Legacy in Cloth Batak textiles of Indonesia Sandra Niessen Legacy in cloth Batak textiles of Indonesia kitlv press leiden 2009 © 2009 Sandra A. Niessen No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the copyright owner. isbn 978 90 6718 351 2 First published in 2009 by kitlv Press P.O. Box 9515 2300 ra Leiden The Netherlands www.kitlv.nl kitlv (Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies) is an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (knaw) Design Marie-Cécile Noordzij-Pulles, Hurwenen Printed by Thoben Offset Nijmegen Bound by Van Waarden, Zaandam Publishing assistance: Bergoord Publishing This publication was realized with the support of: – Netherlands organization for scientific research (nwo) – the Barbas-van der Klaauw Fund, managed by the Prince Bernhard Cultural Foundation Printed in the Netherlands Half title page Toba Batak pinunsaan Cat 7.2f; Detail. Early 20th century, ikat and supplementary warp patterning, natural blue and red dyes. Frontispiece Toba Batak simpar Cat 5.4b; Detail. Early 20th century, chevron ikat, natural red dye. Table of contents Acknowledgements 7 Part iii Catalogue Introduction Cataloguing the Indonesian Catalogue Introduction 169 Textile Arts: a Batak Contribution 13 Catalogue Table of Contents 173 Acronyms of Public Collections Consulted 23 Catalogue 1 The Blue Textiles 175 Catalogue 2 Warp Stripes without Ikat Embellishment 219 Part i Design Catalogue 3 Stripes in Warp and Weft: The Batak Plaids 249 Design Introduction 25 Catalogue 4 Stipple Ikat 263 Design 1 Design Foundations 27 Catalogue 5 Chevron Ikat 291 Design 2 Early Design History 45 Catalogue 6 Lozenge-and-Cross Ikat 311 Design 3 Modern Design History 65 Catalogue 7 Weft Patterning 355 Design 4 Nomenclature 89 Catalogue 8 Foreign Textiles in the Batak Repertory 389 Catalogue 9 Selected Apparel and Accessory Items 397 Part ii Style Regions Style Regions Introduction 105 Part iv Technique Style Region 1 Samosir 107 Technique Introduction 413 Style Region 2 Simalungun 115 Technique Table of Contents 415 Style Region 3 Karo 123 Technique 1 Fibre and Yarn 417 Style Region 4 Si Tolu Huta 135 Technique 2 Fibre and Yarn Preparation 421 Style Region 5 Holbung/Uluan 143 Technique 3 Dyes and Dyeing 433 Style Region 6 Silindung 155 Technique 4 Warping and Warp Ikat 447 Technique 5 The Loom and Weaving 461 Technique 6 Decorative Warp 477 Technique 7 Decorative Weft 499 Technique 8 Finishing Techniques 519 Appendices Appendix 1 Research Methods 535 Appendix 2 Technical Vocabulary 545 Maps 547 Bibliography 551 Index 559 fig. Acknowledgements 1 Loom used to weave the tumtuman Cat 7.3. Toba Uluan. 1986. 7 Acknowledgements This book has been a long time in the making. Over the years, During a six-month tenure at the National Museum of many people and institutions have generously loaned their Ethnology, Osaka, Japan, in 1992, I had undisturbed time to assistance. work on the text of this book, as well as logistical support of The Netherlands Foundation for the Advancement of Tropical every kind. Research (zwo-wotro) funded the project (1985–87) with a I was delighted to be able to complete a draft of this volume in post-doctoral research grant. The late Professor P.E. de Josselin 2001 at the Banff Centre in Alberta, under the auspices of their de Jong, then still at the State University of Leiden, gave it his Self-directed Writing Program. unstinting support. On this grant, I was able to conduct the Rudolph Zwamborn of Lotus Studio, Edmonton, Canada, and museum research and the first stage of field research. It took Irene de Groot in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, took the bulk of place in 1986 under the auspices of lipi, the Indonesian the studio photographs. Ben Bekooy and Koichi Nishimura Institute of Sciences, and with the sponsorship of Universitas provided others. Thomas Murray, Mary Jane Leland, Pamela hkbp Nommensen in Medan, North Sumatra. Rector F. Amudi Cross, Lesley Pullen, Georges Breguet and Mary Hunt- Pasaribu, was more than generous in fulfilling his side of the Kahlenberg, loaned me studio photographs of textiles in their agreement. own collections. Herman Bloem of Thoben Offset, Nijmegen, From 1988 until 1990, I was the grateful recipient of an Isaak applied the innovative strategy of scanning textiles to yield Walton Killam Post-doctoral Research Fellowship in the high-quality detail images for the book. Bob Gale, Beatriz Department of Clothing and Textiles at the University of Premselaar, Bill Rice, Ria Lumbantobing, Erna Lohuis, Ingrid Alberta. During the period of tenure of this second grant, I was Mathew, Robert Visser and Martha and Bunga Sirait helped by able to visit North American museums and also to sift through sharing photographs and textiles in their collections. Archival and collate the data I had collected. A third research grant from photographs were obtained from many of the museums listed the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada below. The diagrams were done by Marie-Cécile Noordzij- (sshrc) (1988–90) allowed me to make another short trip to Pulles. Leia Gillespie, Linda Turner, Heide Leigh-Theisen, Maria Indonesia in 1990 to fill in gaps in the data. A small Central Christou loaned assistance. Research Fund Operating Grant from the University of Alberta My debt to Rita Bolland is enormous for her guidance while I in 1988–89 supplied the resources to put together a publisher’s collected, and later analyzed the technical weaving information proposal. Two grants from the Small Faculties Fund at the in North Sumatra, and to Sandra Fearon for her expert review of University of Alberta paid for some of the studio photography, Part iv. Rita died suddenly in 2006; my regret is deep that I was computer drawings, map production and incidentals. never able to show her the finished book. Sander Adelaar, Tim In The Netherlands, the staff of the Royal Institute of Babcock, Susan Berry, Nancy Kerr, Edward Edwards-McKinnon, Linguistics and Anthropology (kitlv) in Leiden was always Lynne Milgram and Loan Oei assisted with other parts of the helpful; the library and archives of that same institution were text. I received editing assistance from Deborah Tout-Smith, unsurpassed for my needs. I also profited from being able to George Pitcher, Pamela A. Cross, Meg Taylor, Grace Fairley and consult the library of the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam Ruth Chernia. Peer reviewers offered valuable suggestions for and the National Archives (Rijksarchief) in The Hague. improving the text. At the University of Alberta, ongoing research was feasible Museum research has been a major component of this because of the excellent interlibrary loan facility. I am grateful publication and the assistance that I have received from to Linda Turner, Dick Woolner, and Susan Hunter for their museum personnel has been indispensable to my project. I assistance with illustrations and maps. would like to extend my thanks to: Tropenmuseum, 8 acknowledgements Amsterdam, especially Rita Bolland, Koos van Brakel, and Irene Tupang, Ny. Hutagalung; boru Panggabean, Ny. Hutagalung; de Groot; Museum der Kulturen, Basel, Switzerland; Staatliche boru Hutagalung, Ny. Simorangkir; Nai Bulang, boru Museen Prüssischer Kulturbesit, Museum für Völkerkunde, Hutabarat, Ny. Tobing; boru Simanungkalit, Ny. Hutabarat; Berlin, Germany; Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, usa; Museum boru Tobing, Ny. Nainggolan; boru Hutabarat, Ny. Nusantara, Delft, The Netherlands; especially Rita Wassing- Lumbantobing, boru Pasaribu of Sait ni Huta; Nai Arta, boru Visser; Museon, The Hague, The Netherlands; Museo di Storia Simatupang, Ny. M. Sihombing; Henry Hutabarat; Ny. Naturale, sezione di Antropologia, Florence, Italy; Museum der Simanungkalit of Pea Raja; boru Nambela, Ny. Tobing; Ompu Weltkulturen, Frankfurt, Germany; Volkenkundig Museum Tohap Lumbantobing of Parbubu; Ompu ni Pesta, boru Tobing ‘Gerardus van der Leeuw,’ Groningen, The Netherlands, of Sitompul; Nai Gindo, boru Hutabarat of Lumban Pinasa; Hamburgisches Museum für Völkerkunde, Hamburg, Ompu Harold, boru Silitonga, Ny. Hutagalung; boru Nambela, Germany; Musium Nasional, Jakarta, Indonesia; Rauten - Ny. Hutagalung; boru Tobing, Ny. Simunjuntak; Toba strauch-Joest Museum für Völkerkunde, Cologne, Germany, Tampubolon; Ompu Simangihut, boru Marpaung, Ny. especially Brigitte Kahn Majlis; Deutsches Textile Museum, Tampubolon; Elly Siagian of Tarutung; Zilla Monna Siagian; and Krefeld, Germany; Gemeentelijk Museum het Princessehof, Nery Siagian. A special thanks is due to all of my fellow villagers Leeuwarden, The Netherlands; Rijksmuseum voor Volken - in Hutagalung where I resided for several weeks. kunde, Leiden, The Netherlands, especially Jan Avé and Pieter In Toba: Ompu Mangihut, Ny. Tampubolon; Ompu Pahala, ter Keurs; Museum of Mankind, London, England; Staatliches boru Tobing, Ny. Simbolon; Raja Gomal Sinambela; A. Museum für Völkerkunde, Munich, Germany; Museum voor Butarbutar of Porsea; W. Tambun of Porsea; Nai Basa, boru Land- en Volkenkunde, now Wereldmuseum, Rotterdam, The Siagian, Ny. Simatupang; boru Sitorus, Ny. Sirait (Ompu Si Netherlands; Museum of Anthropology, University of British Masta) textile seller from Laguboti; boru Manurung, Ny. Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Museum für Völkerkunde, Napitupulu; S. O. Sibarani of Laguboti; Ompu Risma, boru Vienna, Austria, especially Heide Leigh-Theisen;