Ikat Weaving of Sumba

In ikat the pattern is created before a single thread is woven. Bundles of warp yarn are bound tight with strips that resist the dye, then dipped, unbound and rebound for each colour in turn. East Sumba works in indigo and a rust red drawn from morinda root, with rows of horses, deer, cockerels and standing human figures that once marked rank. A large hinggi, the man's shoulder and hip cloth, is made in two matching halves and can take a year from tying to finished edge. Weavers work on backstrap looms in the shade under raised houses, and villages around Waingapu will show the whole sequence if you sit long enough.

What you actually see

• Tied warp bundles - threads bound with resist strips before any dyeing begins.
• Natural dyes - indigo and the rust red drawn from morinda root.
• Hinggi cloths - the paired panels of a man's shoulder and hip wrap.
• Backstrap looms - weaving done seated on the ground beneath raised village houses.

When to go

The dry season from May to October is the practical window, since roads on Sumba turn bad in the rains. Dyeing is seasonal work and you are more likely to see vats in use late in the dry months. Villages expect a visit to be arranged through a driver or guide, and buying a cloth is the usual courtesy.

Honest expectations

Much of what is sold as natural-dye ikat uses chemical colours and takes weeks rather than months, and telling the difference takes practice. Prices for genuine old cloth are high and haggling is expected on both sides. Sumba is hot, dusty and poorly served by roads, and village visits feel awkward when a group arrives and photographs people at work.

Nearby

The grassland ridges and empty coastline of East Sumba spread out around Waingapu.