Man's wrap (beti)

Throughout the twentieth century government agencies discouraged people on Timor from wearing hand-woven textiles, which were considered un-modern. Today, efforts to reverse these policies include requiring civil servants to wear traditional textiles on certain days of the week. But there are far fewer weavers producing finely woven textiles. Many people cannot afford them and resort to buying imported imitations.

This striking man’s wrap was collected by the Dutch artist, author, and ethnographer W. O. J. Nieuwenkamp in the early 1900s. The patterns of hooks and tendrils are produced through a complicated dyeing process called ikat.