Toraja Sekomandi or Ceremonial Hanging

Rust-and-indigo cloth, dense with diamonds and tasseled at both ends.

This sekomandi or ceremonial hanging is Toraja, from South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and dates to the 20th century. It is cotton. The Toraja people of South Sulawesi are known for elaborate funeral ceremonies, and textiles generally figure among the objects displayed or exchanged at such gatherings. Rectangular woven cloth in warm terracotta orange and deep green-black, patterned with rows of diamonds, hooks and stepped shapes. A pale narrow band crosses the upper part, and long knotted fringe hangs at both ends. It is 51 inches wide and 69 long.

Patterned to the last thread and fringed with confidence.