Woven Tales of Indonesia : Ikat Geringsing

Ikat Geringsing is a sacred hand spun double ikat cotton textile woven only in Tenganan Village in Pageringsingan, Bali. 

The geringsing cloth is believed can ward off illness and misfortune and is highly valued for ritual use. 

All the process is done by hand from beginning. The threads would be hand-spun and came from kapok tree in southern part of Bali.


The threads would be soaked in candle nut oil and wood ash for over 40 days. The longer the thread is soaked, the stronger and softer the thread would become.

The threads would be tied on both its warp and weft threads according to the pattern and dyed using mix of natural resources prior to weaving process.

Red color would come from a mixture of Kepundung tree (Baccaurea racemose) bark and Sunthi roots (Zingiber officina). 

The black color would be a combination of red from and blue color that comes from Tarum tree (Indigofera tinctoria). 

The process of making an Ikat Geringsing may take up to 5 years. The tradition still alive until today.

See more traditional textiles from Bali.