Large Minangkabau Gilt & Carved Wooden Waist Buckle & Sash

This unusually large man’s gilded, carved wooden waist buckle (pinding) and sash (ikek pinggang), is from the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra. Indeed, it is the largest such buckle we have seen. Such buckles and sashes were used for important ceremonial occasions, especially weddings.

The buckle is of elongated elliptic shape with flaring ends, and of slightly convex form. It has three tiers, around a central, raised roundel, and each tier is carved with scrolling leaf and flower motifs.

The wood used is light and soft. The front has been covered with gold leaf and the reverse with reddish resin. The reverse has a small leather loop through which the waist sash is threaded.

The waist sash is of red silk and gold-wrapped thread known as kain tangkuluak.

The use of carved wood that was then covered in gold leaf is typically Minangkabau. Much Minangkabau jewellery from the 19th century was designed to impress from afar. Brides looked splendid in massive gold wedding crowns and armlets but much of it was of gold leafed wood.

Islamic and matrilineal, the Minangkabau were a relatively poor ethnic group and sent out thousands of economic migrants in search of better opportunities until the mid-19th century when their cooperation with Dutch colonialists gave them hitherto unrecognised trade and commercial opportunities.

The buckle has very clear age. It has been broken and re-glued (almost certainly an old repair) and one end is chipped. The sash is frayed. This is consistent with how such items were used – often repeatedly as each family wedding came along, and sometimes such items were hired out to other families who could not afford their own for ceremonial occasions. The compensating factor is that the buckle is unusually large, and as mentioned, is the largest we have seen.