Textiles for this World and Beyond: Treasures from Insular Southeast Asia and present-day contexts of these

and present-day contexts of these extraordinary textiles

Print length: 218 Pages

The ornate tubular sarongs known as tapis were hand-woven from cotton and silk threads

With their variety of motifs and their refinement

Initially woven cloth was made by groups

Textiles for this World and Beyond: Treasures from Insular Southeast Asia and present-day contexts of theseLong before Islam and Christianity were established, the people who settled the islands of Southeast Asia had developed a philosophy for existence in a highly unpredictable world. Fundamental to these beliefs is the need for balance between ancestors, cosmic forces, and the spirits that govern sickness and death. The necessary equilibrium is maintained through adat, a system of ethnically distinct customs, and textiles are central to the proper