Glossary

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  • The process of twisting together two or more single yarns. If the yarn is composed of two singles twisted together, it is said to be two-ply; if of three singles, three-ply, etc. Plying is usually done in the opposite direction from spinning.

  • Patterning on the surface of matting, made by singeing it with the tip of a hot poker.
  • A long ceremonial cloth from Sulawesi, typically used to encircle a sacred space.
  • Long, tie-dyed cloths from the Rongkong valley of Sulawesi, used as ceremonial banners, similar to cloths called plangi in other parts of Indonesia.
  • Warp-ikat cloths often featuring the large-scale interlocking hooked arm motif, used in funerary ceremonies or for trade to outside communities, from the Rongkong valley region of Sulawesi.
  • A warp-ikat cloth (papori, to tie), attributed to a long-abandoned village of Tonoling in the Karama river valley.

  • A rug or carpet with the design of a niche or arch at one end of the field, some of which may have served Muslim worshippers in prayer.

  • Process of applying one or more colors to parts of a fabric by means of blocks, stencils, engraved plates, rollers, or silk screens, to create sharply defined designs. Traditional textile printing techniques include direct printing of the desired pattern, printing of a mordant prior to dyeing fabric, resist-dyeing, and discharge printing onto previously dyed fabric.

  • Blanket.

  • A large ceremonial cloth (blanket-size) produced with the ikat technique and decorated with warp ikat from Borneo.
  • A large ceremonial cloth (blanket-size) cloth decorated in the weft-wrapping (sungkit) technique from Borneo.
  • A card with holes in, used for controlling a loom (such as a Jacquard loom). Each hole corresponds to one warp lift if a hole is present, the warp is raised and the weft passes underneath it during weaving.

  • The process of sewing together layers of fabric with lines of stitches, usually with a layer of padding in between the layers. Such stitching not only holds the layers together but is also often decorative in its effect.

  • The technique of dating an organic substance according to the amount of radioactive carbon (14C) remaining in it.
  • (Indonesia) a local king or sultan.
  • (Boehmeria nivea) a plant from the nettle family traditionally used as a source of bast fiber for weaving.
  • (Raphia sp) a type of palm used as a source of leaf fiber for textile manufacture in some parts of Africa.
  • A comb-like device used on a loom that keeps warp threads evenly spaced and helps prevent tangling. In Indonesia this is mainly found on looms in the western part of the archipelago, as well as parts of flores, sulawesi and sangir. A reed is helpful for making balanced weaves, particularly in textiles with a silk warp. (Two) device resembling a comb, used for keeping warp threads in sequence and evenly spaced. Usually positioned near the weaver, just in front of the leading edge of the fabric being woven. In some looms the reed is also used to beat-in the weft.
  • A group of techniques that use resists to selectively dye parts of yarns or textiles, leaving a design reserved in white on a colored ground. This can be applied to the yarn before weaving (ikat), or to the finished textile. The latter type can be divided into techniques where the design is reserved using a liquid resist such as wax (batik), or compression-resist techniques such as stitch resist (tritik) and tie-dye (plangi).
  • Synonym for carpet.