Man’s shoulder or hip cloth (hinggi)

This finely executed hinggi is in wonderful condition, retaining its strong and rich colors. Singular motifs are organized symmetrically around a fluidly geometric design at the center, the bold graphic designs flowing freely across the textile in an open and expansive manner atypical of earlier textiles that tend to feature smaller strips or borders that frame individually conceived sections. The whole is fringed by a simple fringe border at each end. The designs are evenly paced and feature pairs of standing lions (with raised tails and manes and crowns a feature of their noble or ‘royal’ status) as well as predatory dogs (shown in an aggressive stance) and dramatic clawed dragons adorned with deer antlers, whose open mouths are shown breathing fire, an indication of their ferocious power. Smaller motifs, picked out in blue at each end of the textile, include the omega or mamuli (female principle) and the skull tree or andang (male principle) creating overall balance between the domain of women (who were charged with the powerfully sacred responsibility of weaving) and men (whose equivalent potency was focused on hunting, warfare, and the taking of life).