Image: Batak Textile E85828C
This bulang or women’s headcloth is a ritual textile of the Simalungun (Batak) people of Northern Sumatra, made in the early 1970s. These traditional cloths feature a three-paneled design, created through a complex and lengthy weaving procedure. The cloths are said to possess supernatural powers and the notion of being woven using an unbroken circulating warp is a metaphor for the link between the male and female realms. Size: 32.5 x 178cm
- Photographer:
- Luisa Garfoot
- Rights:
- © Australian Museum
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