Sacred Red

This Bebali cloth was revived using natural dyes in Nusa Penida in cooperation with passionate cultural leaders and Threads of Life. The Cepuk deep red is used as a cloth for dance and also for ritual due to its ability to protect. The deep colours are achieved through a complex dye process using red dye from the roots of the Morinda trees and many other plants that are needed for the complex mordanting.

With any revival the natural resources are as important to consider as the cloth itself and the use. In Nusa Penida the Morinda trees had all but disappeared due to overharvesting. Today forests of Morinda are growing again.

Red is not possible without the aluminum component Symplocos from trees that contain aluminum. Threads of Life works with harvesters on Flores collecting dried fallen leaves to sell to the weaving groups.

Red signifies courage and strength and add to the decor of any home.

Information about the makers will be supplied with each cloth.
Weft ikat, single panel, commercial cotton thread, hand stitched hemmed edge, natural dyes. Ikat tied, dyed and woven in Nusa Penida, Bali, 2021. Size 106 x 77 cm / 41.5 x 30.5 in