Ti'i langga is the wide-brimmed hat found in

Rote Island Rote Island ( id, Pulau Rote, also spelled ''Roti'') is an island of Indonesia, part of the East Nusa Tenggara province of the Lesser Sunda Islands. According to legend, this island got its name accidentally when a lost Portuguese sailor arrived ...

, eastern

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. Rote Island is the southernmost of the inhabited islands of Indonesia, in the island province of

East Nusa Tenggara East Nusa Tenggara ( id, Nusa Tenggara Timur – NTT; pt, Sonda Oriental) is the southernmost province of Indonesia. It comprises the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, facing the Indian Ocean in the south and the Flores Sea in the nor ...

, not far away from

Timor Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is East Timor–Indonesia border, divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western p ...

. The characteristic feature of the hat is the 40 to 60 centimeter high unicorn-like horn or plume sticking up near the front. Together with the

sasando The sasando, also called ''sasandu'' from Sandu or Sanu, is a tube zither, a harp-like traditional music string instrument native to Rote Island of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The name ''sasando'' is derived from the Rote dialect word ”sasa ...

, the ti'i langga is the cultural identity of the culture of Rote island.

Form and construction

COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een groep mannen van Roti met hun bijzondere hoofddeksels TMnr 10005950

Today, the ti'i langga takes shape of a wide-brimmed hat, with the sides turned-up. A horn-like "plume" sticks up near the front. They maybe plain in color or painted. The ti'i langga is created by weaving young leaves of the lontar palm (

Borassus flabellifer ''Borassus flabellifer'', commonly known as doub palm, palmyra palm, tala or tal palm, toddy palm, wine palm or ice apple, is native to South Asia (especially in Bangladesh & South India) and Southeast Asia. It is reportedly naturalized in Socot ...

). The horn-like "plume" of the ti'i langga is believed to have been inspired by the plumes of the headgear of the Portuguese men. The Portuguese is the first European to attempt to control the spice trade in the

Indonesian archipelago The islands of Indonesia, also known as the Indonesian Archipelago ( id, Kepulauan Indonesia) or Nusantara, may refer either to the islands comprising the country of Indonesia or to the geographical groups which include its islands. History ...

through colonization in the early 16th-century.

Dili Dili (Portuguese/Tetum: ''Díli'') is the capital, largest city of East Timor and the second largest city in Timor islands after Kupang (Indonesia). It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in ...

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...

, being abundant in spices, were established as one of the permanent bases of the Portuguese power. The Island of Rote, although not a spice trade destination, fell within the influence of the Portuguese. Portuguese legacy in the southeastern islands of Indonesia remains strong even today. The brim of the ti'i langga consists of a double layer of braided palm-strips, giving it extra stiffness. It is braided in such a manner as to give the impression of pieces cut out of the sides. This is seen as a proof on how the native Rotenese imitates the European headgear. Whereas in the European headgear the shape was caused by the requirement of the material, in the Rotenese headgear, the shape is copied with no reason. This shows the power of observation of the Rotenese people as well as the skill in copying with limited means. Why this imitation took place in Rote and not elsewhere on other islands visited by the Portuguese or Spaniards remained unexplained. The shape of the ti'i langga – especially the plume – is found to have evolved from early times. Early 20th-century photographs of the ti'i langga do not always show them with the horn-like plume. Many ti'i langga shows a variety of bizarre-shaped plumes. This can only be explained as the attempt to create the various plume shapes of the European headgear (e.g. on a bonnet or a helmet) using available material (lontar palm leaves). Photograph records also show the ti'i langga designed as plain, with no plumes.

Custom

Today, the ti'i langga is worn by men, although in the past young women sometimes wear them. They may be worn for everyday wear or on ceremonial occasions.

References

Cited works

* * {{refend Hats Headgear Lesser Sunda Islands East Nusa Tenggara Indonesian clothing

Form and construction

Custom

See also

References

Cited works