Man's wrap (beti)

The intricacy of design on this cloth indicates that it likely would have been worn by a man of high status. It is possible some of the brighter colors were produced by synthetic dyes. Faber dyes, which were first introduced toward the end of the nineteenth century, were both expensive and at the time considered prestigious. On the neighboring island of Kisar and on Timor they would be, as seen here, used to replace natural red colors, and in combination with indigo.

This textile was collected by the Dutch artist, author, and ethnographer W. O. J. Nieuwenkamp in the early 1900s.