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The Arts of Island SE Asia

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Home > Timor > Man’s Shoulder Cloth

Man’s Shoulder Cloth

Atoni people, West Timor

Handspun cotton, supplementary weft

L: 140 cm; W: 100 cm

20th century

Timor textiles possess unique features such as the use of many bright colors, especially, red, organe, and pink. While the dyes used to produce these fabrics are synthetic and hence not traditional, the juxtaposition of colors and imagery do reflect traditional sensibilities. This colorful shoulder cloth consists of six bands across its length. Each band depicts delightful abstract images of buffaloes, lizards, humans, and anthropomorphs on a deep pink background. These images are separated by columns showing the hooked diamond (kaif) pattern, which symbolize relationship with ancestors.

 

 

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