AT a glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary at the mid-September funeral ceremony in Malakari village, North Toraja Regency. During the ceremony, grieving family members spread a sheet of fabric on two bamboo sticks placed in front of tongkonan, the Toraja traditional home. The fabric is referred to as sarita.

To Torajans, the sarita is an important part of life. Although the fabric is made ‘only’ using the print technique, the s