Voyages of the Soul

The changes in status — social and spiritual — that occur throughout the lives of the people of the Lampung region of Sumatra in Indonesia may be envisaged as voyages of the soul, and the ship image is conspicuously present at the many rites of passage that mark the points of transition. At the ceremonies which herald these changes of status, splendid textiles incorporating ship motifs are particularly significant.

The location of the island of Sumatra at the crossroads of centuries-old international trade between China and India, and between the eastern Indonesian Spice Islands and the West, as well as Lampung's wealth from primary production, especially pepper, led to the making of sumptuous ceremonial textiles. A wide variety of techniques — warp ikat, embroidery and gold-thread couching — was used on very simple shapes, and the results are visually stunning. The National Gallery's collection of Asian art contains several examples of these cloths which are widely considered to be the most exciting of Indonesian traditional textiles.

These elaborately decorated textiles are prominent at the many ceremonies celebrated throughout the life of an individual. From birth, textiles are conspicuously present at important rituals. A young baby is laid upon small square textiles, tampan, when formally 'introduced' to the maternal grandparents, while the father's family bring special gifts wrapped in tampan. Similarly, at his circumcision, a boy sits on a tampan, while another one covers his portion of the ceremonial meal.

The most striking design on all tampan is the ship, although the motif itself takes many forms — from simple canoe to elaborately masted sailing vessels, from realistic representations to abstract shapes. The decks may filled with human figures and recognisable animals, or with fantastic creatures.

Although every family possesses small tampan, the textiles most widely used at ceremonies, it is exclusively the aristocrats of Lampung who own the larger ship-cloth hangings known as palepai. Not only are these imposing cloths prominently displayed for the nobility at the events which mark the social development of all individuals, but they also herald formal meetings between local chiefs, communal activities such as the erection of clan houses and, most important of all, emblazon the walls at ceremonies which celebrate the elevation of nobles to the highest rank. On these occasions, a symbolic tree of life is constructed from textiles, and the nobleman's seat, the pepadon, with its elaborately carved back rest is hung with the palepai textiles.

One of the most important rites in Lampung is marriage with its promise of fertility, and the flourishing and joining of families. At all marriage negotiations, the square tampan covers gifts and food; the bridal couple sit on tampan; and the same textile is draped over sacrificial animals. Even when eloping, the young man brings his fiancée gifts wrapped in a tampan.

Important ceremonies are also occasions when the women of Lampung wear their splendid cylindrical skirts (tapis) embroidered with exotic silk and gold threads. These skirts, which are visual evidence of the wealth and prosperity of the family, often also display ship images in varying degrees of stylisation. Like the woven images on the tampan and palepai, the tapis motifs include anthropomorphic figures with elaborate head-dress, and obscure mythical creatures.

The spirit ship imagery is multilayered. On many textiles, for instance, the various levels of existence are clearly depicted — the upper world of the birds and spirits, the deck of the ship teeming with human activities, and the nether world of the ship, surrounded by the sea and marine life. The ship motif reappears on many other objects used in ritual — betel-nut containers, poker-work mats — and even in the clan house itself. It is also reflected in the names of textile designs: 'the laden ship', for example, poetically describes a tapis completely covered in heavy gold-thread couching. In fact, maritime imagery pervades all aspects of these societies, and is echoed in the names of traditional leaders who have titles such as 'pilot' and 'helmsman'.

On all ceremonial occasions, the ship symbolically carries the participant from one stage or status in life to another. The image of the voyage of the soul is most prominent, however, in death, when during the mortuary rites the deceased is symbolically conveyed to the afterworld on a ship-emblazoned textile.

Robyn Maxwell

Senior Curator of Asian Art