  
  About the Artwork
  
  
  An elite man or woman of the Minangkabau culture in West Sumatra, Indonesia, would have worn this textile during ceremonial occasions such as weddings and chieftain inaugurations. The rich materials and intricate designs displayed the wealth and status of the wearer, who may have been a chieftain or one of his female relatives. Worn by a man, the garment would be draped across the shoulders. Worn by a woman, it was usually folded into an elaborate headdress.

Some of the designs woven into this cloth symbolize Minangkabau cultural values or represent ceremonial items. Look for repeated &acirc;&#128;&#156;X&acirc;&#128;&#157; shapes in diagonal lines that intersect to form a diamond pattern; they signify a chain, which stands for the strength of a community that works together. Rows of smaller diamonds along the border represent special rice cakes made for weddings and other ceremonies.

Minangkabau cloths woven in this style, with a dark background, are known as &acirc;&#128;&#156;kain basahan itam,&acirc;&#128;&#157; or &acirc;&#128;&#156;textile dipped in black.&acirc;&#128;&#157;
  
  
  Title
  Ceremonial Shoulder Cloth (Salendang) or Head Cloth (Tangkuluak)
  
  
  Artwork Date
  19th century
  
  Artist
  ----------
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  ----------
  
  
  
  
  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Sumatran
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
  Minangkabau
  
  
  Medium
  Cotton, silk, gold thread, lacquered paper
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 24 3/4 &Atilde;&#151; 83 inches (62.9 &Atilde;&#151; 210.8 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Textiles
  
  
  Department
  Asian Art
  
  
  Credit
  Gift of Janis B. Wetsman
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum&acirc;&#128;&#153;s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems&acirc;&#128;&#148;no longer assigned&acirc;&#128;&#148;that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  2019.60
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
  
  
  
