Tampans

Tampans, beautiful & unique Indonesian textiles (Ship Cloths)

Tampans make very nice decor as cushion covers, placemats and drapes.  I  bought these from local Singapore antique stores selling Indonesian teak furniture and Ebay.

These textiles, with a boat as the central motif, were principally ceremonial and ritual cloths of great importance in Sumatran life. The boat motifs were associated with community and life journey. Accordingly, ship cloths were used at life-cycle ceremonies such as birth, tooth-filing, marriage and funeral.

The ship cloths are linked not only to the ancient animistic religious beliefs of Sumatra but they reflect historical changes in the region. Textiles were enmeshed in cultural transformations of south-east Asia, along with evolving native beliefs and practices, as well as experiences brought about by colonisation and trade. Interestingly, the ship motif changed as a result of different types of vessels sailing through the area, including European and Chinese ships.Sumatran textiles reflect these changes via chronological and regional variations.
 

The elaborate ship motifs were transformed as different influences came to the island. The ship iconography can vary from simple boat forms coupled with imaginary beasts to scenes of ships bearing courtiers, crew and royal elephants. The human figures sometimes appear in the refined style of the Javanese Wayang (shadow puppets) and indicate the immigration of Javanese people to Sumatra. Sometimes the ship is transformed into the dragon naga boat of Chinese design. At other times, usually later, it resembles the Dutch galleon with masts and flying Dutch tri-coloured flags. In the final phases of the tampan cloth the ships become geometric and stylised as a result of Islamic influence and expansion throughout the region. Ship cloths are now very rare and are no longer produced as Islamic influences becoming stronger in local cultures.
Ship cloth appears in different forms in Sumatra.
 
The palepai are long rectangular cloths which were hung as ceremonial banners. Palepai were cloths of the local clan leaders and nobility and were essential at ceremonies such as weddings and funerals for the local leaders. The cloths were often passed to the eldest son of the clan or district elder as a symbol of hereditary leadership.
Tampan cloths were small and square, often used at wedding, tooth-filing and circumcision rituals. They were made by women for more common-use than the palepai cloth but were still considered an important ceremonial accessory. The style and number of cloths owned by a family would represent their rank in society. Tampan types were often paired with lampit, a slightly larger square or rectangular mat-like cloth, made by men. They were paired together as ritual objects to symbolise the male and female elements of the universe and after ceremonies stored in the umbrella-shaped temples of the region.
Tatibin were smaller and rarer than the tampan and palepai cloths and were commonly used as decorations for the seating platform for the bride and groom at wedding ceremonies.
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Ship-cloths-of-Sumatra