Barkcloth production in Central Sulawesi: a vanishing textile technology in Outer Island Indonesia

Abstract

Barkcloth, a traditional product of many tropical regions of the world, is made by beating the inner bark from various species of trees; this article discusses its production and uses in central Sulawesi or Celebes, Indonesia, in recent and earlier times. The main trees used in this area are Broussonetia papyrifera , a number of Ficus species, Artocarpus blumei , and Antiaris toxicaria . The strips of inner bark are cooked in water, washed, and allowed to ferment while moist. Beating is done initially with wooden mallets, then with carved stone beaters hafted to rattan, or rattan and wooden, handles. Outside central Sulawesi or Celebes usually only wooden beaters are used. Periods of beating vary according to the type of barkcloth being produced. Final treatments may consist of the application of the juice of the bitter fruit of Diospyros javinica or D. peregrina , or of various dyeing or other coloring processes. The article also describes the making of garments from barkcloth and the status of the material in the present.

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