Masterful Ikat

The name for a woman's four-part sarong is utan wiri wanan and is used at a wedding for an ritual called Roa Muu. During this ritual, a young man, representing the man's family, will dance around a banana tree where the utan wiri wanan is hanging. As he slowly circles and cuts down the tree, eventually he captures the sarong - this ritual symbolizes fertility. The bands of motif referred to as nian nipa or island snake/naga can only be used on the wiri wanan textile from the cultural compound of Hewokloang within the cultural group of Sikka.

According to local legend the mythical snake/naga nian nepa is said to have carried rice on her back as she traversed the landscape of Flores. Rather than consisting of a single component or image, this motif is formed through a specific combination of structural strips and smaller motifs including geckos which are seen as ancestral figures. Only elderly women who are through menopause with years of experience are able to make this type of textile.

Information about the makers will be supplied with each cloth
Warp ikat, four panels sewn together into a tube, commercial cotton, natural dyes. Ikat tied, dyed and woven in Flores 2023. Size 122 x 64 cm / 48 x 25 in