History of motif and patterns of Dusun Lebus weaving.

According to the explanation by the ancestors of the Lebu, the legend or the history of
weaving patterns or traditional weaving of the Lebu is according to certain occasion that
happened or experienced by the creator of the weaving pattern.

Most of the creators of the traditional Lebus patterns are among the maiden/young woman
(gadis Sunti).
According to the Lebu tribe, gadis Sunti means young woman or wonoi-wonoi which is
prohibited from doing any outdoor activities, like socializing with the community. These
young ladies are only allowed to go out when their parents brought them to the farm to do
gardening. Besides that, their parents during that time were asking them only do housework
such as cleaning the house, cooking, and weaving. The way of the parent educating their
daughters is to put them away from danger, for dignity of a young woman before they get
married.

Cooking, includes making tapai(wine made from fermentation of rice or tapioca), and
preparing meals for the entire family.

Gadis Sunti also told to do weaving like cloth from cotton, and weaving mat, basket,
raya(small basket like thing to put paddy), Lilibu, Payawan, Saut, Sirong and other weavings
from rattan, tree bark, and palm tree leave to make house roof. This kind of skill is needed
by a Gadis Sunti in order for them to be prepared for their marriage. Those routine keep
repeated by all young women, until they get married. After married, this skill will help them
as their economic source for their family. Only during after this period, they are allowed to
socialized with the community.
According to the stories of the ancestors of Lebu, Gadis Sunti who do weaving, are always
feel alone and full of emptiness in their heart, because they were not allowed to socialized
with the community. Because of that, they always in fantasy and imagining their future, and
these fantasies and imagination create the motif and pattern in their weaving. The motif and
pattern were held down to their generations until today.

Motif: Enelitang
History: A maiden which her daily routine is to be at home inspires the motive of
Enelitang(wooden stove)

Motif: Kenumpit
History: a maiden feel bored and depressed from her weaving work, but determined tofinish
her weaving, creates an incompleted/unfinished pattern which named Kenumpit.

Motif: Tiegang Lepong

History: A warrior killed a giant lepong that ate his lover. A girl saw this situation and inspires
the motif of lepong bone. Lepong is the rib bone of a paddy field snake.

Motif: Inulan Andus

History: a maiden imagining an attack toward the enemy during full moon using andus(head
of spear)

Motif: Inandus-andus
History: represent a weapon that been used by warrior which called as andus(head of
spear)

Motif: Inambau Kinelepisau

History: During old times, there was a warrior named Ambau who nobody can match his
power and strength. There was a Gadis Sunti doing her batik, and used the name of the
warrior to represent strength and speed of Ambau like a swallow bird flying away to escape
from its enemy. This was told to be the hardest batik because having different patterns of
batik to be put in one.

Motif: Inogoman no lelain

History: A mother showing her love to her child and get inspired the motif of her child sitting
place (or maybe cradle). Inogoman no lelaing means a childs rest place.

Motif: Waloi No Kengkelawa

History: A young woman inspired by spiders web and Waloi No Kengkelawa means spiders
web.

Motif: Pinagarian

History: There was a married woman with high enthusiasm in weaving and making batik
since she was young and she planned to create a new batik pattern. Focusing too much on
her work, she forgot about her hungry baby waiting to be fed. Only after she done creating a
new batik, she found out that her baby died from hunger. Because of long-time-consuming
work until causing her baby to die, she called the motif as Pinagarian which means
abandoned child. Since then any woman with children is prohibited from making this batik
pattern.

Motif: Inaut Silad

History: A young woman went to the forest with her parent to collect kapei leaves to make a
roof for house. Kapei leaf is also known as Palm leaf. The young woman was attracted to
the beauty of blooming kapei leaves. The motif of Inaut Silad is inspired from newlybloomed Kapei/Palm leaves.

Motif: Iningkagan No Asu

History: There was a married couple having no son, only daughters. One day, the father
took one of her daughter together into the forest to hunt. When his dog barks toward a wild
boar, the dog chases the wild boar and both the father and daughter followed them. To find
the way of the dog, she needs to look at the foot step of the dog, Looking at the pattern on

the dogs foot step, inspired her to create Iningkagan No Asu which means dogs foot step
in Lebu language.

Motif: Biniutitin
History: A young woman staring to the night sky during full moon and saw a lot of stars. She
then inspired by that and created Biniutitin motif of stars in the night sky.

Motif: Inimposed

History: a young woman helping a woman giving birth, was in panic an dconfusion because
she doesnt know how to cut the belly button of the baby. She took a while staring at the
belly button and finally managed to cut it by following the babys mother order. The young
woman applies the technique of cutting the belly button to the weaving, and calls it
Inimposed. Pused means belly button in Lebu language.

Motif: Kinelepisau
History: A young woman after she done with her house work and weavings inside a special
room for Gadis Sunti located on the top of the house, with a window. From that window, she
saw kalapisau bird (swallow) flying, and inspires the motif.

Motif: Pinaku
History: this batik pattern is inspired by a young woman that followed her father into the
forest looking for vegetable. They found a land full of local vegetable called Paku Pakis. The
pattern is inspired by the shape of that plant.

Motif: Sinelingkawang
History: A young woman working with her parent in rice field found a plant named
Sinelangkawang in Lebu language. The weaving is inspired by the leaf of Sinelingkawang.

Motif: Inolan
History: Inspired by a young woman that saw a full moon. Inolan came from the word olan,
means moon and Inolan means the shadow of the moon.

Motif: Siningkeulon
History: Inspired by a lonely young woman who never socialized,, went outside of house to
meet the community, and she also wanting a lover. The young woman imagining the lover of

her dreams, and applies it into a shape of humans holding hands. This batik has a form of
human, with head and hand. Siningkeulon have related meaning to human and in Lebu
language, ulon means human.