This ceremonial cloth or ‘tampan’ mainly depicts an ancestor or deity rider on a creature with pointed teeth. More ancestor or deity figures are featured beneath the creature and geometric patterns and bird motifs fill the background. The design on the two halves of the tampan mirrors each other. It has been suggested that the image of ancestor or deity riders on mythical animals is a symbol of ancestor or deity transition when an individual moves to another social or spiritual state. This interpretation is not only consistent with the symbolism of ship imagery in Lampung textiles, but also explains the importance of such ceremonial cloths at rites of passage. 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.
