The Weaving Road in the Land of Marapu
Sumba has become the talk of local and international travelers since its natural beauty and cultural wealth have spread far and wide. High-end fashion designer Biyan Wanaatmadja used Sumba woven cloth in his design project held in cooperation with Bank Indonesia.
In the dry season, yellowish golden grass stretches as far as the eye can see on the hills of Sumba, spanning from the east all the way to the west.
Buffalos, cows, horses and goats are scattered on the plains. Once in a while, a tree stands tall with only a scattering of green leaves. The trees are mostly leafless and look like ancient claws, gnawing from the underground, after all of their leaves have fallen in the drought.
Sumba has become the talk of local and international travelers since its natural beauty and cultural wealth have spread far and wide. Nihi Watu, a beachfront resort in West Sumba, is often described as one of the best in the world. High-end fashion designer Biyan Wanaatmadja used Sumba woven cloth in his design project held in cooperation with Bank Indonesia.
Sumba has a unique beauty compared to other regions in Indonesia, or even the other islands in East Nusa Tenggara. Savanna dominates the landscape of the island, which stretches 210 kilometers east to west and 50 kilometers north to south. Its white sandy beaches, its emerald-green seas and clear blue skies combine to create stunning beauty out of surrealist contrasts.
A smooth asphalt road stretches from the East Sumba regency capital Waingapu to the Southwest Sumba regency capital Waitabula. On the road, there are only a few four-wheeled vehicles. Encounters with buffalos, cows, horses and goats grazing on the fields of yellowish grass are far more common than with people. Sumba has a population of only 800,000.
In an encounter with children wearing red-and-white elementary school uniforms on Thursday and Friday last week, many were seen barefooted. Past midday, boys and girls were seen carrying jerry cans of water. The dry season forces many of them to walk far from home just to find clean water for drinking and cooking.
Stories of cloth
Sumba’s pristine and rough nature exudes a mystical aura that seems to have seeped into the souls of locals. The belief and rituals of the Marapu lend to the island’s uniqueness.
Pastor Robert Ramone, CSsR, a member of the Redemptorist Priests Congregation and the manager of the Rumah Budaya Sumba (Sumba Culture House), said that the Marapu belief was animistic by nature. It promotes a balance between mankind and the universe and aims to help mankind achieve ultimate bliss.
This is all found in Sumba’s unique ikat lungsi woven cloth. In Sumba, woven cloth is life itself. Its motifs tell the stories of life, including the origin of mankind, birth, the path toward adulthood and death. The importance of woven cloth is reflected by its use in covering the body of a deceased person before burial. The higher the position someone holds in society in life, the more woven cloths are used in covering his or her body in death.
Many girls begin learning weaving techniques to make cloth for their future husbands as a sign of love and respect. The husband will carry this cloth at all times until the day he dies, after which the cloth will be used to cover his body. Girls also weave for themselves when they come of age with the knowledge passed down to them from their mothers and grandmothers. Once they are married, the cloth will be taken to their husbands’ homes and be passed down to their daughters.
“The motifs on the cloth reflect the wearer’s character,” Sumba weaving activist Umbu Ignatius Hapu Karanjawa said.
Motifs of horses, roosters, cockatoos, deer and crocodiles represent leadership. One rooster, for instance, can lead a brood of 10 hens. A Sumba king is called ana wuya rara, a feared crocodile. The king’s wife is called ana kara wulang, or the crocodile’s turtle wife. When a turtle is upside down, it needs help from others to turn it the right way again. The two motifs symbolize a king and queen who must protect one another, and be patient and considerate with their people.
Generally, Sumba’s women weave as a side job after taking care of their children, husbands and cattle. For Karyawati Liwar, 47, of Prailiu hamlet, Kambera district, East Sumba, weaving means continuing her ancestors’ work. This is reflected both in the motifs and techniques that she uses.
“Every picture on this cloth has a story,” Karyawati said in an exhibition at Rumah Budaya Sumba in Langgalero, Southwest Sumba, on Wednesday (29/8/2018). New motifs may emerge but old ones such as roosters, horses, crocodiles, turtles, patola ratu and papanggang used in the burial of kings, may never die.
Weaving road
As Sumba’s woven cloth gains popularity, awareness has spread about maintaining the textile’s original meaning. Despite many local women weaving for economic purposes nowadays, the cultural and philosophical values of the woven cloth should never fade away.
Pastor Robert, a leading researcher into Sumba’s traditions, has strived to revitalize Sumba’s traditional houses for more than a decade.
In the past three years, he has worked together with the Rumah Asuh Foundation chaired by architect Yori Anta to establish a weaving house. He has obtained funding for the house from individuals and funding agencies. “We distribute the funds directly to the people and we monitor the development process,” Robert said.
A weaving house and museum of Sumba textiles, called Atma Hondu, can be found at the Rumah Budaya Sumba complex in Langgalero, Waitabula, Southwest Sumba. The house was inaugurated on Wednesday (29/8/2018) by fashion designer Biyan Wanaatmadja and Pastor Robert.
The Atma La Kanantang weaving house at Kanatang hamlet, East Sumba, was then inaugurated on Thursday (30/8). The hamlet is known for its bright blue colors sourced from palm leaves. The project was funded by donors who attended Biyan’s fashion shows in the past few years.
“Why should we build a house of weaving? Because, amid advances in digital technology where machines and cyberspace are taking over many things, people will long for everything relating to the human touch and emotions,” said Biyan, whose designs can be found in premium stores in fashion capitals in Europe, Asia and the US.
“After all, there is only one Sumba in the world,” he said.
Through the house of weaving, Yori Antar said that he wished to promote women’s economic position in the local patriarchal society.
Sumba has wonderful nature. However, as Pastor Robert says, locals’ lives are not as rosy as the island’s nature. Poverty still persists.
Eight houses of weaving will be completed in 2019, namely the Atma Hondu Museum of Sumba Weaving in Waitabula, Southwest Sumba, and seven others in East Sumba: Hammu Hori in Haumara, Atma La Kanatang in Kanatang, Kaliuda, Paraikamaru, Pau, Kela Hemba, Palimaru and the Mbata Kapidu House of Weaving.
“The eight houses of weaving will be part of Sumba’s Weaving Road that attracts travelers to stay longer in Sumba. This way, the local economy will blossom,” Yori said.