Victorius Battles

Woven by the Dayak Desa women of Sintang regency in West Kalimantan, kain bidang is a single panel ikat textile. This textile is an important part of ceremonies, offerings are placed on it or it may be used to wrap an offering. The mordanting process to achieve the red dye requires many different foraged plants and must be performed with a ritual. Dayak textiles have long been regarded for their unique designs, many of which were inspired by dreams. This textile has two different motifs, sandung and ruit. The sandung is a shrine that houses the skulls of enemies and/or the skulls and bones of deceased family members and ancestors. The sandung is used as a place of worship during ceremonies that celebrate battle victories. Ruit means spear. Spears have both practical and ceremonial uses for Dayak Desa, and have come to represent and symbolise many different aspects of Dayak Desa culture and thought. Information about the makers will be supplied with each cloth. Warp ikat, commercial cotton, single panel, twisted fringe, natural dyes. Ikat, tied, dyed and woven in Sintang, Kalimantan, 2024. Size 170 x 63 cm / 67 x 25 in