Textiles with Tales to Tell

Sumba is one of the many islands in eastern Indonesia where the ancient art of tying, dying and weaving the complex ikat textiles is still practiced. The weavings’ motifs are rich in cultural lore and tradition. Many are still used as bride-wealth and in ceremonies for house raisings and funerals.

Although chemical dyes reached Indonesia over a century ago, the weavers in some isolated communities still use plant dyes. They are supported by Ubud-based Threads of Life, a certified Fair Trade business that helps traditional ikat-producing communities in Eastern Indonesia maintain their heritage of natural dyes. With its sister organization the NGO Yayasan Pecinta Budaya Bebali, Threads of Life is active in remote communities on the islands of Flores, Lembata, East Sumba, Timor, Savu, Rai Jua, Java, Sulawesi, Sumatra, West Kalimantan and Bali.

SUMBA

Story by : EW Johnson 

This is a true story about one of my adventures over a decade ago. I have taken great care to record things as they actually happened.

In college I would often roam around the old book archives in the basement of the library. One day I found an old book on remote societies. A picture in the book caught my eye. It had a small caption stating that the picture had been taken in Sumba but with no other information. At the time, I had no idea where Sumba was, but I was convinced that, one day, I would travel to that place. Further research revealed that Sumba was an island in Indonesia. Of course, I didn't know then how much of an impact that picture would have on my life.