Sumba’s Tenun Ikat Traditional Handwoven Fabric Festival 2018

To be held at the same time as the 1001 Sandalwood Horses Festival, the exotic island of Sumba in East Nusa Tenggara Province will again turn the spotlight to one of the island's most treasured distinct masterpieces, the Tenun Ikat traditional handwoven fabrics when the Sumba Tenun Ikat Festival 2018 is staged from July 5th to 12th, 2018, centered at the town of Tambolaka in Southwest Sumba.

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Last year, the festival successfully attracted a huge number of tourists and was personally attended by the President of Indonesia Joko Widodo and First Lady Iriana Widodo.

Celebrating the people of Sumba's outstanding artistic quality, the festival will present all that made the art of Tenun Ikat highly special. These include their outstanding motifs and designs, exceptional colors that use only natural substances for dyes such as leaves and roots, as well as the philosophy and history behind this unique traditional fabric. The use of natural dyes uniquely causes colors to withstand time instead of fading, a quality that is truly intriguing.

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The festival will be highlighted with an exhibition and bazaar that showcase the variety of products and innovations of Tenun Ikat. There will be Fashion Shows, Workshops, as well as presentations of various attractions and tourist services in Sumba as well as from the East Nusa Tenggara Province and other nearby destinations. During the festival, the unique activities of weaving, coloring, and the final process of creating a tenun ikat using traditional techniques, that have been passed down for generations will be unveiled. Aside from observing and shopping for these precious masterpieces, tourists will also be treated with colossal traditional dances of Sumba.

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The word "ikat" itself means to tie or to bind. Each region in Sumba has its own variety of ikat motifs and patterns; in Wanokaka, Lamboya as well as at Tana Righu there are the kain (cloth) called panggiling, pahikung and pawora while in the Loli region there are the kain lambaleko cloths. Until today, although most people have converted to Christianity or Islam, the people of Sumba, nonetheless, still follow megalithic traditions as taught by their ancestors.

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Ikat weaving throughout Sumba has social, religious and traditional significance. The different types of ikat cloths are related to the patterns in their making and coloring techniques. Traditionally only members of the highest clans and their personal attendants are allowed to wear these exclusively during special ceremonies. At the funeral of kings and important personalities, the remains are dressed up with the finest textiles to appear regal in the afterlife, while piles of extra textiles were then often also sent to accompany the dead.

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It was the Dutch who began to export ikat to Europe and Java, where these expensive materials quickly became very popular. To this day, Sumba's cloths are collected as examples of the highest quality textile designs and are found in the major museums of the world as well as in the homes of collectors.

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"There is a profound philosophy and history in tenun ikat. Its symmetrical designs illustrate the balance and harmony in human life. This is one of the reasons why the Ministry of Tourism fully supports the event" said Minister of Tourism, Arief Yahya. Furthermore, the minister is convinced that Sumba and East Nusa Tenggara Province as a whole, is a world-class destination that is filled with many spectacular wonders."East Nusa Tenggara is a world class destination since it is the home of the iconic Komodo Dragon, it has the spectacular Tri-colored Lake of Kelimutu, and the port of Labuan Bajo that is established as one of Indonesia's top priority destinations ," said Minister Arief Yahya.

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