Textile

Wrapper for a baby’s Nelubulanin ceremony. Bali, Indonesia, 1936–1938. Handwoven cotton, extra weft embellishment, weft ikat. Courtesy of the Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, 70.0/8279. Donated by Margaret Mead.

This wrapper for an infant’s three-month ceremony uses a simplified weave based on the design of a powerful ritual cloth called cepuk. Hence, the pattern of the cloth is itself believed to mediate invisible forces by protecting the infant and safely transitioning the child from the divine to the human realm. Other accessories, such as jewelry, are also used during the ceremony to ornament, enhance and strengthen the child.