A ‘selendang’ or shoulder cloth is a narrow piece of rectangular cloth worn over the shoulder. The centrefield displays floral motifs in diagonal lattices, and is framed by end panels woven in gold supplementary weft weave or ‘songket’. The centrefield was patterned by the weft ikat technique, where the horizontal threads are tied and dyed before the fabric is woven. Weft ikat were probably one of the earliest type of textiles associated with Indian trade, and are found through Southeast Asia including the eastern coast of Malay Peninsula, coastal Sumatra, Bali, Mindanao Island in southern Philippines.
