Ceremonial mat

Title
Ceremonial mat
Year/Period
Early-mid 20th century
Region
Lampung, South Sumatra
Object Type
Material
Dimension
Object size: 63.5 x 62.3 cm
Accession No.
2009-01383
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andy Ng

Ceremonial mats of this type are known as lampit. They are made of split rattan and cotton with burnt pokerwork designs. Many of these mats have complex symmetrical designs, which probably represent cosmological diagrams. They also feature images of ancestors and mythological creatures.Lampit are heirlooms (pusaka) and are kept by noble families in Lampung. Often they were stored in ancestral temples. Lampit were made by men while woven cotton tampan were made by women to be paired together as ritual objects. This symbolised the pairing of male and female elements in the universe.