Mysteries within Textiles

Mysteries hidden in the Tampan Ship cloths of Sumatra …

Am enjoying the stimulation of “what does this mean” in each and every piece.

Looking closely at the arrangement of men – some lower, some higher. Some in special parts of the boat, some scattered across the field.

The natural method of finding the answers would be to ask the elders in the culture of origin.

But sadly, these stories are no longer reachable across the iron curtain of the silence of the ancestors.

Two theories or conjectures are available but do we have any first hand accounts from the community?

Even the 80 year olds of the community today do not offer us any memories or anecdotes.

And so these will remain mysteries….

Spark your investigative skills with a walk through the WOVENSOULS collection of Tampans here.

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May 2021