Material: Cotton, natural dyes
Style: Nggela region, Flores
Size: Length 153 cm, Width 149 cm
Order Number: MHSAFTS1

Flores is a long narrow island, with central mountains, and 12 ethnic societies. It was named by the Portuguese in the early 16th century after the flowers on the east coast. Their jewelry is extravagant.

Flores has fifteen active and ten dormant volcanoes About 1.8 million people live on the island, isolated from one another. This resulted in numerous distinct cultural groups weaving different cloths for ceremonial and everyday use.

The island is a bridge between central Indonesia and the old textile traditions of the small islands to the east. Warp-ikat tying and dying was the main means of textile patterning in east Flores and is highly intricate.

Nggela is a Lio village on the south cast of the Ende Regency. Weaving in Ende Regency only takes place in villages in or near the south coast. In the higher areas of the interior, weaving was and is forbidden by traditional law.

Nggela is renowned for its weaving and elaborate cycle of annual ceremonies. The Lio people probably settled in the area at the end of the 16th century and brought with them their customary laws and ikat weaving technology.

The 19th century was an unstable period with volcanic eruptions and inter-village warfare. The community may have become inward looking and the noblewomen weavers may have ignored outside influences. Most important textiles were made in this period.

Giving gifts takes place at life cycle rituals. ‘Male’ gifts are gold, cattle and money. ‘Female’ gifts are textiles and rice. There were at least 33 types of cloth with different designs indicating a high level of female artistic skill. Ikat weaving was intimately connected with the values of their ancestors. Cloths were also used as currency.

There was much use of red morinda dyes by aristocratic weavers, who were mature post-menopausal women. The patterns, as in this tube sarong, were inspired by imported Indian patola trade cloths. The Dutch imported them, especially in the 17th century, to reward support from the indigenous elite. The Dutch East India Company had a base near Ende for exporting cinnamon.

Prestigious sarongs had geometric or floral motifs.

When a boy or girl was 3 years old, a ceremony was performed and they were given their first sarong. Ikat sarongs were worn by women. Striped non-ikat sarongs were worn by men.

The sarongs were always made of three panels. The two end panels (gha’i) are identical. The central panel (oné) is more variable. 

19th  century.

Map of Flores.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post 2. Antique Flores Tube Sarong 1 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Handspun cotton, silk,
Style: Lembata, Indonesia
Size: Length 153 cm, Width 64 cm
Order Number: MHSALLWBTS1

Lembata is a small island just off the eastern coast east of Flores  in the Lesser Sunda islands, formerly known as Lomblen island. It is the largest island in a small group, which share a culture known as Lamaholot.

The villages around the Ili Api volcano on the north coast of Lembata have produced some of Eastern Indonesia’s finest weavers. They supplied the interior  and Kedang in the east with ceremonial textiles, especially  bridewealth cloths, which displayed their highest skills.

Bridewealth cloths are part of the complex gift exchange that takes place at marriage and continues throughout the couple’s life. Textiles are from the wife’s family.

They must be made from locally produced handspun cotton and natural dyes. Morinda citrifolia producing dark red and indigo producing dark blue purple are the main dyes.

The patterns in the bands are striking and balanced. The number of bands is always uneven.

The designs for Kedang, such as this one, are different from the others, with plain, bold, deep indigo central panels with narrow bands of elegant ikat and small stripes of yellow silk thread

There is a similar example in Textiles of Indonesia, The Thomas Murray Collection, Prestel 2021, page 385.

Map of Lembata.

19th – early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post 3. Antique Lembata Woman’s Bridewealth Tubular Skirt 1 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Cotton, natural dyes
Style: Nggela region, Flores
Size: Length 153 cm, Width 143 cm
Order Number: MHSAFTS2

Flores is a long narrow island, with central mountains, and 12 ethnic societies. It was named by the Portuguese in the early 16th century after the flowers on the east coast. Their jewelry is extravagant.

Flores has fifteen active and ten dormant volcanoes About 1.8 million people live on the island, isolated from one another. This resulted in numerous distinct cultural groups weaving different cloths for ceremonial and everyday use.

The island is a bridge between central Indonesia and the old textile traditions of the small islands to the east. Warp-ikat tying and dying was the main means of textile patterning in east Flores and is highly intricate.

Nggela is a Lio village on the south cast of the Ende Regency. Weaving in Ende Regency only takes place in villages in or near the south coast. In the higher areas of the interior, weaving was and is forbidden by traditional law.

Nggela is renowned for its weaving and elaborate cycle of annual ceremonies. The Lio people probably settled in the area at the end of the 16th century and brought with them their customary laws and ikat weaving technology.

The 19th century was an unstable period with volcanic eruptions and inter-village warfare. The community may have become inward looking and the noblewomen weavers may have ignored outside influences. Most important textiles were made in this period.

Giving gifts takes place at life cycle rituals. ‘Male’ gifts are gold, cattle and money. ‘Female’ gifts are textiles and rice. There were at least 33 types of cloth with different designs indicating a high level of female artistic skill. Ikat weaving was intimately connected with the values of their ancestors. Cloths were also used as currency.

There was much use of red morinda dyes by aristocratic weavers, who were mature post-menopausal women. The patterns, as in this tube sarong, were inspired by imported Indian patola trade cloths. The Dutch imported them, especially in the 17th century, to reward support from the indigenous elite. The Dutch East India Company had a base near Ende for exporting cinnamon.

Prestigious sarongs had geometric or floral motifs.

When a boy or girl was 3 years old, a ceremony was performed and they were given their first sarong. Ikat sarongs were worn by women. Striped non-ikat sarongs were worn by men.

The sarongs were always made of three panels. The two end panels (gha’i) are identical. The central panel (oné) is more variable. 

19th  century.

Map of Flores.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post 34. Antique Flores Tube Sarong 2 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Handspun cotton
Style: Lembata, Indonesia
Size: Length 226 cm, Width 64 cm
Order Number: MHSALLWBT2

Lembata is a small island just off the eastern coast east of Flores  in the Lesser Sunda islands, formerly known as Lomblen island. It is the largest island in a small group, which share a culture known as Lamaholot.

The villages around the Ili Api volcano on the north coast of Lembata have produced some of Eastern Indonesia’s finest weavers. They supplied the interior and Kedang in the east with ceremonial textiles, especially  bridewealth cloths, which displayed their highest skills.

Bridewealth cloths are part of the complex gift exchange that takes place at marriage and continues throughout the couple’s life. Textiles are from the wife’s family.

They must be made from locally produced handspun cotton and natural dyes. Morinda citrifolia producing dark red and indigo producing dark blue purple are the main dyes.

The patterns in the bands are striking and balanced. The number of bands is always uneven.

Map of Lembata.

19th – early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post 35. Antique Lembata Woman’s Bridewealth Textile 2 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Cotton, natural dyes
Style: Nggela region, Flores, Indonesia
Size: Length 153 cm, Width 143 cm
Order Number: MHSAFTS3

Flores is a long narrow island, with central mountains, and 12 ethnic societies. It was named by the Portuguese in the early 16th century after the flowers on the east coast. Their jewelry is extravagant.

Flores has fifteen active and ten dormant volcanoes About 1.8 million people live on the island, isolated from one another. This resulted in numerous distinct cultural groups weaving different cloths for ceremonial and everyday use.

The island is a bridge between central Indonesia and the old textile traditions of the small islands to the east. Warp-ikat tying and dying was the main means of textile patterning in east Flores and is highly intricate.

Nggela is a Lio village on the south cast of the Ende Regency. Weaving in Ende Regency only takes place in villages in or near the south coast. In the higher areas of the interior, weaving was and is forbidden by traditional law.

Nggela is renowned for its weaving and elaborate cycle of annual ceremonies. The Lio people probably settled in the area at the end of the 16th century and brought with them their customary laws and ikat weaving technology.

The 19th century was an unstable period with volcanic eruptions and inter-village warfare. The community may have become inward looking and the noblewomen weavers may have ignored outside influences. Most important textiles were made in this period.

Giving gifts takes place at life cycle rituals. ‘Male’ gifts are gold, cattle and money. ‘Female’ gifts are textiles and rice. There were at least 33 types of cloth with different designs indicating a high level of female artistic skill. Ikat weaving was intimately connected with the values of their ancestors. Cloths were also used as currency.

There was much use of red morinda dyes by aristocratic weavers, who were mature post-menopausal women. The patterns, as in this tube sarong, were inspired by imported Indian patola trade cloths. The Dutch imported them, especially in the 17th century, to reward support from the indigenous elite. The Dutch East India Company had a base near Ende for exporting cinnamon.

Prestigious sarongs had geometric or floral motifs.

When a boy or girl was 3 years old, a ceremony was performed and they were given their first sarong. Ikat sarongs were worn by women. Striped non-ikat sarongs were worn by men.

The sarongs were always made of three panels. The two end panels (gha’i) are identical. The central panel (oné) is more variable. 

19th  century.

Map of Flores.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post 36. Antique Flores Tube Sarong 3 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Handspun cotton
Style: Lembata, Indonesia
Size: Length 207 cm, Width 97 cm
Order Number: MHSALLWBT

Lembata is a small island just off the eastern coast east of Flores  in the Lesser Sunda islands, formerly known as Lomblen island. It is the largest island in a small group, which share a culture known as Lamaholot.

The villages around the Ili Api volcano on the north coast of Lembata have produced some of Eastern Indonesia’s finest weavers. They supplied the interior and Kedang in the east with ceremonial textiles, especially  bridewealth cloths, which displayed their highest skills.

Bridewealth cloths are part of the complex gift exchange that takes place at marriage and continues throughout the couple’s life. Textiles are from the wife’s family.

They must be made from locally produced handspun cotton and natural dyes. Morinda citrifolia producing dark red and indigo producing dark blue purple are the main dyes.

The patterns in the bands are striking and balanced. The number of bands is always uneven.

Map of Lembata.

19th – early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post 4. Antique Lembata Woman’s Bridewealth Textile 1 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Handspun cotton
Style: Lembata, Indonesia
Size: Length 194 cm, Width 67 cm
Order Number: MHSALTSS1

Lembata is a small island just off the eastern coast east of Flores  in the Lesser Sunda islands, formerly known as Lomblen island. It is the largest island in a small group, which share a culture known as Lamaholot.

The villages around the Ili Api volcano on the north coast of Lembata have produced some of Eastern Indonesia’s finest weavers. They supplied the interior and Kedang in the east with ceremonial textiles, especially  bridewealth cloths, which displayed their highest skills.

Bridewealth cloths are part of the complex gift exchange that takes place at marriage and continues throughout the couple’s life. Textiles are from the wife’s family.

They must be made from locally produced handspun cotton and natural dyes. Morinda citrifolia producing dark red and indigo producing dark blue purple are the main dyes.

The patterns in the bands are striking and balanced. The number of bands is always uneven.

Map of Lembata.

19th – early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post 56. Lembata Tube Sarong 1 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Handspun cotton
Style: Lembata, Indonesia
Size: Length 139 cm, Width 71 cm
Order Number: MHSALTSS2

Lembata is a small island just off the eastern coast east of Flores  in the Lesser Sunda islands, formerly known as Lomblen island. It is the largest island in a small group, which share a culture known as Lamaholot.

The villages around the Ili Api volcano on the north coast of Lembata have produced some of Eastern Indonesia’s finest weavers. They supplied the interior and Kedang in the east with ceremonial textiles, especially  bridewealth cloths, which displayed their highest skills.

Bridewealth cloths are part of the complex gift exchange that takes place at marriage and continues throughout the couple’s life. Textiles are from the wife’s family.

They must be made from locally produced handspun cotton and natural dyes. Morinda citrifolia producing dark red and indigo producing dark blue purple are the main dyes.

The patterns in the bands are striking and balanced. The number of bands is always uneven.

Map of Lembata.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post 64. Lembata Tube Sarong 2 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Silver
Style: Flores, Indonesia
Size: Height 2.5 cm, Width 1.75 cm
Order Number: MHSAFE21

Flores is a long narrow island, with central mountains, and 12 ethnic societies. Their jewelry is extravagant.

The symbolic omega open oval form appears in a variety of ornamentation. It goes back to Neolithic Taiwan in about 500 BC in the jade earrings of the Austronesian people and is found throughout Southeast Asia and mirrors the Austronesian diaspora. The greatest variety in form and size are in Indonesia.

The form symbolises the female genitalia which itself symbolises fertility and fecundity.

19th century or earlier.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Flores Earrings 2 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Silver
Style: Central or East Flores, Indonesia
Size: Height 6.5 cm, Width 8.25 cm
Order Number: MHSAFT1

Flores is a long narrow island, with central mountains, and 12 ethnic societies. It was named by the Portuguese after the flowers on the east coast. Their jewelry is extravagant.

This double-axe pendant from Flores is called a taka in the Lio language. They resemble Dong Song ceremonial bronze axes. They are worn around the neck or on the forehead.

Taka are among the most treasured heirlooms, handed down from generation to generation. They belong to the ancestors and are only occasionally used as marriage gifts. They are stored away and blood sacrifices are carried out before they are looked at or worn.

The shape is an elaborate open oval, the ends of which cross over each other and are beaten flat.

The symbolic omega open oval form appears in a variety of ornamentation. It goes back to Neolithic Taiwan in about 500 BC in the jade earrings of the Austronesian people and is found throughout Southeast Asia and mirrors the Austronesian diaspora. The greatest variety in form and size are in Indonesia.

The form symbolises the female genitalia which itself symbolises fertility and fecundity.

There are similar examples in Gold Jewellery of the Indonesian Archipelago, Anne Richter and Bruce Carpenter, Editions Didier Millet 2011, pages 208 – 209.

Early – mid 20th century.

Map of Flores.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Flores Taka 1 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Silver
Style: Central or East Flores, Indonesia
Size: Height 7 cm, Width 8.25 cm
Order Number: MHSAFT2

Flores is a long narrow island, with central mountains, and 12 ethnic societies. It was named by the Portuguese after the flowers on the east coast. Their jewelry is extravagant.

This double-axe pendant from Flores is called a taka in the Lio language. They resemble Dong Song ceremonial bronze axes. They are worn around the neck or on the forehead.

Taka are among the most treasured heirlooms, handed down from generation to generation. They belong to the ancestors and are only occasionally used as marriage gifts. They are stored away and blood sacrifices are carried out before they are looked at or worn.

The shape is an elaborate open oval, the ends of which cross over each other and are beaten flat.

The symbolic omega open oval form appears in a variety of ornamentation. It goes back to Neolithic Taiwan in about 500 BC in the jade earrings of the Austronesian people and is found throughout Southeast Asia and mirrors the Austronesian diaspora. The greatest variety in form and size are in Indonesia.

The form symbolises the female genitalia which itself symbolises fertility and fecundity.

There are similar examples in Gold Jewellery of the Indonesian Archipelago, Anne Richter and Bruce Carpenter, Editions Didier Millet 2011, pages 208 – 209.

Early – mid 20th century.

Map of Flores.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Flores Taka 2 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Silver
Style: Central or East Flores, Indonesia
Size: Height 5.25 cm, Width 6 cm
Order Number: MHSAFT3

Flores is a long narrow island, with central mountains, and 12 ethnic societies. It was named by the Portuguese after the flowers on the east coast. Their jewelry is extravagant.

This double-axe pendant from Flores is called a taka in the Lio language. They resemble Dong Song ceremonial bronze axes. They are worn around the neck or on the forehead.

Taka are among the most treasured heirlooms, handed down from generation to generation. They belong to the ancestors and are only occasionally used as marriage gifts. They are stored away and blood sacrifices are carried out before they are looked at or worn.

The shape is an elaborate open oval, the ends of which cross over each other and are beaten flat.

The symbolic omega open oval form appears in a variety of ornamentation. It goes back to Neolithic Taiwan in about 500 BC in the jade earrings of the Austronesian people and is found throughout Southeast Asia and mirrors the Austronesian diaspora. The greatest variety in form and size are in Indonesia.

The form symbolises the female genitalia which itself symbolises fertility and fecundity.

There are similar examples in Gold Jewellery of the Indonesian Archipelago, Anne Richter and Bruce Carpenter, Editions Didier Millet 2011, pages 208 – 209.

Early – mid 20th century.

Map of Flores.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Flores Taka 3 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Gold
Style: Taka: Central or East Flores, Indonesia; Chain: India
Size: Taka: Height 4.5 cm, Width 5 cm; Chain: Height: 21 cm
Order Number: MHSAFT4

Flores is a long narrow island, with central mountains, and 12 ethnic societies. It was named by the Portuguese after the flowers on the east coast. Their jewelry is extravagant.

This double-axe pendant from Flores is called a taka in the Lio language. They resemble Dong Song ceremonial bronze axes. They are worn around the neck or on the forehead.

Taka are among the most treasured heirlooms, handed down from generation to generation. They belong to the ancestors and are only occasionally used as marriage gifts. They are stored away and blood sacrifices are carried out before they are looked at or worn.

The shape is an elaborate open oval, the ends of which cross over each other and are beaten flat.

The symbolic omega open oval form appears in a variety of ornamentation. It goes back to Neolithic Taiwan in about 500 BC in the jade earrings of the Austronesian people and is found throughout Southeast Asia and mirrors the Austronesian diaspora. The greatest variety in form and size are in Indonesia.

The form symbolises the female genitalia which itself symbolises fertility and fecundity.

There are similar examples in Gold Jewellery of the Indonesian Archipelago, Anne Richter and Bruce Carpenter, Editions Didier Millet 2011, pages 208 – 209.

Taka: Early – mid 20th century.

Chain:  Mid – late 20th century.

Map of Flores.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Flores Taka 4 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Silver
Style: Lembata, Indonesia
Size: Height 3.5 cm, Width 2 cm
Order Number: MHSALE1

Lembata is a small island just off the eastern coast east of Flores  in the Lesser Sunda islands,  formerly known as Lomblen island. It is the largest island in a small group, which share a culture known as Lamaholot.

Unique to Lembata these earrings play an important part in marriage exchanges. The granulated ends may represent the grains seen in the head of a ripe rice stalk.

As in many of the arid areas of the Lesser Sundas, the planting of rice is limited and this favoured grain is only eaten on ritual occasions and even then is mixed with maize.

The shape is an elongated  open oval. The symbolic omega open oval form appears in a variety of ornamentation. It goes back to Neolithic Taiwan in about 500 BC in the jade earrings of the Austronesian people and is found throughout Southeast Asia and mirrors the Austronesian diaspora. The greatest variety in form and size are in Indonesia.

The form symbolises the female genitalia which itself symbolises fertility and fecundity.

There are similar examples in Ethnic Jewellery from Indonesia, Continuity and Evolution, Bruce Carpenter, Editions Didier Millet 2011, page 242.

Map of Lembata.

19th – early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Lembata Earrings appeared first on Murni's in Bali.