1983.126 Shroud or ceremonial hanging (sekomandi)

Careful looking reveals a series of arrowlike human figures with angled limbs as the basis for the geometric design of this textile. The figures have been identified as palawa, or heroes, in the Mamasa area, where this textile was collected; however, the ethnographer Carl Schuster interpreted them as ancestors, gathered together on the burial shroud to accompany the deceased into the next world.

The bold design and color of this textile are characteristic of those produced by the Toraja people of the Galumpang area of Sulawesi. At one time, it was important for Toraja people to be prepared for eventual death by owning a shroud such as this. Imagine the comfort of entering the afterlife wrapped within the community of one's ancestors.

Carol Robbins, Label text, 2006.

1976: Steven G. Alpert, Dallas, Texas, purchased in a village near Mamasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia

1983: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from above [1]

Notes:

The main source for this provenance is the Pacific American Corp. document titled "Dallas Museum of Art: The Steven G. Alpert Collection of Indonesian Textiles" in the Collections Records file labeled Steven G. Alpert—Indonesian Textiles. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.

[1] See pages 1-4 of the correspondence between Harry S. Parker and Pacific American Corp. dated October 5, 1983, in the Collections Records file labeled Steven G. Alpert—Indonesian Textiles.

Apply to objects where number equals 1983.126