Batak Ragidup or Ritual Cloth

A teal cloth with a zigzag shimmer and a beard of black fringe at each end.

This ragidup, or Batak ritual cloth is Batak, from Sumatra, Indonesia, and dates to the 20th century. It is cotton. The name ragidup is generally taken to refer to a ritual ulos, a cloth given and exchanged at important moments in family and community life. Long rectangle in blue-green with a faint zigzag pattern running its length. Dark bands frame both sides, edged with thin pink and red lines. Loose black fringe spills from the short ends in untidy tufts. It is 96 inches wide.

Dressed for the occasion, and not remotely worried about neatness.