Title
Hipcloth
Year/Period
First half of the 20th century
Region
Savu Island, Indonesian Archipelago
Object Type
Material
Technique
Dimension
Object size: 202.0 x 54.0 cm
Accession No.
2018-01057
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Regina Maria Bekker-Zeef. Presented to the ACM by the City of Delft, Netherlands.
Savu textiles have a distinct colour scheme of white over indigo, with later designs including red bands and accents on the weft threads. Worn wrapped around the hips, hi’i (hipcloth) are traditional attire for men. This example features the wohèpi motif from the greater Hubi Ae clan, characterised by a zig-zag rhombus and central lozenge, alongside a cluster of triangles. The latter motif is compulsory for the cloth's use in East Savu burial rituals.
