Introducing West Sulawesi's typical Mamasa woven sarong

Literally, the word sambu' means "cloth" in the language of the people of Mamasa district, West Sulawesi. Sambu' has long been woven by the majority of Mamasa women. Often used in various social activities for the Mamasa district community.

Unlike the Sekomandi Kalumpang-Mamuju Weaving, the motifs on Sambu' Weaving are only vertical lines extending with various color thicknesses. The colors that are often used are black, red, white and yellow or green.

In the past, sambu' woven cloth used yarn spun from cotton which took months, but along with the times and demands for orders from local and outside the region as well as tourists who came to visit Mamasa, the making of Sambu' Mamasa weaving began to use convection threads.

Dorsila (63), one of the sambu' weavers who has been actively weaving for more than 40 years, said the color patterns of sambu' cloth represent its use in social events. Generally, bright colors are used in wedding processions and harvest festivals, while dark colors are used when mourning.

"Bright colors like red and yellow are used for ma'randang (applications, ed), black is usually used when someone dies. Besides we put this sambu in the gallery for tourists to buy, many also order from outside the district. Mamasa, so the colors and motifs sometimes follow according to the order," said Dorsila.

Now there are fewer sambu' cloth craftsmen, the younger generation as the successors of the ancestral cultural heritage are starting to rarely get involved in the weaving process. The unpopularity of sambu' cloth among young people has also become a concern for the elders of the Mamasa community.

To make one sambu' takes one to four weeks depending on the size of the sambu' being made. For souvenirs in the form of ordinary shawls, it takes 5 days to weave. The price varies, starting from IDR 200 thousand.

Penulis : Okha Syaputra