Ceremonial hanging (palepai)

The islands of Indonesia form the heartland of the Pacific culture area called Island Southeast Asia. A location at the crossroads of ancient trade routes and natural resources greatly desired in the West—spices, resins, and tropical hardwoods—brought contact through commercial traders with foreign goods and metalworking and weaving technologies. The distinguished weaving traditions that developed in the Indonesian islands produced clothing for everyday and ceremonial use and a rich variety of textiles that functioned symbolically in ritual contexts. The lavishly embroidered skirts and dramatically patterned ceremonial cloths of the Lampung region represent one of Indonesia’s most appealing textile styles.

The palepai, a ceremonial hanging, is a long, horizontal cloth whose principal motifs are a ship with scrolled prows, animals bearing riders, and trees. Ships are symbols of transition, of auspicious passage for the vulnerable human spirit during moments of crisis. The trees probably represent the tree of life, although the elegant triangular shape may also allude to the pyramidal cosmic mountain. Use of the palepai was restricted to titled members of Lampung aristocracy, who had the right to hang the textile during rituals that commemorated major life events—as a backdrop for the bride during a wedding ceremony, for the presentation of a child to the maternal grandparents at a naming ceremony, and for a funeral. On occasions when several palepai were hung together, the placement of a particular textile reflected its owner's rank and relationship to other members of the social group.