Heat of Savu

The culture of neighboring Savu and Rai Jua islands places great weight on ancestry, birthplace, and community life. The local traditional religion, called Jingi Tiu, requires all village members to participate in rituals and ceremonies.

Known as ei ledo, this two-part textile is the ceremonial dress of women from the Hubi Iki or Lesser Blossom descent group. The primary motif, called boi or sea urchin. It is cooked with coconut milk as part of the annual Pana Rao ceremony. Pana Rao means to heat the oven. This is when alcoholic palm wine may be distilled and hebe keware hawu refers to the way a traditional house has a rounded front aspect. Savunese traditional houses which faces west to east.

This textile would be striking as a wall hanging or draped over a bed or chair.

Information about the makers will be supplied with each cloth.
Warp ikat, two panels stitched together, commercial cotton, natural dyes. Ikat tied, dyed, woven in Sabu, 2023. Size 168 x 61 cm / 66 x 24 in