18 Textiles Fabricating Power with Balinese Textiles Margaret Mead (1901-1978) and weaver’s lower back, is attached to the with spiritual power, protection and Gregory Bateson (1904-1980) loom with cords. The cag cag masculine virtues. It is today a converged on Bali to document its integrates the weaver’s body with the ‘uniform’ for the mandatory pacalang artistic and cultural practices, fearing loom, providing the force needed to or ‘security guards’ present at that they might soon be lost to keep the warp as taut or relaxed as ceremonial events. In Bali shrines encroaching Western influence and required. Weaving in Bali today they are considered physical modernity. Between 1936 and 1938 remains a skill that is passed down embodiments of deities and spirits; they recorded rituals, dance and through the generations, usually from they too need to be protected, and trance in Balinese life cycles using still mother to daughter who has probably have poleng draped over them as well photography and film, and published inherited a cag cag. as over guardian figures in temples. their pioneering fieldwork inBalinese Balinese cloths feature primarily as Special occasions call for elaborate Character: A Photographic Analysis in apparel. Traditional cloths are known and expensive cloths worn by royalty 1942. Textiles had not been an area of as bebali, a generic term for whole and the elite. Prominent among them their research. However the study of lengths of fabric woven to certain is the kain songket, luxurious brocades ritual exposed them to the important dimensions to serve as garments. that symbolise privilege and power. role fabrics played during Balinese These pieces of cloth for daily wear They carry geometric or floral patterns, rites of passage. They decided to which are uncut and unsewn to embellished by sheer gold and silver collect ceremonial cloths and preserve their sukla or ‘purity’, are yarns shimmering on brightly subsequently donated them to The extremely versatile. They are utilitarian, coloured silk. Because of their American Museum of Natural often feature soft dye colours and extravagant nature, they are said to be History, New York. might be draped on the body in an aristocratic art and the handiwork A number of rare and exquisite several ways. of women from the highest castes. textiles from the Mead-Bateson Today women wear the kebaya, a Songket appears in two saput ‘outer Collection – supplemented by long blouse which is a modern hip wrappers’ for men. One with samples from American collections – confection, with the sarong. Female metallic supplementary weft borders, have been gathered for the exhibition, apparel is generally complemented by and the other in metallic thread and Fabricating Power with Balinese accessories such as the anteng, ‘breast endek, a weft ikat that is tie dyed, or Textiles at the Bard Graduate Center, Ngurah Hendrawan and cloth’; the selendang, ‘chest, waist or resist patterned, and popular in Bali. Lamak (shrine hanging or offering New York. Designed to offer insight Ni Gede Diari. Cepuk (ritual cloth), shoulder cloth’; the sabuk, ‘waist These silk songkets are of a deep red cloth) Bali, Indonesia, early to into Balinese weaving traditions, the Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia, 2017, binding belt’; the kamben, ‘inner hip dye, superstitiously believed to mid‐20th century, show considers the making and use of cotton, Bard Graduate Center. wrapper’ and the saput, ‘outer hip emanate from human blood. Today it cotton, Division of Anthropology, textiles as ceremonial objects in the Photograph: Bruce White wrapper’. Men wear the udeng, ‘head is recognised that the colour comes American Museum of Natural History, island’s culture and explores their role cloth’ wrapped around their heads; from the bark of the Morinda citrofolia, donated by Colin McPhee as symbols of continuity. The samples the keris, or dagger, is identified with they have on their torsos modern known locally as mengkudu. on display moreover, are intended as men. Textiles are the preserve of shirts and on the lower body, the Dyes in Bali have symbolic material records of the 1930s, an women and when the circumstances kamben, ‘inner hip wrapper’ and saput, meanings and are believed to possess by Yvonne Tan important period in Balinese history. are right, sakti or ‘spiritual power’ is ‘outer hip wrapper’. medicinal properties. Mastery of the In Bali, much spiritual value is conferred on the weaver. Cloth Items of clothing adhere to gender art however reflects the dyer’s Bali has been a major source of attached to cloth. It is an activity appears frequently in Balinese distinctions and are adapted for male knowledge and expertise. He or she fascination for the West since the late invested with power since the textiles mythology and legend, and it is and female wearers. The kamben, depends on dyes produced from barks, 19th century and is culturally distinct. produced demarcate key stages in the customary for weavers make daily ‘inner hip wrapper’ which is worn by root and leaves of plants, referred to as It is the only island in the Indonesian human life cycle. Their making is not offerings to gods and deities. The both men and women, is distinguished warna alami, ‘natural dye colours’. archipelago to have resisted the forces taken lightly. When, how, where and lunar goddess Dewi Ratih, who lives by its texture and motifs for either sex, Indigo, known as nila from the of Islam which overran the Hindu- by whom cloth is made are critical on the moon, is often depicted and by the manner in which they are Sanskrit, is extracted from the leaf of Buddhist kingdoms of neighbouring considerations. An auspicious day is spinning because she is believed to worn. Men wear it with the right side the Indigofera tinctoria; yellow comes Java from the 15th century onwards. usually chosen for the actual weaving; have given the knowledge of weaving wrapped over the left; while women from the nangka, ‘jackfruit’ tree, Bali remained independent, and went the new moon and the full moon, for to humanity. wear the kamben with the left side Artocarpus heterophyllus; and brown on to practise a composite belief instance, are not considered Women traditionally use the cag cag, covering the right. from the pohon mahoni, mahogany. system based on a dominant Hindu auspicious times. Weaving is a a body tension or backstrap loom for Many Balinese cloths fulfil Another source of red dye is the cosmology and its views of the world. ritualised activity, and those making weaving. It may be a continuous or religious purposes and are said to Caesalpinia sappan or sappanwood, The religion which integrates ancestor items associated with deities undergo discontinuous warp setup with a possess protective properties. Kain called secang. worship, animism and magic, has had a purification ceremony called backstrap or harness, breast and cloth tenunan ‘woven cloths’ are simple The kain prada, ‘gilded cloths’ are a deep influence on Balinese culture mawinten. beam, beater/blade, reed, lease bar, utilitarian textiles in lines and checks, exclusive fabrics, worked with applied and traditions, and is reflected in the Balinese society makes a fine heddle rod and heddle strings, and a some of which are sacred cloths for gold leaf in geometric and floral island’s unique textile tradition. distinction between male and female shuttle that carries the bobbin. The men. The poleng, a sarong in large motifs intertwined into the fabric. In the 1930s, the anthropologists activity. The use of weapons such as wooden harness which rests on the black and white checks is associated During ceremonial occasions they often feature in the selendang, the Geringsing woman’s shoulder, waist or hip (protective cloth), wrapper and also in the head cloth possibly Tenganan, and hip wrappers for men. Kain prada Bali, Indonesia, previously associated with metalwork, before 1956, had been a traditional male preserve probably 20th although women are now adept at century, cotton, making it. Division of At certain times in the Balinese Anthropology, calendar, textiles are considered a American Museum second skin. During liminal life of Natural History, phases such as birth, maturity, death donated by Frances and deification, their shape, form and Kent Lamont and appearance reflect the social hierarchy Charlotte Austin of the Hindu caste system: The Kent in memory of requisite pakaian or ‘clothing’ worn by their father and observers present embody three levels; mother William pakaian agung, ‘highest’, pakaian Winthrop Kent and madya, ‘middle’ and pakaian sederhana, Jesse Adams Kent ‘for everyday or lowest purposes’.

ASIAN ART APRIL 2018 Textiles 19

The gedogan, or wangsul, are sport magnolia flower patterns and continuous tubular warp cloths that involve a complex dyeing method feature in various ceremonies lasting well over a month to allow the associated with birth. For every new yarns to be soaked and dried. It mother a three-day ceremony called prepares them for their reddish- nelubulanin is conducted when the purple colour when they are baby is 105 days or three Balinese immersed and repeatedly dyed again calendar months old. An uncut thereafter. Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers continuous cloth, the wangsul – Geringsing feature in many imbued with a form of ‘power’ by its Balinese ceremonies. It is normally weaving technique – is then draped used as a head rest during tooth filing, over the mother to release protective a rite associated with puberty. Called ASIAN ART energies. Like other Balinese textiles, metatah or potong gigi, ‘cutting of the wangsul has multiple functions. teeth’, it is supposed to remove the Inviting Consignments Its dominant use is as circular baby last vestiges of ‘untamed’ behaviour as slings which need to be new and the individual transits into adulthood. Monday 21 May therefore ‘pure’, because they are used He or she is elaborately dressed – to bond mother and child. Wangsul lying on a platform sandwiched might also be used as shawls, diapers between cloths including the or even pillows for the child. geringsing, cepuk, bebali and songket Occasionally deities are also carried in to stabilise and protect the body. A a brand new wangsul. priest or priestess presiding over the Some ritual cloths have healing rite then files down the teeth. properties. The cepuk is used in a The lamak are sacred banners that variety of ceremonies, draped on hang from poles in temples and human bodies as well as over shrines. shrines. They are associated with the All cepuk have a basic structure of a Galungan, an important ‘new year’ border lining all four sides to frame a festival which occurs twice yearly in body of repeated weft ikat patterns. celebration of the 210-day cycle of Indeed the cloth has been described the Balinese Hindu calendar. These as resembling a human face – with a long narrow cloths of handwoven kepala, ‘head’, and features including plain cotton, are often several metres eyebrows, lips and smile. The cepuk in length. The lamak has contrasting bears evidence of Bali’s place as a geometric and triangular motifs of repository of Indian textile traditions white on indigo. Two inverted ZHANG RUITU (follower, of Chinese 1570-1644), brought by ancient trade routes. Its triangles usually feature at the very landscape, ink on silk, hanging scroll. motifs are derived from Indian top below which sit a stylised ‘pyramid’ Inscribed with part of the poem double ikat patola prototypes from followed by symmetrical motifs on by Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei, Gujerat, among them the jelamprang, the lamak body. They culminate in a signed and with artists seal. ‘eight rayed rosette’. tumpal, ‘interlocking’ border pattern. Sold December 2017 £123,000 Cepuk is used protectively during Water plays a significant role in liminal events such as puberty when a wedding nuptials and features in a girl starts her first menstruation and bathing or cleansing ritual. The +44 (0)20 8761 2522 For a complimentary valuation when a boy deepens his voice. Red couple concerned are required to 70/76 Knights Hill, please contact Head of Department and yellow are the key colours; the immerse themselves in the river London SE27 0JD Bill Forrest boy wears a cepuk sari of red and dressed in their finest new clothes. www.roseberys.co.uk yellow with a white sash, and the girl, The bridegroom is supposed to be 20 [email protected] a cepuk lubeng luwe of red and yellow. to 30 feet away from the bride, when On their necks they have three colour he removes his kamben ‘inner hip threads of red, white and black, called wrapper’ and lets it drift downstream tridatu, symbolising the Hindu to her. She catches and washes it after deities Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. which the couple leave the water to Geringsing cloths are perhaps the be dressed in more new clothes. At Asian Art most sacred of all Balinese textiles. Together they return to the groom’s They are identified with the Hindu house, their hands bound with a goddess Indra and are exclusive to the string to signify their union. Newspaper Tenganan Pageringsingan area of Bali. Death ceremonies involve the use Worn as waist or hip wrappers by of kasa putih, ‘white cloths’ as we love our men and women during special rituals, cremation shrouds supposed to carry they are said to possess healing the deceased to heaven. The shroud print issue... properties and offer protection from layers are hierarchically arranged; kasa disease and evil spirits. They are putih lining the bottom, over which therefore used until they disintegrate. lay a red kain cepuk, then a kajang kulit, A continuous circular warp which is ‘skin shroud’ and kajang sari, ‘sari ... however, ritually appropriate, they symbolise shroud’ to establish safe passage to the role of creation, and are taken off the next world. In cremation sometimes you uncut from the loom. They usually ceremonies, textiles worn by mourners correspond again to the rules of caste. will want to Only the highest caste is privileged to wear motifs of patola designs and the lowest, very simple patterns. read on the go While the role and functions of many cloth samples in the exhibition The Courtesan Hanazuma have remained basically unchanged, Reading A Letter the circumstances prevailing in by Kitagawa Utamaro present-day Bali are very different (1753–1806), from the 1930s. Modern weavers now Edo period prefer to use partially mechanised (1615–1868) treadle looms which have now replaced many cag cag. And despite From September we have introduced PhoneView, which makes it efforts to revitalise traditional weaving, even easier to read on whatever device you choose textile production in Bali has become a competitive and lucrative industry. Our digital edition is only available through our website, These circumstances lead us to so if you would like to try it out, take advantage of appreciate the objects on display as unique objects and source materials, our free 3-month trial* and particularly as pusaka, ‘heirlooms’ It’s the same as the print issue – which now includes PhoneView which attest to the living and unchallenged textile tradition of Bali. software to make it even easier to read on any device

sFabricating Power with Balinese Textiles, until 8 July, Contact Heather Milligan at [email protected], quote 3MTrial

Gedogan or wangsul, (tubular at the Bard Graduate Center Gallery, *Only available for new digital subscribers continuous warp cloth), Ibu Ayu New York, bgc.bard.edu. Ngurah and Ida Ayu Pidada, sAn eponymous book accompanies Batuan, Bali, Indonesia, 2017, the exhibition by Urmila Mohan, asianartnewspaper.com cotton, private collection. University of Chicago Press, Photograph: Bruce White ISBN 9781941792131

APRIL 2018 ASIAN ART