Ayu the Weaver

The road to Ayu house was long and winding. We turned left in Sideman, onto a single lane paved road. After a few miles we took the left fork up a dirt road, soon that road forked and we took the left lane (more like a motor bike path) up to the mid point of the mountain. Here was the farm of Ayu and her husband. She is a traditional weaver. She uses the old techniques. Her loom is an old antique backstrap loom. She weaves about 4 hours a day in between her chores with her family and the farm. It takes her about 4 months to finish a two meter length of ceremonial cloth made from silk threads. There are 1200 threads in a 24 inch wide warp. I purchased one of her pieces. In the olden times only the royality could possess these textiles. Now only "the rich" can afford to purchase ceremonial sarongs, sashes and other pieces of clothing. Enjoy the photos.