Exploring the colorful natural-dyed fabrics of Bali, Nusa Tenggara

Bali and Nusa Tenggara boast abundant creations of woven cloths dyed using plant extracts that not only produce beautiful long-lasting colors, but also outshine those created with chemical colorants.

The myriads of ethnic fabrics from villages across Bali, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara took the center stage at the exhibition titled “Bali Nusra Tangi 2009” in Kuta, Bali, last week.

Although some of the fabrics were made between 75 to 100 years ago, they still exuded intense colors, such as the 100-year-old tais weto fabric from Manlea village in Belu regency, East Nusa Tenggara.

The hand-woven cloth, dyed using extracts of mengkudu (a small tree found in forests), still dazzles, with a deep red color dominating its stripe motif.

The Biboki sarong, made 75 years ago, shows a combination of deep indigo and red in stripe motif.
Women in the country’s eastern province usually wear these types of fabrics for major traditional ceremonies, including weddings and funerals.

Fabrics from East Nusa Tenggara have various motifs reflecting different meanings and levels in the society.

“Kings and queens usually wear the hinggi kombu. Hinggi means fabric, and kombu means mengkudu,” said Ignasio Hapukaranjawa, a native of Nusa Tenggara.

Full article: The Jakarta Post