Tenun Ikat: Indonesia’s Ikat Weaving Traditions

Judul	:	Tenun Ikat: Indonesia’s Ikat Weaving Traditions
Penerbit	:	Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Republic of Indonesia
Bahasa	:	Inggris
Tahun Cetak	:	2010
Halaman	:	122
ISBN	:	-
Harga	:	RP. 160.000
Status	:	Kosong

Indonesia’s textile culture includes a large repertoire of techniques, the best-known of which is perhaps the dye-resist technique universally referred to as ikat weaving. The Malay word ‘ikat’ means to bind, tie, or wind around. In this process, the parts of the yarn that are to remain undyed are protected by binding them tightly with a vegetable fiber that resists penetration of the dye. The result is an intricate piece of cloth of high quality produced over a long period of time.

Warp ikat is widely dispersed in Indonesia, found in such places as the Batakisland of North Sumatra, on the island of Flores, Sumba, Rote, Sabu, Ndao, and Timor in East Nusa Tenggara, in Kalimantan, especially in the interior regions, in Sulawesi in Rongkong and Galumpang, and on the Maluku island, such as Tanimbar and Kisar.

Ikat-weaving is an important source of extra income for woman in many parts of Indonesia where myriad styles are produced with local characteristics. On the left is a woman weaving a Sumba man’s wrap on a traditional backstrap loom set up in the cool area under the platform-house. On the right, a bevy of lovely girls prepare to celebrate their entrence into puberty, dressed in the rich brown double ikat made in Pagringsingan Teganan, Bali. This is one of the very few places in the world where double ikats are still made; their production involves the tying and dyeing of the warp threads and the weft threads, separately, before they are woven together.