|
|
Many societies in South-East Asia have myths for weaving and in this area weaving is always characterized as feminine activities.
The cultural importance of woman derives from their roles as mother, educator, guarding of emotions and keeper of rice house. These roles are based on mythological stories from the past, which are still believed to be true. This makes that traditional textile of women in South-East Asia should be considered as an important category of art particularly where weaving and traditional textile are still a center part of life and culture such as in South Sulawesi.
There are four main ethnic groups in South Sulawesi, namely, Makassarese, Buginese and Mandarese, who are well-known throughout South-East Asia as seafeares and traders and Torajanese ethnic is agriculturist. The hand woven textiles, silk and cotton sarongs, are some of the high valued merchandises traded by the people to many parts of South-East Asia regions since seventeenth century.
Sarong, is a piece of cloth sewn into a tube and worn as making of skirt. It is rilled a few inches, wrapped around the waist, fastened without pins or belt or with a neat tuck at the side.
Traditional colour of sarongs are more subdied, like black, red and white but now they know for their lively bright and contrasting colours. Such as yellow, purple, green and red. Dyeing materials is imported analine german dyes which was introduced to South Sulawesi in 1939 by Chinese through Buginese traders. But for traditional colours, natural dyes are used, they are, leaves, grasses, roots, barks, resins of plants. particular kinds of earth and indigo are also used as natural dyes to obtain colours like black, dark blue, light blue and grey.
Traditional sarong patterns consists of strips and squares. The earliest pattern was composed of paralel lines, which was known as ballo renni ( small square fattern ) and ballo lobang ( large square pattern ), Ballo renni pattern became very popular in Mandar Sarong and ballo lobang ( medium square pattern ) became popular on Buginese or Makasarese Sarongs. Traditional pattern is still made at present time with addition of thin lines of silver and gold metalic threads. Dyeing techniques called Tenun ikat ( tied ), add varieties of Sarong Pattarns.
Some portions of the thread to be dyed are tied with leaves of palm or corn, or plastic in order that portion wil not absord dye. When this thread is woven, it will create different pattern. This kind of technique on the silk cloth woven is a kind of new innovation especially after the invention of Jikki ( a bamboo weaving implement which shaped the design as the cloth was being woven ). The Jikki regulates the insertion of supplementary weft thread over and under repeatedly according to the design an colour wanted.
Traditional each pattern has its own name and designed to be worn by particular members of the community. There are pattern which should be worn by common people. Today, contemporary names of the pattern depends on the designer of the pattern. There is no more restriction on who should wear pattern.
Most traditional weaving equipment is back tension
looms. In 1950, new models were introduced similar to the Thai loom which
is manually operated . In 1975, electrically powers spinning machines
were introduced to be used in local government sponsored weaving cooperatives.
.
Back to HOME
