ABT.30 DESIGN AREAS IN OCEANIA KRIEGER 39 



art. The non-Mohammedan tribes of the Philippine Islands, added 

 to the non-Christian tribes, correspond to what might there be called 

 the early Indonesian elements. The hill tribes of Luzon, the so-called 

 Igorots, and of Mindanao are the most important. In East Borneo, 

 in Metwi Island, and in Timor also are found tribes possessing 

 decorative designs typical of what we might call early Malayan or 

 Indonesian art as distinguished from the more recent influences of 

 the historic religions — the Hindu Buddhist, and the Mohammedan. 

 The flat, painted bark cloth which preceded woven textiles in the 

 East Indies is a good example of old Malayan decorative art media. 

 This art was continued in Celebes, where the rectangular sitting 

 mats with their dark colored, angular figures are characteristic. 

 According to Doctor Hough designs on tapa from central Celebes, 

 though geometrical, are clearly traceable to a zoomorphic motiva- 

 tion, representing birds and animal figures. 



Among the Battaks of Sumatra, carvings in the round have a 

 vogue. This art here reaches a high development in smaller objects 

 as magician's wands, and realistic carvings of animals, notably the 

 lizard. 



Thus in the reciprocal relation of Indian culture traits and a 

 great insular population arose Malaysian or Indonesian art. Influ- 

 ences continued throughout many centuries, the origin of such major 

 achievements as the introduction of weaving, house architecture, and 

 the working of metals antedating the Christian era. 



Weaving ornamentation was at first limited to banded designs in 

 perhaps only two colors ; later, more colors were added and the space 

 between the bordered bands was filled in with decorative designs. 

 In woven scarfs of the Battaks of Sumatra, and the fabrics of Sum- 

 bawa, east of the island of Bali in the smaller Sunda Islands, in 

 Flores, in Timor and other islands do we see the introduction of 

 additional colors and of the blending into the subdued shades of 

 Indian textile decorative art. The foundation color of the tied tex- 

 tile is dark blue or red; patterned designs are in yellow or blue, 

 white or red, even green. 



Blending of colors is effected by the tie and dye method, whereby 

 the warp threads and the woof threads are separately tied and then 

 dyed. To achieve the desired color pattern, the process has to be 

 repeated many times, but a complicated loom is not required. Much 

 skill and patience such as only the Malay can put into his labor are 

 prime requirements. Decorated cloths thus ornamented are best 

 known from the island of Bali. Some of the rarest examples of tie 

 and die ornamented textiles and most intricate designs appear on the 

 so-called burial cloths, where a 5-pointed star occupies the central 

 field. This is surrounded by a galaxy of Hindu Buddhist gods and 



