Discovering Woven Fabrics on the Flores Tour

Discovering Woven Fabrics on the Flores Tour
image from instagram: @dugon9

If you are on the Flores Tour, you will be familiar with Woven Fabrics. Woven cloth is the result of the handicrafts of the women of the island. The art of this pattern and appearance since the time of the ancestors has been loved by the local people of East Nusa Tenggara. No one can deny that the woven fabrics belong to Indonesia.

The identity of the woven fabric symbolizes the arts and culture in a very strong civilization. A woven cloth represents various events, offerings, and as congratulations. The pattern is like a story full of carving like on a historic wall. 

Therefore, nature has bestowed Flores women with hands that are adept at manual embroidery, so that they can produce high-value art. Therefore, every tribe or ethnicity has its language, even more than one hundred dialects. This is where this affects the ongoing arts and has an impact on giving birth to a variety of works.

The weaving of each region has its characteristics. The motifs of each weaving are generally about mythical figures, animals, plants, and all other surreal forms that are very expressionist and fairly ancient. 

About Woven Fabrics on Flores Tour

The art of weaving is a handcraft that is passed down from generation to generation. You can’t escape this preservation on the Flores Tour. Each motif has the characteristics of the tribe or island where the cloth comes from and becomes a pride for those who wear woven from their tribe. 

For example, those from South Central Timor tend to use bird, lizard, crocodile, and kaif motifs. East Sumba is known for its motifs of horses, deer, shrimp, dragons, lions, humans, and skull trees. This traditional textile is often used as a sarong, blanket, and scarf. The average colours used are dark colors, such as black, brown, red, and dark blue. By the basic ingredients of natural dyes from plants. 

Initially, this traditional textile was used for everyday cover clothing. Gradually it became a necessity for traditional rituals such as dances, funerals, weddings, as well as during traditional parties. But in this modern era, woven fabrics are getting more and more enthusiasts from outside Eastern Indonesia. The trend of woven fabrics never dies, many people rework it to become part of today’s fashion style. 

You can buy it if you are on a Private Tour Labuan Bajo. Traditionally, weaving serves as:

  • The symbol of the exalted tribe.
  • Social strata of society.
  • Medium of exchange.
  • As a means of customary fines in a disturbing social balance.
  • Awards and gifts at the event of death.
  • Awards and marriage gifts.
  • Dresses at traditional ceremonies and parties.

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