Such ceremonial cloths or ‘tampan’ with three broad bands woven in alternate colours of blue and red, are unique to the Komring area of Lampung. The basic design of a ship carrying three ancestor or deity figures under a roof, flanked by two stylised birds, is being repeated on the tampan. Ship imagery in Lampung textiles symbolises a spiritual vessel that carries the community through transitions in life. Ceremonial cloths could be used as gifts, covers for ritual offerings or pillows for the deceased. It is normally woven using the supplementary weft technique, where additional horizontal threads create patterns over the top of the ground weave.
