Mau Naek from Timor

This textile was made in the traditional community of Boti in West Timor. The weaver group spins thread into cotton and creates ikat and supplementary patterns using natural dyes. All members of Boti wear their traditional dress while in the village.

The last King of Boti, Nune Benu, maintained a strong connection to nature with a bird being his personal totem. His son and heir, Nama Benu, continues to honor the same “adat” or traditional law that his father upheld. Nama Benu’s sister, Molo Beni, is a master weaver and head of the weaving group in the village.

This textile was held in the Threads of Life collection as benchmark and is now just being offered for sale. Threads of Life continues to hold a benchmark collection of textiles that inform what weaving techniques, types of textiles and natural dyes were used in the past and how we can work to revive these arts. 

Supplementary warp wrap patterning, three panels stitched together, handspun cotton, natural dyes. Dyed and woven by Tae Matani weavers group in Amanuban, Timor, 2004.

173 x 63 cm / 68 x 25 in