ULOS

My dad brought a few ULOS when he came home recently in June. His job in Penang made him do lots of dealing with the Indonesians who comes to Penang for health treatment (heart surgeries mostly) or frequent visits to Indonesia like Medan or Jakarta for marketing & promotion - that's where he got all the Ulos as gifts/souvenirs.

A few definitions of the Ulos:

- Ulos is the Batak word for cloth, while ragi hotang denotes the type. Batak textiles tend to be rather dark and sombre with simple geometric forms. Textiles are important in Batak gift giving, in which a hierarchical structure determines which of the 25 or so textiles produced by the Batak is appropriate to the occasion and to the age and social status of the recipient. The ragi hotang is the highest ranked textile to be given to a bride and groom.
Source: Powerhouse Museum Collection

- Ulos is a rectangular piece of traditional woven cloth, holds significant traditional values that is respected and used in various sacred ceremonies.
It siymbolizes a great many thing, physically and spiritually, therefore carries great importance and meaning to be the people of Batak. Not only is it worn, it is also used in many religious initiations such as birth, marriage, death and many other rites.
Source: Kriya Ulos

- Ceremonial Textile (Ulos Ragidup) - The most sacred textiles of the Batak people of northern Sumatra are the ragidup, whose name literally means "pattern of life." Both during and beyond an individual's life, ragidup play central roles. Perhaps the most critical occurs when a woman is pregnant with her first child. At this time, her parents typically present her with a ragidup, which becomes, as her ulos ni tondi or "soul cloth," a supernaturally powerful object that will protect her and her family throughout life. During the rites, a specialist is called upon to "read" the cloth, whose complex patterns are believed to foretell the woman's future. A ragidup is also an essential element in Batak marriage rites, where it is wrapped around the mother of the groom by the father of the bride as a ceremonial gift. In death, the ragidup enshrouds the deceased and, years later, is used to wrap his or her bones when they are disinterred for ritual reburial.
Source: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

In fact during my wedding back in 2003, an Indonesian family lady friend from Medan, gave me a pretty and expensive Ulos (see photo below) claimed to be her heirloom that cost RM10,000 (I'm not sure if I heard her correctly or she meant 10,000 Rupiah??)


Here are my Ulos collections (given by my dad to keep/use). Pretty for table runners/cloth, piano cover or wall deco. I just love the colours and artistic designs - all handmade (no wonder its pretty costly too).