What We Do 2 – Bebali Foundation

Culture Ecology Livelihoods Learning System (CELLS)

CELLS is the Bebali Foundation’s knowledge management system that since 2009 has supported indigenous peoples in the preservation of their traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and their continued use of textiles and crafts that embody and transmit this knowledge.

Backed by a 300-species herbarium, CELLS is structured to mimic the learning style of an oral tradition. It is a safe keeping place for archiving, accessing, and using information related to material culture; is an educational platform to explore, learn and contribute; offers operational support for field research, community business design, and sustainable development initiatives; and is a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tool for all the above.

Developed in partnership with Australian Volunteers for International Development and Threads of Life, CELLS has been adapted for use at Milingimbi Art and Culture by the Yolŋu people of Australia’s Arnhem Land.

Indigo Dye Knowledge

Bebali Foundation has applied participatory research methods to best practices for indigo cultivation and processing since 2002.

One of the two main colors in Indonesia’s traditional textiles, indigo blue has been made from Indigofera tinctoria leaves. Historic production for local needs could be fulfilled by harvesting from the wild, but changing landscapes and increased demand require cultivation, for which Bebali Foundation offers the necessary support.

Where employing valuable agricultural land will compromise food security, Bebali Foundation introduces indigo-bearing Strobilanthes cusia into agroforestry systems, helping to maintain the viability of forested landscapes.

In all cases, growing indigo species at scale requires scaling up of dye paste processing methods. Bebali Foundation offers training and infrastructure support for this and guides traditional dyers in modifying their practices to accommodate this form of indigo.

Warping a loom with resist blue dye and solid color stripes of blue

Community Enterprise Development

The core of Bebali Foundation’s work since 2002 has been the development and support of community weavers’ groups, facilitating skill development and market access that individual weavers struggle to achieve.

Smallholding agroforesters in Ngada, Flores, have been trained to cultivate Strobilanthes cusia leaf and to make indigo paste. Supported to develop a business these producers are now linked to traditional dyers across southeastern Indonesia, addressing indigo dye shortages.

Established by Bebali Foundation in 2007, Symplocos leaf collection groups across the Kembang Boleng forest in Ende, Flores, sell over a ton of dried leaf per year to traditional weavers across Indonesia and wholesale export markets.

In central Timor and given equipment and training by Bebali Foundation, household-scale producers of cold-pressed candlenut oil supply soap manufacturers in Bali.

We can see the solid sections of the textile where there is no motif along with the ikat sections containing the motif