Tapis Sarong

Sumatra, the isle of Gold located along the maritime route between Asia and the West, was part of the early global network of commerce and cultural exchange. In the southern tip of Sumatra, the people of Lampong poured their trading profits into ceremonial material and artful adornments. Wealthy women of the region created a distinctive genre of garments that exemplifies their family prestige, clan identity and affluence. These ornate tubular sarongs, or tapis, were woven from cotton in a horizontal stripe design and further decorated bwith metallic thread, silk embroidery, mica fragments and other shiny materials. They were worn with long sleeved jackets of similar colors but with cowery shells instead of the shiny elements.