Traditional Fabric Flores
Enterprises in the Flores woman to spend time sitting for hours while weaving is an incredible thing. All members of the body, both hands, neck, hips, legs and eyes should be well coordinated and concentration needed to do so. As in other areas of the archipelago, weaving Flores also has such a high value to follow the hassle of the weaving process itself. The more complicated the motif of a loom, the more time spent to make it. The better the weaving, the higher artistic value are arranged in it.
You can see how the weaving process mendeksripsikan feminine nature of woman. Not much to say when weaving symbolizes femininity. Even the experts how they weave used as a benchmark femininity. The young woman who uses a homemade loom result marks that he has fully become a woman. Besides weaving activity, for women Flores, also a manifestation of how high their physical defense and a symbol of dedication to the family. Women in Ende accustomed to learn weaving since they were teenagers, but not all women can weave Flores because there are certain areas that forbid related to historical reasons.
Motif woven in East Nusa Tenggara very much, from one district to other districts vary. Father Bosco research results concluded that there are two major categories of weaving, which is a type of traditional ikat and songket embroidery. Flores belt type spread from the central part from Ende to East Flores regency until Lembata, while weaving songket embroidery lot made of Nagekeo District to West Manggarai.
East Sumba Weaving for example, is dominated motif of horses, deer, shrimp, dragon, lion, scarecrow and trees skull. While weaving TTS further highlight the motif of birds, lizards, crocodiles and motives Kaif. Other tribes more used motif of flowers or leaves. From the research, it is known that weaving motif Flores is a derivative of patola in India, such as an elephant or birds were then developed with a wide variety.
Although now ikat colors derived from chemical dyes but much remains to preserve the natural dyes such as indigo or with noni extract. Even fabrics woven in Alor use marine life such as sea cucumbers and squid as a natural dye weaving. This innovation is realized in line with the trend of being environmentally friendly resound in Indonesia. By avoiding chemical staining, mean kepeduliaan on the environment has been demonstrated. Waste from the textile dyeing industry chemicals often contaminate the water quality of the river as a dumping ground. Besides color of natural materials and thread of cotton makes the color is not as bright as modern thread but it is more durable and reveals the colors more and more beautiful.
Ikat design manufacture Flores performed by binding warp threads that can last for weeks, sometimes for months. Often dyeing is done one by one for each prospective sarong although sometimes done at the same time for a few pieces of cloth gloves. Weaving Flores made with basic ingredients of cotton yarn twisted by the weaver himself. Coarse yarn and dyed indigo blue color. Fabric adorned with decorative bright colorful geometric shapes.
Flores woven fabric cover generally apart into clothing complements traditional dress in traditional ceremonies and rituals. Some areas in the province produce woven fabrics are beautiful as in Manggarai, Ngada, Nage Keo, Ende, up to about Lio, Sikka, until Lembata and Alor in East Flores. Each area has a variety of motifs, patterns and preferences of different colors in making ikat. Such diversity is a form of manifestation of symbols that represent the ethnic, indigenous, religious, and other things of everyday people Flores.
