The Sumbanese can easily be recognized by their clothing. Woven textiles in East Sumba, commonly known as ikat, have a peculiarity and elegance of its own.
The men wear an ikat sarong, a 'hinggi' around their hips and a head cover made of the same around their head. The ikat is usually printed with animal and human motives.
Women on the other hand wear Lawu which is more ornate in its look with an embroidered piece made of fabric interwoven with gold or silver thread.
Apart from being considered as items of daily wear, these two textiles are also given extreme significance in the social and cultural aspects of the natives.
However, weaving this textile into finished clothing is not an easy task. If the traditional method is undertaken, it would require six months and 10 people to weave just four pieces of Ikat.
Producing a hinggi measuring 50 meters long requires 16 spools of yarn, 15 kilograms of indigo dye and 15 kilograms of candlenuts, bark and leaves of the lobha tree and roots of Indian mulberries. On an average the entire process of making a hinggi will involve nearly 60 people.
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