Hi Mac, Steve, and others,
A good thing that Steve started this thread as it leads us to investigate this rather neglected area. There is very little literature on it!
According to Hamilton, who depicts a Kedang bridewealth sarong in Gift of the Cotton Maiden (Fig. 8-23), the people in Kalikur are Muslim immigrants, who may well be Macassarese or what have you. The term
wela is used by Barnes in her book on the Vatter collection. Unfortunately, while the book is lavishly illustrated, she has chosen to depict the one Kedang sarong on tiny format. Between her text and Hamilton, so far the only published sources I have on Kedang textiles, a picture emerges:
1. Midfield for Kedang bridewealth sarong may not be
mean, morinda, but must be indigo.
2. As there was a taboo on weaving, the ikat work may have been done by Muslims in Kalikur.
3. Certain is that weavers in Ili Api made ikat bridewealths sarongs specifically intended for 'export' to Kedang, with the indigo midfield.
4. The latter may also have been exported to Alor, where rather catholic attitudes towards what is and is not appropriate as
belis prevailed.
5. Kedang bridewealth sarongs may at one time have been common, but very few have ever been published, and old ones are probably very rare.
6. Vatter mentioned narrow yellow stripes, so does Hamilton, who says they were done in silk. I have not investigated the nature of the stripes on my piece, but I do notice very fine yellow thread in two different shades.
7. Barnes remarks that the fine commercial thread used for the yellow accent stripes has been twined (two threads making one thicker one), whereas the handspun threads in the rest of the cloth have not been twined. The same is the case on my piece.
Below is a photo from the Barnes/Vatter book. Not much in terms of detail, but it does show a cloth with similar overall design.
Best wishes,
Peter
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File comment: Photo of Kedang sarong in Barnes's book on Vatter collection.
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Peter ten Hoopen
www.ikat.us
PUSAKA COLLECTION: ONLINE MUSEUM OF TRADITIONAL INDONESIAN IKAT TEXTILES