Tais
Tais is the warp ikat cloth of the Timorese people — produced across both West Timor (Indonesia) and Timor-Leste (East Timor), making it a rare trans-national craft tradition in the database. Tais comes in two forms: mane tais (men's cloth — rectangular with bold patterns) and feto tais (women's tubular skirt — finer, with narrower patterns). The visual language is bold and graphic compared to the more figurative Sumba Hinggi — geometric diamond lattice, hook forms, and stylized animal motifs in a palette dominated by deep red (morinda), dark blue-black (indigo), and undyed cream. In Timor-Leste, Tais is a national identity symbol and the subject of significant government cultural investment — it appears on the national currency. In West Timor (NTT), the tradition is practiced across multiple ethnic groups (Atoni, Tetum, Belu) each with distinct variants.
Risk level: Endangered · Not inscribed for Indonesian Tais; Timor-Leste Tais on national ICH list
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