1983.117 Sacred textile (mawa')

The female figure within the central rondel of this textile is the goddess Indo' Samadenna (Mother All There Is), depicted with a golden spinning wheel she won in a quarrel with her sister and brought to the moon. The companionable rooster stands guard as the goddess guides the wheel and pulls at the thread. Above her are the seven stars of Bunga' (the Pleiades), whose place in the sky determines the beginning of the agricultural cycle. The row of stars beneath her spinning wheel represents Orion's belt, known to the Toraja as the Rice-bearer. The cloth's wide field at either side of the rondel is divided by two lines representing irrigation channels that bring water to the rice fields. Together, all the motifs bring good fortune or blessings, especially to women. 

Roslyn Walker, Label text, 2016. 

n.d. Steven G. Alpert, Dallas, Texas, purchased from Mrs. Djody Munir, Jakarta, 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 1983.117