It has long been fairly common to see Sumba Ikat textiles displayed on walls in museums, galleries, and private homes rather than being worn as clothing - even though the objects themselves were usually originally intended to be worn. Although relatively few tourists visit the island of Sumba, the Indonesian tourist market, in general, produce a huge demand for Sumba textiles. Without question, th
e Sumba hinggi is the most popular style of textile purchased by domestic and foreign tourists in Indonesia. Hinggi from Sumba, are used for a wide variety of decorating purposes - ranging from pillow covers to wall-hangings. In addition to this external market, there is still a very strong demand for hinggi and other tradition-based textiles in Sumba itself as a result of the continued strength of cultural traditions among the islanders. I would now like to turn to recent innovations in Sumba Ikat textiles which are primarily intended for clothing. This is in response to the Indonesian domestic market which demands a new style of Sumba hinggi. This dual function is important, for such textiles are viewed not only as powerful sacred objects, but they are seen to have aesthetic qualities:
However, the emergence of an external market for ikat patterned textiles and their being woven by commoners for sale resulted in lower quality cloths being woven. This lack of appreciation of textiles by the young generation as art possibly has its roots in the lack of advocacy from elder artists. Considerable effort has been made to incorporate Sumba Ikat textiles for dress purposes. For example, women’s wear, both formal (kebaya) and informal blouses, accessories like bags are now decorated with Sumba ikat. Also, long-sleeved shirts for men have come to be viewed as suitable or even official dress in a variety of contexts. Both short-sleeved and long-sleeved for Sumba Ikat men’s shirts display a variety of Sumba motifs and patterns (or at least Sumbanese-inspired). They have come to assume the position as symbols of national identity. The role of local elites in Sumba in helping to revive interest in Sumba Ikat is important to promote the production of high quality local textiles that are still used for decoration and display purposes within a local context. Sumba Ikat textiles innovative, extend and emphasize the innovative nature of the work with a nod to tradition.
