History of Timor Woven in the west Papua woven culture (edited and translated from http://sosbud.kompasiana.com/2013/02/20/sejarah-kain-timor-dalam-budaya-tenun-ikat-di-papua-barat--530271.html)

More than a century ago, when the majority of Papuans wearing penis gourds (koteka), hula skirt and Awur, the Sorongnese (West Papuan) actually had started to wear their own home-made sarong weaving. The weaving motif is similar and looks like with the cultural products ikat Timor, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). How come this products can be same? The following is search results.

Ikat in Papua apparently first appeared in Sorong, West Papua, on Maybrat tribe which is one of the original residents of the Bird's Head region of Papua. Some of them are Tehit tribal. While the Moi tribal famous with body tattoo culture inhabited the region east of Sorong, especially on the island of Um. Bird's Head region is due to be expanded into a new province with the name of Southwest Papua.

Ikat known in tribal culture Maybrat where their livelihood is gardening and simple farming. Some of them are government officer (PNS). This tribe is known as hard worker. They call it as the Timor woven fabrics. Why is it called so? Reputedly, this weave culture get into West Papua began around the 1700s were brought by missionaries and teachers from the Timor, NTT.

The teachers, missionaries and migrants from Timor are the people who are introducing fabrics as well as train and educate local children to weave fabric woven Timor.

Many women now wearing their own  home-made sarong, especially in the traditional parties in the city, just like the people on the island of Timor. The sarong who has Timor pattern also becoming dowry as most prestigious and most expensive for people of Sorong. If a family has more wovens, especially hundreds years old one then their social status getting higher.

Yosafat Kambu (purple suit), is a spoken person for South West Papua expansion wearing Sorong ikat woven. Photo by  rakyatmerdekaonline.com

Ikat Weaving for people in NTT (edited and translated from http://nttprov.go.id/2012/index.php/en/potensiwista/pesonabudaya/tenunikat)

http://nttprov.go.id/2012/index.php/en/potensiwista/pesonabudaya/tenunikat

Nusa Tenggara Timur (East Nusa Tenggara) is one of province in Indonesia. NTT has many islands and regencies with many different tribe/ethnicity with their own language. NTT has more than 100 dialects, has customs, culture and art of their own. This influence explaining as well as illustrate why there are so many decorative patterns/motifs woven on traditional fabrics called tenun ikat (ikat weaving) in East Nusa Tenggara Province. Every tribe has their own distinctive fabrics that describing mythical figure, animals, plants and also disclosure of abstractive as a deep appreciation of the power of nature created by God Almighty.

Woven developed by each tribe / ethnicity in East Nusa Tenggara is the art of hereditary crafts that taught to our children and grandchildren as preservation of the art of weaving. Woven motif that wore by someone will be known or used as a characteristic of a tribe or island where they come from, people are happy and proud wearing original tribal weavings.
At particular tribe or region mostly pattern/motif that they are use could be animals or people like in East Sumba style motif with horses, deer, shrimp, dragon, lion, scarecrow, tree skull and others, while many Timor Tengah Selatan/TTS (South Middle East) the highlight motif patterns are birds, lizards, crocodiles and motives kaif, for other areas floral or leaf as pattern motif is more highlighted while animals it alone more only as decorative.

Traditional woven fabrics or traditional textiles of East Nusa Tenggara in tradition and culture has many functions such as:

• regular clothing to protect and cover the body.
• the clothing for special occasion like dance party or ceremony.
• rewards and awards in marriage (dowry)
• award and administration tool in the event of death.
• Penalty/fine cost in traditional customary law
• exchange 
• prestige in the social strata of society.
• myth and symbol depend on design/motif, some specific design are believed as protector from natural disaster, bad spirit, evil, etc
• appreciation to guest

Woven in traditional societies of East Nusa Tenggara has high value not only because is hand made but it is hard to make too. Making process need the imagination of maker to create motif/design, that is why it is quite expensive.  Woven is really valuable according to symbolic value inside it, including the meaning of all the small symbolics has spiritual and myth value according to culture and tradition
In the beginning woven made as clothes for body protect and cover then became custom needs like parties, ceremonies and dancing  and then now it is populer as formal clothing with modern design according to fashion trend and market demand
Right now weaving is one of economical income for NTT society especially for rural communities, mostly women in the village make woven for kill their time and help increasing family income and clothing needs for culture and tradition parties/ceremonies

At first woven made to meet the daily needs as clothing and protective body cover, then evolving to the needs of indigenous (parties, ceremonies, dances, marriage, death, etc.), until now an official dress material and modern which was designed in the development of fashion, as well to meet the demands / needs of consumers.

During its development, handicraft weaving is one source of income (UP2K) NTT society especially in rural communities. In general, rural women use their spare time to weave in an effort to increase family income and clothing needs.

If viewed from the production process or how to do it then that is woven in the East can be divided into three types, namely:

• Ikat weaving; ikat called for the formation of the binding motif threads through the process. Unlike the rest of Indonesia, to produce a pattern on the fabric weft threads are tied, while weaving in East Nusa Tenggara, to produce the thread that tied motif is lungsi thread.

Ikat Weaving. Photo by www.inimaumere.com

• Weaving Buna; term local area (North Central Timor) "woven buna" which means weave to create a pattern or decorative / motifs on fabric using yarn that has been dyed prior

weaving Buna

• Weaving Lotis / Sotis or Songket; Called also Sotis weaving or songket weaving, where the manufacturing process is similar to the use Buna weaving the threads that have been dyed.

Songket from Manggarai. Photo by www.travel.detik.com

According to the fungsional of ikat, woven products in East Nusa Tenggara has three (3) types: sarong, blanket and syal with base of color generally dark basic colors, like black, brown, maroon and dark blue. This is because craftwoman must always use vegetable dyes such as Tauk, noni, turmeric and other plans in order to coloring yarn, and the dominant motif colors of white, tan, red mereon.

For dyeing / coloring yarn in East Nusa Tenggara have been using chemical dyes that have the advantage of a case like fast, fade resistant, light resistant and rub resistant, and has a lot of color variations. The dyes used are: naphtol, direck, sulfur and reactive dyes.

However, most of small craftswoman still using natural dyes in the dyeing process and thread as customary consumption for collective resistance, oil with wax and others to get the quality and savings staining dyes drugs.

From the three types of woven mentioned above, the distribution can be seen as follows:

• Ikat weaving; almost evenly spread in all districts except in the East Manggarai and partly Ngada.
• Weaving Buna; Spread in Kupang, Timor Tengah Selatan, Belu and most are in North Central Timor.
• Weaving Lotis / Sotis or Songket; contained in the District / City of Kupang, East South Central, North Central Timor, Belu, Alor, East Flores, Lembata, Sikka, Ngada, Manggarai, East Sumba and West Sumba.

Ikat Weaving from Solor

Solor is an island next to east Flores.
My cousin bough this ikat from a guy from that island who sale this in her office is Larantuka Hospital, they bought it in order to make uniform for their division.
She trust me to make it and gave to me that ikat when i was in her parents house in Lewolere - Larantuka last Easter.
This model you can wear separate only top with other skirt or only skirt with other top, or wear that as a  suite. When you wearing as suite you can wear it for formal occasion and even when you wear the top with mini skirt you can wear it for formal too, and for skirt I really suggest to wear it with kebaya with short sleeves and put as the way I put in the other picture of myself with black kebaya

Me on my father in law birthday party on 2nd Feb 2013 with the same kind model of skirt. Of course we produced the black kebaya and skirt, the red ribbon is made from flannel I bought from dollar store for $1 sure and it is 2 pieces that I sewing it together to make it became one piece. The red shoes I got from my husband as a val's present on 2012 that i want so much, we found it  in pay less.

Ikat weaving

Ikat weaving from NTT (Nusa Tenggara Timur) is being populer lately, I remember when I was a kid I had some of those out fit from ikat but the fashion by that time was awful, then I never really love to wear out fit from ikat after that.
Last couple years Ikat is booming every where even in the international fashion, talked in many fashion magazines and blogs and my self started to love it few years ago, only wasn't that confidence like now.
My Grandma is one of ikat maker but only my dad's youngest sister learn how to make that, I wish one day  I have time enough to stay in my dad's village without electricity and internet (aarrgghhh hard to imagine) for a month so I can learn how to make it

this is how woman in NTT make ikat, that motive above is from one region in Flores island call Maumere. Picture taken by "made in Indonesia" in made in Indonesia festival in Silver Spring

I just made my own pants from ikat that i found in my mom closet, one of her collection, the motive is from one district in East Flores region call Waibalun. Ikat is not cheap because it is hand made just like ikat from mexico and many latin countries. NTT got more influence for motive from India and Vietnam, don't ask me how it is happen, you can google it easily :p. Avarage price for ikat is about US $50, you can find it cheaper or way expensive depend on size, motive and producing area. In NTT sumba has the most expensive ikat because of the motive. One of my friend from Sumba who has Royal blood has 1 big closet of ikat that she got when she was get married 6 years ago, and it is just tradition that sumbanese believe that if something happen to her husband she can be easily survive with her ikat just by sell it.

my pants made from ikat, comes from Waibalun - East Flores

Today I just made others outfit for my customer and sure from ikat too.  Well one day if you come to NTT don't forget to grab one of this ikat you will not regard to have that, even thou it is expensive. 

the most famous motive from Sumba the out fit made in my sewing shop

Mostly women from NTT wearing their ikat in this way with kebaya and those kebaya are made by me too for sure. Photos taken by Paska Isliko

Buna

Buna motif is one of my favorite Timorese weaving is from Insana - TTU - NTT - Indonesia.

Photo from: tenuntimor.blogspot.com

Atoin Teku

New products or motifs has been added in the market from kampung Teku. These photos taken by friend from Inacraft 2012 (The Jakarta International Handy Craft Trade Fair) in Jakarta International Convention Center. Timorese assume the Teku's villagers are thieves and robber (by: Yoyarib Kannutuan Mau)

Photo by: 

Yoyarib Kannutuan Mau

Photo by:

Yoyarib Kannutuan Mau

Photo by: 

Yoyarib Kannutuan Mau