Title
Ritual cloth
Year/Period
Late 19th-early 20th century
Region
North Sumatra
Dimension
Object size: L173 x W40 cm (Without tassels)
Accession No.
1997-04476
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andy Ng
This ‘ulos pinunsaan’, or ritual cloth, is used for clothing, wrapping and shroud. ‘Ulos’ are ritual textiles, and ‘pinunsaan’ is derived from the white panels on both ends, known as ‘pussa’. The widest band in the white panels features both male and female designs. The end with elongated triangular shapes is the male band while the female band consists of rhomb shapes. Hence, when the cloth is used to cover the dead or the living, the appropriate end corresponding to the gender of the recipient is used.
