Ritualtuch palepai mit Schiffsmotiv und Lebensbäumen, Kalianda, Provinz Lampung, Südsumatra. (Image: Kathrin Leuenberger)
Ritualtuch palepai mit Schiffsmotiv und Lebensbäumen, Kalianda, Provinz Lampung, Südsumatra. (Image: Kathrin Leuenberger) For many centuries, the people of southern Sumatra saw themselves as living on a ship floating between the sea and the heavens. This idea was woven into fascinating textiles featuring elaborate depictions of ships carrying humans and animal-like beings. These ship cloths were used in ceremonial and ritual contexts, and some examples are now being presented in an exhibition at the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich. The new exhibition in the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich showcases selected ritual fabrics from southern Sumatra. The intriguing motifs include ships floating between the sea and the heavens, featuring ancestral beings, auspicious animal figures and powerful patterns. The ship cloths and their bold patterns were made with red, blue and yellow threads, which were intricately woven into cotton fabric using a sophisticated technique.
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