That July morning the temperature in Mollo was cold even though the sun was so bright. That's because Mollo is situated at the foot of Mt. Nausus in South Central Timor (TTS). Its' altitude is 1,200 meters above sea level. Nonetheless, the cold air does not deter Mama Maria (50) to tell me about the issues with ikat woven fabrics production today.

"It’s hard to produce woven cloth these days, ma'am. There is hardly any cotton tree. Dye plants are also scarce, ‘said Mama Maria who has been weaving since she was 12 years old while endlessly twisting and rolling up cotton fibers into yarn.

Nowadays, Mama Maria and her friends are forced to use synthetic yarn and dyes purchased from the market. Of course the prices are high. "Actually I do not really like them because the synthetic colors are not durable and fade quickly," said Mama Maria who needs two months to produce a single piece of woven fabric. This mother from Amanatun also has some concerns about the weaver's group organization in her area. Ibu dari Amanatun ini juga memiliki beberapa kekhawatiran tentang organisasi kelompok penenun di daerahnya.