Lewokluok Ikat Hand Weaving

http://floresexplore.com/wp-content/.../11/ikats1.jpg

If you get infected with ‘ikat-passion’ during your Flores trip, Lewokluok is a place that will fill a collector’s heart with awe. Tiny Lamaholot Village is famed for its ikat, or kwatek kinge in the local language. What makes their ikat unique and therefore a sought-after handicraft, are the small, sewn-in seashells, which are collected by the villagers on a shore nearby the village.

Kwatek kinge is not an ordinary cloth that is worn every day. Used as part of marriage transactions, it has a ceremonial function, and is of special meaning and value to the Lewokluok people. Kwatek kinge is made out of natural, local ingredients – including the cotton and the dye. Even though there is a local association of weavers called Sanggar Uto Wata, there are not many women left who possess the extensive skill and knowledge that it takes to manufacture kwatek kinge. All these facts considered, the price tag for such an object of desire is accordingly high.

Facilities
The closest city to Lewokluok is Larantuka, where you can find some accommodation and restaurants.

How to get there
There is no public transportation that passes through Lewokluok. By car or motorbike it takes about 26km from Larantuka and 114km from Maumere. The road off the Transflores ‘highway’ that leads you to Lewokluok takes another 2km.

Source: http://floresexplore.com/