Honoring Ancestors

Woven by the Dayak Desa women of Sintang regency in West Kalimantan, kain bidang is a single panel ikat textile. This textile is an important part of ceremonies, offerings are placed on it or it may be used to wrap an offering. The mordanting process to achieve the red dye requires many different foraged plants and must be performed with a ritual. Dayak textiles have long been regarded for their unique designs, many of which were inspired by dreams.

The motifs on this cloth are called tangak tupai refers to a tree or branches of a tree that are used by squirrels to move about the canopy. The Sandung is used as a place of worship during ceremonies that celebrate battle victories, and also honour the ancestors and spirits. As a motif it is considered as culturally potent and powerful and is only used on certain cloths and woven by certain weavers.

Information about the makers will be supplied with each cloth.
Warp ikat, commercial cotton, single panel, twisted fringe, natural dyes. Ikat, tied, dyed and woven in Sintang, Kalimantan, 2023. Size 176 x 65 cm / 69.5 x 25.5 in