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Hi John

I acquired these two ikat skirts from Pontianak, Sambas (West Kalimantan) about fifteen years ago. I am certain they are Ibanic but I cannot place provenance or ethnic group (Mualang, Bugau, Kantu?) as I have no knowledge of their traditions whtasoever. I love the rich morinda dye. Very, very burgundy!

Perhaps you could tell me something about them?

Vernon

Hi Vernon - Nice skirts and hard to find. The Kalimantan Ibanic peoples are fairly tiny compared with Sarawak's Ibans leading naturally to a much smaller production of pua and skirts.

My opinion is that the first one you posted - DSC03710.JPG - is farily definitely from the Ketungau peoples based on those horizontal stipes in the side borders and what appears to be a bluish cast there. Also the motifs at your top end and the overall "feel" of the main body design. My article in Arts of Asia on ceremonial skirts from the Kalimantan has skirts I consider Ketungau and I tried to give several charactictics I find in "Ketungau" skirts that seem to distinguish them from the Mualang and Kantu'.

Your second posted skirt -DSC03718.JPG- I an not so sure of based just on the picture as I cannot see enough detail. Not all Ketungau skirts necessarily have a "bluish" cast in borders and/or the "horizontal stripe" elements. But if this one does, that would lead me again to suggest Kalimantan origin. In any event it does not look like Iban, Mualang or Kantu'.

I have about 13 Ketungau skirts in my collection. For those who do not have access to my article, I post two such skirts for comparison with Vernon's.

By the way - I have seen both Ketunggau and Ketungau for spellings.

I am interested and fascinated with the similarity and differences between the weavings of the Kalimantan Ibanics and those of the Ibans. I hope the Forum can lead to more such postings so I and others can study these differences.

Maybe we should start a thread on just skirts?

Thanks for sharing these Vernon.

-John

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John

Hi Vernon and John,

I have split off the last couple of posts form the 'Pua Kumbu: Sacred Blankets of the Saribas Iban' thread and started this thread as 'Ibanic skirts'. There are some skirts in the pua thread but....

I think it is easier to find things on the forum with threads more clearly marked with consistent content but accept that discussions move easily in different directions!

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Pamela

http://www.tribaltextiles.info
on-line tribal textiles resource

Thank Pamela for splitting the ibanic skirts to their own thread.

Vernon - I am posting a Ketungau skirt that is vaguely similar to the second one you posted and which I said I was not definitely sure was Ketungau. You may see some similarities between the two especially in the borders.

I am also posting a closeup of what reminds me of some zoomorphic ribbed swinning creature?

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John

John and Vernon,

Thanks for sharing once again. These are truly amazing skirts!

Below I am posting a kain purchased in Bali and supposedly from Kalimantan.

The central panel of this one is woven with continuous weft patterning stretching nearly from selvage to selvage; and one of the edge panels (hem?) is embellished with discontinuous weft patterns. These skirts are often called 'kain sunkit' although I think 'sunkit' more accurately refers to discontinuous weft patterns similar to Malay 'songket'. It may be more accurate to use the term 'pileh' [sp?] for Ibanic continuous weft patterning. Is this correct?

The central pattern of abstract designs is woven in triplicate mirror images much in the same way that pua ikat (pua kebat?) and kain kebat patterns are tied. There is a wider black warp stripe running near to each selvage. This is also a characteristic of the kain posted in this thread. I have heard that the black selvage border indicates that the kain was woven by a widow. Is their any truth to this?

Do the yellow stripes show an affiliation with the Saribas region?

I am also puzzled by the red cotton cloth addition to the waist(?) panel. It is difficult to imagine a weaver experienced enough to create such an intricate weaving mistakenly cutting the panel too short or failing to weave a long enough panel. Did she simply run out of weft yarn? Could there be any other significance?

Can you tell me any more about this textile? Provenance and age perhaps?

Cheers!

Rob

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Robert C. Clarke
Textile Collector and Researcher
International Hemp Association - Projects Manager
Society for Economic Botany - Life Member
Textile Society of America - Member

As far as construction is concerned it looks to me as if the skirt was made up of strips of weaving which the 'seamstress'/'weaver' had available. One side panel is quite different from the other and then, of course, one side panel is too short for the length of the other panels. Somehow not a skirt where the three strips of weaving were necessarily destined to go together. Interesting that one side panel is also the sunkit/pileh technique in the spirit of the (very nice) central panel. Of course, when the skirt was being worn it would not matter that one edge panel was patched with the red fabric as it would not show. Practicality rules rather than aesthetic sense!

One of those frustrating textiles where I have lots of questions which only the maker could answer!

A generally very interesting textile, thanks Rob.

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Pamela

http://www.tribaltextiles.info
on-line tribal textiles resource

Greeting all - I follow the forum as I am notified but I am traveling right now and do not have my own computer with files available.

I will post replies to Rob and Mac as soon as I can, but wanted to thank them for their postings and information now.

I wanted to share Rob's thought that the iban weavings do really excite one. I think Vernon can speak to the spiritual reasons. They "grabbed" me immediately I saw one for the first time.

-John

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John

Dear Robert

I can't quite place provenance or age. It seems relatively recent, maybe about twenty to thirty years old? Perhaps it is from Kalimantan. John?

Skirts, as opposed to blankets, have little spiritual significance. They are simply attire, and in the old days, were worn daily. In modern times, they are worn at ceremonies and rituals.

Skirts only assume spiritual significance when they are used by a 'manang' (healer) as a 'protecting fabric' from malevolent spirits and when weavers use them at the takar ceremony (pre-treatment of warp yarns) as indication of entering a spiritual realm. Thus, skirts act as 'conveyors' and 'shields' for specific occasions.

Vernon