Since 2006, Bebali Foundation has documented traditional red dye practices, replicating and testing these in the Threads of Life dye studio, and bringing results back to weavers in the field, improving the value of their products.
Indonesia’s traditional red dye is made from the root bark of the Morinda citrifolia tree, which is combined with aluminium-bearing Symplocos cochinchinensis leaf and applied to yarn prepared through a complex multi-month process of applying and drying a saponified vegetable oil. Across Indonesia, many aspects of this practice have been forgotten or abandoned, reducing intensity and reliability of color.
Where Morinda trees take a decade to become harvestable and wild populations around weaving communities are over-exploited, Bebali Foundation researches and teaches best practices for cultivation while sharing sustainable harvest methods.
Morinda Red Dye Knowledge
Since 2006, Bebali Foundation has documented traditional red dye practices, replicating and testing these in the Threads of Life dye studio, and bringing results back to weavers in the field, improving the value of their products.
Indonesia’s traditional red dye is made from the root bark of the Morinda citrifolia tree, which is combined with aluminium-bearing Symplocos cochinchinensis leaf and applied to yarn prepared through a complex multi-month process of applying and drying a saponified vegetable oil. Across Indonesia, many aspects of this practice have been forgotten or abandoned, reducing intensity and reliability of color.
Where Morinda trees take a decade to become harvestable and wild populations around weaving communities are over-exploited, Bebali Foundation researches and teaches best practices for cultivation while sharing sustainable harvest methods.