HEIRLOOM CLOTH AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION: The ceremonial kain sandang gobo of the Minangkabau, West Sumatra

Authors

Linda Hanssen, Museum of Ethnology Rotterdam

Date of this Version

1996

Citation

Published in Sacred and Ceremonial Textiles: Proceedings of the Fifth Biennial Symposium of the Textile Society of America, Chicago, Illinois, 1996. (Minneapolis, 1997).

Comments

Copyright 1996 by the author.

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore the role of the ceremonial shouldercloth -kain sandang gobo- as an inalienable possession in the social organization of the village society of Balai Cacang¹. To this end I shall examine the kain sandang gobo for its several visual aspects and symbolic meaning, and as an heirloom cloth in the harto pusako². The kain sandang gobo as a means of expressing rank and hierarchy will be explored by analyzing its role in the wedding-ceremony. The results will contribute to the aim of this panel, which is to come to a comparison of the meaning of highly valued locally made heirloom cloth among three ethnic groups in Indonesia.