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for dyeing cloth, for imparting a black colour to rotan fibres, and 

 in colouring the rotan waistbands worn by women. Very frequently 

 the material is washed in this way after it has already been treated 

 with other dyes; when the application of Tarum follows that of 

 Engkudu a kind of purplish black is produced; if it follows that of 

 Engkrebai a brownish black results. 



Jangit is the name given to several species of Xanthophyllum ; 

 they distinguish three species which in order of merit are Jangit 

 Api, Jangit Engseruai and Jangit Bruang. The bark of these Jangit 

 trees is sometimes used alone to produce a yellow dye but more 

 usually is mixed with Engkudu bark to make their most valued 

 red dye. 



The yellow dye is prepared by allowing the dried bark, broken 

 into small pieces, to digest for a long time with boiling water. By 

 soaking cloth fibre in this liquid an inferior yellow is produced. 



The liquid used for producing a brick-red, very characteristic of 

 Dyak cloth, is prepared by boiling with water a mixture of Jangit 

 bark and young roots of the Engkudu (Morinda tinctoria). Before 

 dyeing their fibres in this liquid the material is subjected to a pre- 

 liminary treatment as follows, in order to make the colour take: — 

 In a large tub containing hot water the following substances are 

 intimately mixed — Garam Apong (salt of the Nipah palm), Minyak 

 Kapayang (oil of Pangium edu/e), Intamu (rhizome of Curcuma 

 sp.) in small quantity, some Kunyit (rhizome of Curcuma /onga), 

 some Liah, (ginger — Zingiber officinalis) and some Chikur (Koemp- 

 feria rotunda) rhizome. 



Into this Liquid concoction they put the material to be dyed and often 

 there is in this tub sufficient thread for the making of a score of kirtles. 

 For 7 or 8 days the thread is submitted to the action of this liquid, 

 but every afternoon it is taken out of the liquid and allowed to dry 

 in the sun, to be afterwards replaced in the liquid. When the woman 

 in charge considers that this stage of the process is completed, the 

 material is taken out, carefully washed in water and then dried in 

 the open air. And now being ready for the dyeing proper it is 

 soaked in the extract of Engkudu and Jangit until the desired colour 

 is assumed ; here as before to produce deep colours, they expose it to 

 the action of the liquid a number of times, drying in the intervals. 

 Cloth dyed red in this way is much more highly valued than cloths 

 dyed by other simpl- r processes, the colour being a brighter red and 

 more permanent. 



The formula above given for the first wash liquor varies a little, 

 sometimes including other ingredients Gurah {Sapium Indicum) 

 leaves for instance. After treatment in this liquid the fiber has a 

 dirty yellow colour, and in making up the design, part of the material 

 is left thus coloured, the rest being subjected to the action of the 

 red dye. The preliminary treatment appears to be an essential part 

 of the process but why a liquid of that composition should act as a 

 kind of mordant is not obvious. 



