Traditional barkcloth,
kain kulit kayu is still made extensively in the Bada Valley, where it is called
ranta. It is occasionally made in
Kulawi, where it is called
mbesa, and in
Napu, where it is know as
inodo. Previously, it was used throughout these valleys for blankets, as room dividers, both men's and women's clothing, and even fashioned into saddles for horses.
Several tree species can be used to make barkcloth, the most common of which, is the banyan tree (Ficus spp., locally know as
nunu).
This produces a cloth that is brown or reddish in color. The tree in not killed in the process, as only branches are used. The inner bark is boiled to soften it and then wrapped in banana leaves to ferment for two to four days, It is then pounded with deeply ridged wooden mallets, followed by a series of progressively finer-grooved stone mallets, to produce a thin, smooth piece of material. This process takes
another three days, and several pieces of bark can be joined to make a larger cloth. Finally, it may be treated with the sap from another tree to preserve it, and then dried. The whole process takes no more than 10 or 11 days. The cloth is strong, tears can be repaired and a skirt would be expected to last up to rained, people would take their clothes off, roll them up, put them under their arms and walk around naked!
In the Bada Valley, the white bark cloth (from the paper mulberry,
Broussonetia papyrifera) is painted with brightly-coloured, natural dyes in traditional motifs and geometric disigns.
Traditional barkcloth, kain kulit kayu is still made extensively in the Bada Valley, where it is called ranta. It is occasionally made in Kulawi, where it is called mbesa, and in Napu, where it is know as inodo. Previously, it was used throughout these valleys for blankets, as room dividers, both men's and women's clothing, and even fashioned into saddles for horses.
Several tree species can be used to make barkcloth, the most common of which, is the banyan tree (Ficus spp., locally know as nunu). 
This produces a cloth that is brown or reddish in color. The tree in not killed in the process, as only branches are used. The inner bark is boiled to soften it and then wrapped in banana leaves to ferment for two to four days, It is then pounded with deeply ridged wooden mallets, followed by a series of progressively finer-grooved stone mallets, to produce a thin, smooth piece of material. This process takes 
another three days, and several pieces of bark can be joined to make a larger cloth. Finally, it may be treated with the sap from another tree to preserve it, and then dried. The whole process takes no more than 10 or 11 days. The cloth is strong, tears can be repaired and a skirt would be expected to last up to rained, people would take their clothes off, roll them up, put them under their arms and walk around naked!
In the Bada Valley, the white bark cloth (from the paper mulberry, Broussonetia papyrifera) is painted with brightly-coloured, natural dyes in traditional motifs and geometric disigns.
