Perfect Mud Decor

On the western slopes of the Toraja highlands, the To Mangki Karataun people live in virtual isolation; during the rainy season, their villages are inaccessible for months at a time. In the mythic past the great ancestor descended from heaven to give Karataun weavers four basic motifs known as ba’ba de’ata, the ikat of the divine. Young women from this remote area of Sulawesi will create two of these textiles at the same time, tying the pattern into threads, dyeing the threads and then weaving this into cloth. It will take up to 2 months to complete the work and the income she receives for this is substantial to help her family.

Information about the makers will be supplied with each cloth.
Warp ikat, single panel, twisted fringe, commercial cotton, natural dyes. Ikat tied, dyed, woven in Karataun, Sulawesi, 2023. Size 182 x 21 cm / 71.5 x 8.5 in