ULOS RAGI HOTANG

Ulos Ragi Hotang is the Batak name given to this ceremonial mantle or shawl which is worn at a ceremony announcing the birth of a boy or at a wedding. At the wedding, the groom�s father drapes the cloth over the shoulders of the bride and groom and wishes them happiness and a large family. Woven on a backstrap loom in the Lake Toba region of Northern Sumatra, the central area has a stippled motif which represents rattan bark dyed into the cotton warp threads and gold threads woven into the inner border. The outer border (see enlargement) of floating (supplementary weft) decoration was added during the weaving. This photograph does not do justice to the beauty of this collector's piece. The dimensions are 67 inches long by 39 inches wide.