A Newly Identified 14th-Century Double Ikat and the Circulation of Textiles, Spices, and Ritual Practice

Arielle Winnik* and Lauren Van Dessel

Among the textile techniques circulating in the pre-modern eastern Indian Ocean world between the Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, double ikat – where both warp and weft threads are resist-dyed to create intricate patterns – is perhaps the most complex. Traditionally, this textile form is believed to have been produced in only three locations globally: Gujarat in Western India, the Okinawa islands of Japan, and the village of Tenganan Pegringsingan in Bali, Indonesia. However, the precise historical and cultural relationships among these production centres remain poorly understood. This paper presents a detailed material and art historical analysis of a remarkable 14th - century double ikat textile in the Yale University Art Gallery, the earliest known surviving example of this technique. Discovered in Lampung, South Sumatra, the textile exhibits a remarkable blend of features: it shares cotton material, overall composition, and colour schemes with the geringsing double ikat textiles of Bali, while aspects such as thread counts, weaving details, and Indic iconography point to Indian origins. Textiles such as double ikat were valued for aesthetic, ritual, and social purposes and were central to maritime exchange, frequently traded for spices such as cloves, nutmeg, and mace. The circulation of these commodities suggests that reciprocal textile-spice trade may have facilitated the spread of weaving techniques, linking craft knowledge with economic and social networks. This paper introduces this textile as a case study to explore the complex networks of material exchange, craft knowledge transmission, and social interaction that connected communities across the Indian Ocean. By examining the textile and associated organic materials like plant-based dyes, the paper highlights how production techniques and materials travelled alongside social practices, and rituals.