Minahasa Woven Cloth After 200 Years

The Minahasa woven cloth disappeared 200 years ago. This had caused the Minahasa people to borrow woven fabrics from neighboring regions or batik from Java. Today, the woven fabric has returned.

The return of Minahasa woven cloth has delighted the people of the North Sulawesi. In fact, Minahasa weaving is now widely worn by celebrities. Young actress Shereen Sungkar for example. When she received the Panasonic Award for 2010 Most Popular Actress, she looked elegant wearing a green dress of Minahasa woven designed by Thomas Sigar.

Thomas Sigar, the Manadonese descent fashion designer, is the one who rediscovered the old motifs of Minahasa woven cloth. Since 2005, along with Benny J. Mamoto and Rita Mamoto of the Cultural Art Institute of North Sulawesi, Thomas initiated the revival of Minahasa woven. He conducted his research from books to the field. “In the 17th century thru the 18th, before religions entered the Minahasa, weaving skills reached the highest level,” said Thomas Sigar, who had studied at the Ecole Superieure d’Arts Graphiques and the Academie d’Arts Julien, Paris, France, in 1973-1974. He discovered from his research that the ancient weaving of Minahasa cloth is the most complex method of weaving.

Born in Jakarta on October 20, 1952, the designer said the highly difficult method of weaving and the arrival of Christian religion in the 19th century—that viewed the motifs of ancient Minahasa cloth as symbolizing paganism—have caused the disappearance of Minahasa woven fabric since 200 years ago.

Today, in this entire world, there are only seven pieces of Minahasa cloth which already aged over hundreds of years. They are stored at a museum in the Netherlands. “We can find one piece of cloth in the National Museum, but I’m afraid it is not from Minahasa but from the Philippines,” said Thomas, who has been developing Indonesian cultural heritage in the form of fashion since 1997.

Thus, it has been a long time for Minahasa people to wear fabrics that were not theirs. According to his notes, even when participating in the traditional ceremonies, the people of Minahasa used to wear a woven fabric from Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) and even batik cloth from coastal Java region. Thomas also discovered photographs showing that in the kingdom days, the king wore a patala cloth from India.