Title
Man's mantle
Year/Period
Late 19th-early 20th century
Region
Sumba, Lesser Sunda Islands
Dimension
Object size: L:238.0 x W:94.5
Accession No.
1997-04229
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andy Ng
Cloth dyed in blue and white was worn by the lower classes in Sumbanese society. This ‘hinggi’ or man’s mantle depicts alternate rows of confronting chickens and horses. Chickens are said to represent sustenance and horses were part of the bride-price wealth and also provided transport. Man’s mantle was wrapped around the hips and was used to cover the corpse at death. The mantle was patterned using the ‘warp ikat’ technique, where the vertical threads are tied and dyed before the fabric is woven.
