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Just to widen the topics covered I am posting some images of two Toba Batak ulos in my collection. They are both ragidup woven in the Tarutung (North Tapanuli) area of North Sumatra also known as the Silindung valley. This area is to the south of Lake Toba. The ulos ragidup is comprised of three separately woven panels which have been sewn together. The central panel has fine supplementary weft end pieces with male and female pinar halak with the female end showing in the detail below. There are supplementary warp stripes on the centre-facing edge of each of the two border panels.

Although Tarutung is within the Toba Batak region, the style of this ulos ragidup differs somewhat from the style of the Toba Batak ulos ragidup woven in the area immediately around Lake Toba more accurately called an ulos pinunsaan where the two central supplementary weft end panels are sewn on rather than incorporated by weaving as in the Silindung valley. I am indebted to Sandra Niessen for this information which is contained in the article 'Exchanging Warp in the Batak Ragidup and Bulang' (page 43) in the 1988-1989 Textile Museum journal. Sandra earlier referred to this (page 170) in 'Motifs of Life in Toba Batak Texts and Textiles' published in 1985. I am very much looking forward to her major work on Batak textiles which it is anticipated will be published this year and which will bring together her more than a quarter of a century of research into Batak textiles.

These two ragidup were inherited by Vera Tobing from her grandmother, Ernestina br. Hutagalung. They were not thought to be woven by the family but by professional weavers in the Silindung valley. These textiles were used for adat (i.e. ceremonial) purposes. The deep red ragidup with, in the central panel, narrow warp stripes of natural and indigo dyed cotton was given on 27 October 1942 as an ulos pansamot gift from the parents (the bride givers) of the bride, Tianur br. Hutabarat, to the parents of the groom (the bride takers) - Theodorik L. Tobing and his wife Ernestina br. Hutagalung - when their first born son, Tahi Sumurung L.Tobing, was married. It was later given by Ernestina to her granddaughter, Vera Tobing, the first born from the union of Tahi Sumurung and Tianur. It measures 210 cm x 105 cm. This style of ragidup is an earlier one than the other one shown here in a deep maroon with ikat in the central panel although there was an overlap in the use of the two styles. It is perhaps appropriate that the older style was given by parents to parents whilst the newer fashion was given from parents to daughter as in the case of the second gift.

The second ragidup was given to Tianur br. Hutabarat in August 1943 by her parents as an ulos tondi (protective soul gift) at the traditional ceremony when Tianur was in the seventh month of her first pregnancy carrying Vera (Veronica Pintauli br. Tobing). It measures 210 cm x 90 cm.

I have a collection of 19 textiles from this family, photos of the family and a very complicated family tree which I have tried to piece together based on the research which Maria, Vera's daughter, has carried out on my behalf amongst her family. Within this collection are some weavings by Ernestina and Tianur as well as adat textiles worn and exchanged at major events in the family history.

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Pamela

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

I am also posting a pinunsaan commissioned by Vera Tobing in 1983 from a weaver in the Porsea area (Huta Banua - world village) on the south-east shore of Lake Toba when she had her business 'Vera's Ulos'. This will give you some idea of the difference between a ragidup from the Silindung valley and a pinunsaan from the Porsea area. It is 200 cm x 111 cm with fringes of 9 to 10cm. It has not been used as an adat textile. The two ends (ulu/tampahan) of the central panel have intricate supplementary weft. Each end is different, especially the supplementatry motifs of the head/top (pinar halak) of the rows of supplementary weft. One represents the female and the other the male. I am posting details showing the female and male ends. The pinar halak of the pinunsaan is more strong and detailed than that of the ragidup.

Similar pinunsaan are still woven today in the Porsea area.

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Pamela

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

The ragidup/pinunsaan are very high status cloths. I have a photo of Ernestina br. Hutagalung wrapped in a ragidup in July 1982 during the ceremonies for the reburial (Mangongkal Holi) of the bones of her mother-in-law, Nai Horja, when the bones were moved from Pematang Siantar to the Silindung valley to be reburied next to Nai Horja's husband, Jakobus L. Tobing. The man standing immediately behind her also has a folded ragidup over one shoulder.

A similar (perhaps the same) ragidup was placed over Ernestina's body as she lay in the coffin at her funeral in January 1985. Vera, the eldest grandchild, is stroking her grandmother's forehead in the photo. They were very close in life. Standing with her is her youngest sister, Imelda.

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Pamela

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

Pending publication of Sandra A Niessen's new book on Batak textiles ('Legacy in Cloth: Batak Textiles of Indonesia') I have been relying on three publications by her:

'Motifs of Life in Toba Batak Texts and Textiles', Foris Publications, Dordrecht-Holland/Cinnaminson USA, 1985

The Textile Museum Journal, Washington 1988-1989 pages 40-55 'Exchanging Warp in the Batak Ragidup and Bulang'

'Batak Cloth and Clothing: A Dynamic Indonesian Tradition', 1993 Oxford University Press, Kuala Lumpur, Oxford, Singapore, New York.

I have also been very fortunate to be in email correspondence with Sandra since April 2006 and she has been very generous in sharing her knowledge of the Batak and their textiles with me.

Vera Tobing and several members of her family, via Vera's daughter, Maria DRT Ambessa, have been very patient and generous over the past three years in sharing their knowledge of their family history and of their culture with me as I have bombarded Maria with questions. I have found it fascinating how Sandra's book which particularly focuses on Batak history from the second half of the 19th Century to the beginning of the last decade of the 20th Century has come alive for me through the family history revealed through this Batak family and their textiles. Along the way it has very much surprised the family that there is such interest and perceived value in their textiles and family history.

Oh, if I am giving thanks I must not forget my thanks to forum member Susan Stem who 'introduced' me (virtually, of course(!)) to Maria in January 2006 and opened the door to wonderful textiles, history and, above all, special friendships!

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Pamela

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

There is now a page live on the main tti website on the collection of Toba Batak textiles that I refer to above. The body of material on the collection and the family history behind it is still very much 'work in progress', however, it is very much current work in progress!

A summary of the collection can be see at http://www.tribaltextiles.info/articles ... ection.htm and the thumbnails link to larger photos. In the case of a couple of the ulos there are links to other material where the textiles can be seen being worn at significant family ceremonies. In particular see the sadum http://www.tribaltextiles.info/articles ... l/VT04.htm woven by Ernestina br. Hutagalung (who can be seen above at the end of her life in the 1980s) in the first decade of the 20th Century, probably when she was between 14-18 years old, a period before marriage known as namarbaju.

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Pamela

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

Thanks for the pictures of the beautiful ulos (uli?) and commentary. I have learned some more.

For what it is worth, I am posting an ulos ragidup I acquired somehow about 7 years ago. I think it was part of a lot of textiles I bought. There were also two tampan in the lot.

These are not my area of collecting at all but I like seeing different things and so really appreciate the forum.

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John

Hi John

Thanks for sharing this ragidup. It looks like a Silindung valley ulos ragidup of the Toba Batak.

You say 'weaving in five pieces'. Are the white sections of the central section sewn on or have they been incorporated by weaving? If the latter you should be able to see, on one face of the textile, a dark fringe of cut warps which were cut away after the two warps had been woven together and, on the other, almost visible slight loops of white warps. I think that this is quite possibly the case on your textile and the cut, dark warps are on the reverse of the textile as shown in the photos and therefore not visible to us. In a pinunsaan woven by the Toba Batak in the Lake Toba region the white ends would be stitched onto the dark centre. In both cases the side panels are sewn onto the central core of the cloth. Stylistically your textile is a ragidup rather than a pinunsaan. For me the weaving of the ragidup is a very special feature of Batak textiles. There is a similar but slightly different technique employed by the Simalungun Batak in their bulang headcloths where the white ends of the centre are exchanged. See page 2 of this thread where I move on from twining to the bulang and ragidup warp changes.

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Pamela

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

hi,
very nice pics and i like this product. Can you please give me more guidance that from where i can buy this???
thanks

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