 The men wear a loose shirt and
wide trousers, a head cloth (Saluak
Batimba), a chest cloth (Kaciak),
and a traditional knife (Karih)
placed in front of their body.
 The women wear a traditional
costume called the Bundo
Kanduang that consists of a head
cover (Tengkuluk), a special dress
(Baju Kurung), a chignon (Kodek-a
roll of hair worn at the nape of the
neck), a shawl (Salempang), and
some jewelry.
The traditional Sumatran clothes
are made of songket. The
materials used to make songket
are silk or cotton and gold or silver
threads. The fabric to the right is a
type of songket that represents
bamboo sprouts.
Songket is sewn by hand. The main
materials are silk or cotton.
Gold or silver threads are woven in
between the silk or cotton.
The word “songket” originates from the
Indonesian word “sungkit” meaning
“to hook”.
Making songket requires you to hook a
group of threads and slip gold
strands in it.
The gold or silver strands allow you to
make intricate patterns in the fabric.
In West Sumatra, Indonesia there is a tribe
called the Minangkabau. The traditional
clothes shown previously originated from
the Minangkabau tribe. The leader of
the tribe usually wears the Bundo
Kanduang to indicate importance and
significance.
The traditional clothes of West Sumatra
are worn on special occasions.