spots divided into warp bands with elaborate triangular end patterns. Twentieth century
(detail) At Toba Batak funerals, textiles seal the bonds established in life between individuals and their kin (dongan sabutuha), wife-givers (hula-hula) and wife-takers (boru). In this photograph the body of an elderly woman lies covered with an appropriate cloth (an ulos sibolang) while her kinsfolk surround the coffin wearing other ulos shawls. From a family album, mid-twentieth century
tapis woman's ceremonial skirt Paminggir people, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia cotton, silk, natural dyes warp ikat, embroidery 143.0 x 136.0 cm Australian National Gallery 1981.1124
tapis woman's ceremonial skirt Paminggir people, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia cotton, silk, natural dyes warp ikat, embroidery 130.4 x 118.5 cm Australian National Gallery 1981.1125
Ship images appear on the skirts worn in Lampung by women at ceremonies to celebrate a change of status for members of the community. The motifs contained in the warp ikat bands on most tapis are not often identifiable. However, the ikat patterns on these nineteenth-century examples are suggestive of the serpents, ships and mythical beasts also found on other textiles produced in this region. The figures on board the ships displayed in the bands of predominantly white embroidery are depicted in a variety of ways, and both sunburst and horn-shaped head-dresses are evident. The bright detailed embroidery work and its precise filling of stripes, chevrons and checks is in sharp contrast to the sombre brown ikat, although both sections of each textile are dyed in natural colours.
palepai ceremonial hanging Paminggir people, Kalianda district, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia handspun cotton, natural dyes, gold ribbon supplementary weft weave, appliqué 68.0 x 280.3 cm Australian National Gallery 1985.610 Purchased with the assistance of James Mollison, 1985
palepai ceremonial hanging Paminggir people, Kalianda district, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia handspun cotton, natural dyes supplementary weft weave 64.0 x 286.0 cm Australian National Gallery 1985.611 Purchased with the assistance of James Mollison, 1985
The ship motif is most highly developed and spectacularly displayed on the palepai and tampan of Lampung, textiles which are used at many ceremonies of the life-cycle including initiation into adulthood, marriage and death. For the Paminggir nobility who controlled the large palepai ship cloths, the presence of these prestigious textiles was also essential at ceremonies pronouncing the rank of the local ruler. The transition symbolism of these textiles is further developed by the inclusion of riders on mythical creatures, which are usually depicted aboard the ships. The degree of realism with which the ships and their passengers are presented varies greatly according to the particular time and place at which these textiles were woven. Different regional styles developed in Lampung, although key and spiral ornamentation was wideiy deployed in the background and filling detail of all these textiles. Some of these variations can be observed on surviving nineteenth-century examples of supplementary weft tampan, tatibin and patepai cloths, and also on the embroidered bands of women's skirts from the same region. On the large patepai the main ship motif appears either in red or blue, with the red ships usually showing far more elaborate detail than the more solid blue variety. The ceremonial hanging in Plate 162 is a fine example of the rare single red ship patepai, with wonderfully curved bows and deck structures filled with fanciful passengers and crew and pairs of noble elephants. Turmeric dyes have been generously used to produce a rich orange effect. Where two red ship images are displayed, as in the ceremonial hanging Plate 163, there always appears to be subtle variations in their depiction, since different sets of shed-sticks were apparently used to weave each image. On this textile the indigo blue is also a dominant colour.
Clothing is thus important as a symbol of status for the dead as well as the living, and as a system of signals intended for supernatural beings. For example, the bodies of unmarried Karen girls are dressed in the costume of married women, so that their souls can proceed unhindered to the realm of the dead, for such clothing is a signal to any evil spirits who might prevent the journey that a husband is following behind (Lewis and Lewis, 1984: 96).65 However, not all Southeast Asian peoples bury their dead in their finest fabrics. The Ifugao, for example, cover their corpses in used clothing, or if fine new cloths are used, these are torn slightly so that the waiting spirits, who also desire fine textiles, will not become jealous and steal the shrouds from those making their final journey (Lambrecht, 1958: 10). Textiles play a prominent role at many mortuary ceremonies at which the interplay between the realms of the spirits and ancestors, and the earthly domain of the living is clearly articulated.
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Beads also play an important part in transition ceremonies, including those associated with death, and many beads have been found in a number of ancient burial sites. The Toraja drape the beaded kandaureover the body of prominent people at funerals, some Dayak groups place beads under the eyelids of the corpse for the use of the soul in its passage to the next world (Dunsmore, 1978: 3), and the beaded 'singing' shawls used by young Karen women who chant at funerals are intended to aid the journey of transition (Campbell et al, 1978: 158). We know little about the functions of the huge beaded mats and hangings of Lampung, but it seems probable that, like the woven tampan and palepai textiles, the presence of these spectacular beaded objects at important transition rituals evoked protection and aid in dealing with the ancestor and spirit world.
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Many funeral arrangements emphasize the social order for the living, as well as the dead. Where alliances forged by marriage are the basis for social relationships, protocol at funerals must be carefully followed. In eastern Indonesia, for example, gifts are given to indicate the prestige and wealth of the deceased and the powerful connections of the extended family. In such cases, textiles are usually presented by one set of relatives and different types of 'male' grave goods, such as livestock,