Ikat

''Ikat'' (literally "to bind" in Malayo-Polynesian languages) is a dyeing technique from Southeast Asia used to pattern textiles that employs resist dyeing on the yarns prior to dyeing and weaving the fabric. In Southeast Asia, where it is the most widespread, ''ikat'' weaving traditions can be divided into two general groups of related traditions. The first is found among Daic-speaking peoples (Laos, northern Vietnam, and Hainan). The second, larger group is found among the Austronesian peoples (Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Timor-Leste) and spread via the Austronesian expansion to as far as Madagascar. It is most prominently associated with the textile traditions of Indonesia in modern times, from where the term ''ikat'' originates. Similar unrelated dyeing and weaving techniques that developed independently are also present in other regions of the world, including India, Central Asia, Japan (where it is called ''kasuri''), Africa, and the Americas.

In ''ikat'', the resist is formed by binding individual yarns or bundles of yarns with a tight wrapping applied in the desired pattern. The yarns are then dyed. The bindings may then be altered to create a new pattern and the yarns dyed again with another colour. This process may be repeated multiple times to produce elaborate, multicolored patterns. When the dyeing is finished all the bindings are removed and the yarns are woven into cloth. In other resist-dyeing techniques such as tie-dye and ''batik'' the resist is applied to the woven cloth, whereas in ''ikat'' the resist is applied to the yarns before they are woven into cloth. Because the surface design is created in the yarns rather than on the finished cloth, in ''ikat'' both fabric faces are patterned. ''Ikat'' can be classified into three general types: warp ''ikat'' and weft ''ikat'', in which the warp and weft yarns are dyed, respectively; and double ''ikat'', where both the warp and weft yarns are dyed.

A characteristic of ''ikat'' textiles is an apparent "blurriness" to the design. The blurriness is a result of the extreme difficulty the weaver has lining up the dyed yarns so that the pattern comes out perfectly in the finished cloth. The blurriness can be reduced by using finer yarns or by the skill of the craftsperson. ''Ikat'' with little blurriness, multiple colours and complicated patterns are more difficult to create and therefore often more expensive. However, the blurriness that is so characteristic of ''ikat'' is often prized by textile collectors.

Etymology

''Ikat'' is a Malay word, which depending on context, can be the nouns: cord, thread, knot, or bundle, also the finished ''ikat'' fabric, as well as the verbs "to tie" or "to bind"; the term ''ikatan'' is a noun for bond or tie. It has a direct etymological relation to cognates in various Indonesian languages from
Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, Sumba, Flores and Timor. Thus, the name of the finished ''ikat'' woven fabric originates from the ''tali'' (threads, ropes) being ''ikat'' (tied, bound, knotted) before they are being put in ''celupan'' (dyed by way of dipping), then ''berjalin'' (woven, intertwined) resulting in a ''berjalin ikat''- reduced to ''ikat''.

The introduction of the term ''ikat'' into European language is attributed to Rouffaer. ''Ikat'' is now a generic English loanword used to describe the process and the cloth itself regardless of where the fabric was produced or how it is patterned.

In Indonesian, the plural of ''ikat'' remains ''ikat''. While in English, a suffix plural 's' is commonly added, as in ''ikats''. However, these terms are interchangeable and both are correct.

History

Warp ''ikat'' traditions in Southeast Asia are believed to have originated in Neolithic weaving traditions (older than at least 6000 BP) somewhere in mainland Asia, and is associated with the Austronesian and Daic-speaking peoples. This is based on a 2012 comparative study on loom technologies, textile patterns, and linguistics. It was spread outwards along with the Austronesian expansion to maritime Southeast Asia, reaching as far as Madagascar by the 1st millennium BC.

Previously, ''ikat'' traditions were suggested by some authors to be originally acquired by Austronesians from contact with the Dong Son culture of Vietnam, but this was deemed unlikely in a 2012 study.

Elsewhere, particularly in India and Central Asia, very similar traditions have also developed that are also known as "''ikat''". These likely developed independently. Uyghurs call it ''atlas'' ( IPA �tlɛs and use it only for woman's clothing. The historical record indicates that there were 27 types of atlas during Qing Chinese occupation. Now there are only four types of Uyghur atlas remaining: ''qara-atlas'', a black ''ikat'' used for older women's clothing; '' khoja'e-atlas'', a yellow, blue, or purple ''ikat'' used for married women; ''qizil-atlas'', a red ''ikat'' used for girls; and '' Yarkent-atlas'', a khan or royal atlas. Yarkent-atlas has more diverse styles; during the Yarkent Khanate (1514–1705), there were ten different styles of Yarkent-atlas.

Types

In warp ''ikat'' it is only the warp yarns that are dyed using the ''ikat'' technique. The weft yarns are dyed a solid colour. The ''ikat'' pattern is clearly visible in the warp yarns wound onto the loom even before the weft is woven in. Warp ''ikat'' is, amongst others, produced in Indonesia; more specifically in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Sumatra by respectively the Dayaks, Torajans and Bataks.

In weft ''ikat'' it is the weaving of weft yarn that carries the dyed patterns. Therefore, the pattern only appears as the weaving proceeds. Weft ''ikat''s are much slower to weave than warp ''ikat'' because the weft yarns must be carefully adjusted after each passing of the shuttle to maintain the clarity of the design.

Double ''ikat'' is a technique in which both warp and the weft are resist-dyed prior to weaving. Obviously it is the most difficult to make and the most expensive. Double ''ikat'' is only produced in three countries: India, Japan and Indonesia. The double ''ikat'' made in Patan, Gujarat in India is the most complicated. Called "patola", it is made using fine silk yarns and many colours. It may be patterned with a small motif that is repeated many times across the length of a six-meter sari. Sometimes the Patan double ''ikat'' is pictorial with no repeats across its length. That is, each small design element in each colour was individually tied in the warp and weft yarns. It's an extraordinary achievement in the textile arts. These much sought after textiles were traded by the Dutch East Indies company for exclusive spice trading rights with the sultanates of Indonesia. The double ''ikat'' woven in the small Bali Aga village, Tenganan in east Bali in Indonesia reflects the influence of these prized textiles. Some of the Tenganan double ''ikat'' motifs are taken directly from the ''patola'' tradition. In India, double ''ikat'' is also woven in Puttapaka, Nalgonda district, and is called '' Puttapaka Saree.'' In Japan, double ''ikat'' is woven in the Okinawa islands where it is called ''tate-yoko gasuri''.

Distribution

''Ikat'' is a resist dyeing technique common to many world cultures. It is probably one of the oldest forms of textile decoration. However, it is most prevalent in Indonesia, India and Japan. In South America, Central and North America, ''ikat'' is still common in Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico, respectively.

In the 19th century, the Silk Road desert oases of Bukhara, Samarkand, Hotan and Kashgar (in what is now Uzbekistan and Xinjiang in Central Asia) were famous for their fine silk Uzbek/Uyghur ''ikat''.

India, Japan, Indonesia and many other Southeast Asian nations including Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines and Thailand have weaving cultures with long histories of ''ikat'' resist dyeing.

Double ''ikat'' textiles are still found in India, Japan and Indonesia. In Indonesia, ''ikat'' textiles are produced throughout the islands from Sumatra in the west to Timor in the east and Kalimantan and Sulawesi in the north. ''Ikat'' is also found in Iran, where the Persian name is ''daraee''. ''Daraee'' means wealth, and this fabric is often included in a bride's dowry during wedding ceremonies; the people who bought these fabrics were rich.

Production

Warp ''ikat''

''Ikat'' created by dyeing the warps (warp ''ikat'') is simpler to make than either weft ''ikat'' or double ''ikat''. First the yarns--cotton, silk, wool or other fibres—are wound onto a tying frame. Then they are separated into bundles. As the binding process is very labor-intensive an effort is made to reduce the work to a minimum by folding the thread bundles like in paper dolls and binding a basic ''ikat'' motif (BIM) that will be repeated like in paper dolls when the threads are unfolded for weaving after the dyeing is completed. The thread bundles may be folded around a vertical and/or horizontal axis. The bundles may be covered with wax, as in batik. (However, in making batik, the crafts person applies the resist to the finished cloth rather than to the yarns to be woven.) The warp yarns are then wrapped tightly with thread or some other dye-resistant material with the desired pattern so as to prevent unwanted dye penetration. The procedure is repeated, according to the number of colours required to complete the design. Multiple coloration is common, requiring multiple rounds of tying and dyeing. After the dyeing is finished the bindings are removed and the threads are wound onto the loom as the warp (longitudinal yarns). The threads are adjusted to precisely align the motifs and thin bamboo strips are lashed to the threads to prevent them from tangling or slipping out of alignment during weaving.

Some ''ikat'' traditions, such as Central Asia's, embrace a blurred aesthetic in the design. Other traditions favour a more precise and more difficult to achieve alignment of the ''ikat'' yarns. South American and Indonesian ''ikat'' are known for a high degree of warp alignment. Weavers carefully adjust the warp threads when they are placed on the loom so the patterns appear clearly. Thin strips of bamboo are then lashed to the warps to maintain the pattern alignment during weaving.

Patterns are visible in the warp threads even before the weft, a plain colored thread, is woven in. Some warp ''ikat'' traditions are designed with vertical-axis symmetry or have a "mirror-image" running along their long centre line. That is, whatever pattern or design is woven on the right is duplicated on the left in reverse order about a central warp thread group. Patterns can be created in the vertical, horizontal or diagonal.

Weft ''ikat''

Weft ''ikat'' ('' endek'' in Bali) uses resist-dyeing for the weft yarns. The movement of the weft yarns in the weaving process means precisely delineated patterns are more difficult to achieve. The weft yarn must be adjusted after each passing of the shuttle to preserve the clarity of the patterns.

Nevertheless, highly skilled artisans can produce precise weft ''ikat''. Japanese weavers produce very accurate indigo and white weft ''ikat'' with small scale motifs in cotton. Weavers in Odisha, India have replicated fine patterns in weft ''ikat''. In Thailand, weavers make silk sarongs depicting birds and complex geometrical designs in seven-colour weft ''ikat''.

In some precise weft ''ikat'' traditions (Gujarat, India), two artisans weave the cloth: one passes the shuttle and the other adjusts the way the yarn lies in the shed.

As the weft is a continuous strand, aberrations or variations in the weaving tension are cumulative. Some weft ''ikat'' traditions incorporate this affect into their aesthetic. Patterns become transformed by the weaving process into irregular and erratic designs. Guatemalan ''ikat'' is well-noted for its beautiful "blurs."

Double ''ikat''

Double ''ikat'' is created by resist-dyeing both the warp and weft prior to weaving. Some sources use the term double ''ikat'' only when the warp and weft patterning overlap to form common, identical motifs. If they do not, the result is referred to as compound ''ikat''.

This form of weaving requires the most skill for precise patterns to be woven and is considered the premiere form of ''ikat''. The amount of labour and skill required also make it the most expensive, and many poor quality cloths flood the tourist markets. Indian and Indonesian examples typify highly precise double ''ikat''. Especially prized are the double ''ikat''s woven in silk known in India as ''patola'' (singular: ''patolu''). These are from Khambat, Gujarat. During the colonial era, Dutch merchants used '' patola'' as prestigious trade cloths during the peak of the spice trade.

In Indonesia, double ''ikat'' is only woven in the Bali Aga village of Tenganan. These cloths have high spiritual significance. In Tenganan they are still worn for specific ceremonies. Outside Tenganan, '' geringsing'' are treasured as they are purported to have magical powers.

The double ''ikat'' of Japan is woven in the Okinawa islands and is called ''tate-yoko gasuri''.

Pochampally Saree, a variety from the small village of Andhra Pradesh in Nalgonda district, India, are silk saris woven in the double ''ikat''.

The Puttapaka Saree is made in Puttapaka village, Samsthan Narayanpuram mandal in Nalgonda district, India. It is known for its unique style of silk saris. The symmetric design is over 200 years old. The ''ikat'' is warp-based. The Puttapaka Saree is a double ''ikat''.

Before the weaving is done, a manual winding of yarn, called ''asu'', needs to be performed. This process takes up to five hours per sari and is usually done by the womenfolk, who suffer physical strain through constantly moving their hands back and forth over 9000 times for each sari. In 1999 a young weaver, C. Mallesham, developed a machine which automated ''asu'', thus developing a technological solution for a decades-old problem.

Ōshima

Ōshima ''ikat'' is a uniquely Japanese ''ikat''. In Amami Ōshima, the warp and weft threads are both used as warp to weave stiff fabric, upon which the thread for the ''ikat'' weaving is spot-dyed. Then the mats are unravelled and the dyed thread is woven into Ōshima cloth.

The Ōshima process is duplicated in Java and Bali, and was reserved for ruling royalty, notably ''Klungkung'' and ''Ubud'': most especially the ''dodot'' cloth semi- cummerbund of Javanese court attire.

Other countries

Cambodia

The Cambodian ''ikat'' is a weft ''ikat'' woven of silk on a multi-shaft loom with an uneven twill weave, which results in the weft threads showing more prominently on the front of the fabric than the back.

By the 19th century, Cambodian ''ikat'' was considered among the finest textiles of the world. When the King of Thailand came to the USA in 1856, he brought fine Cambodian ''ikat'' cloth as a gift for President Franklin Pierce. The most intricately patterned of the Cambodian fabrics are the ''sampot hol'' — skirts worn by the women — and the ''pidans'' — wall hangings used to decorate the pagoda or the home for special ceremonies.

Unfortunately, Cambodian culture suffered massive disruption and destruction during the mid-20th century Indochina wars but most especially during the Khmer Rouge regime. Most weavers were killed and the whole art of Cambodian ''ikat'' was in danger of disappearing. Kikuo Morimoto is a prominent pioneer in re-introducing ''ikat'' to Cambodia. In 1995, he moved from Japan and located one or two elderly weavers and Khmer Rouge survivors who knew the art and have taught it to a new generation.

Thailand

In Thailand, the local weft ''ikat'' type of woven cloth is known as ''matmi'' (also spelled 'mudmee' or 'mudmi'). Traditional Mudmi cloth was woven for daily use among the nobility. Other uses included ceremonial costumes. Warp ''ikat'' in cotton is also produced by the Karen and Lawa tribal peoples in northern Thailand.

This type of cloth is the favourite silk item woven by Khmer people living in southern Isan, mainly in Surin, Sisaket and Buriram provinces.

Iran

In Iran, ''ikat'', known by the name ''darayee'', has been woven in different areas. In Yazd, there are some workshops that produce it. It is said that this kind of cloth historically used to be included in a bride's dowry. In popular culture, a quote states that people who bought this type of cloth were wealthy.

Latin America

''Ikat'' patterns are common among the Andes peoples, and native people of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. The Mapuche shawl or poncho of the Huaso cowboys of Chile is perhaps the item best known in the West. Wool and '' cabuya'' fibre are the most commonly used.

The Mexican rebozos can be made from silk, wool or cotton and are frequently ''ikat'' dyed. These shawls are seen as a part of the Mexican national identity and most women own at least one.

Latin American ''ikat'' (Jaspe, as it is known to Maya weavers) textiles are commonly woven on a back-strap loom. Pre-dyed warp threads are a common item in traditional markets- saving the weaver much mess, expense, time and labour. A Latin American innovation which may also be employed elsewhere is to employ a round stick around which warp threads are wrapped in groups, thus allowing more precise control of the desired design. The "corte" is the typical wrap-skirt used worn by Guatemalan women.

India

In India, ''Ikat'' art has been present for thousands of years. In some parts of India, ''ikat'' processed cloth such as saree and kurtis are very popular, along with bedsheets, door screens, and towels.

Uzbekistan

''Ikat'' is a common weaving technique in Uzbek culture. The Uzbek ''ikat'', locally referred to as '' abrbandi'', is distinguished by its bold and flamboyant patterns. The history of the Uzbek ''ikat'' dates back to the 19th century, when it was mastered by the Uzbeks. Since then, it has become an integral part of their cultural identity and an important aspect of traditional clothing.

Accreditation

As of 2010, the government of the Republic of Indonesia announced it would pursue UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage accreditation for its ''ikat'' weaving, along with ''songket'' and gamelan, having successfully attained this UNESCO recognition for its wayang, batik and the kris.

See also

* Batik
* ''Songket''
* '' Tenun''
* '' T'nalak''
* Weaving
* '' Odisha Ikat''
* Balinese textiles

References

Further reading

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External links

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"The Extraordinary Ikat"
– The newsletter of ArtXchange (Summer/Autumn 2003) from Internet Archive
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Indonesian art
Figured fabrics
Textile arts
Textile patterns