Indonesian Teak Doors
One element of Indonesian architecture that can easily be integrated into design projects with fantastic results are antique teak doors. These can either be used functionally or as a partial wall or screen adding visual separation to a room or patio space. They can also be used as a headboard for a bed by mounting them against a wall.
Antique Javanese Teak Doors (25"W x 75.5"H x 1"Th)
These antique and vintage teak doors come from traditional Central and East Javanese houses. There is no “standard size”–either height or width–this depended on the height of the owner of the house!
If these doors are to be used in new construction, it is relatively easy to create jambs and surrounds that match the doors. However, if you are trying to replace an existing door, some modifications may be needed. Gado Gado has a large selection of antique teak doors, and a supply of reclaimed teak to create jambs, casing, and for doors smaller than US standard sizes, material to augment the height or width to match your application.
Old Painted Doors, Solid Teak (27"W x 68.5"H x 1.25"Th)
Many doors still have remnants of the original paint in the wood grain, giving the doors a bit of soft color against the rich, natural brown patina of the teak wood.
Antique Teak Doors w/ Newly Carved Raised Relief Panels (35"W x 83"H x 1.25"Th)
Other doors still have the majority of the original paint, often in vibrant greens, blues, reds and yellows. This particular set would make a striking statement as exterior patio doors.
Old Teak Doors, Original Paint (24"W x 84"H x 1.5"Th)
Petrified Wood: Functional Objects
Here are some examples of how petrified wood can be used:
Petrified Wood Sink (21" x 16" x 8")
Bookends (6.25" x 2.75" x 9" each)
Three-Part Petrified Wood Bench (53" x 18" x 18")
See more petrified wood and other products from Gado Gado International.
Petrified Wood: Formation and Characteristics
Polished cross section of petrified log (16″D x 4″H)
The formation of petrified wood begins when a live tree is quickly buried in an oxygen-free environment. This can occur when a landslide buries some trees, and in some cases when volcanic ash from a fast-moving pyroclastic flow buries a forest. Over time, hot mineral-rich water passing through the sediment or volcanic ash replaces the tree’s carbon with silica, often in the form of quartz. Silicon is chemically similar enough to carbon that it will take its place in the organic compounds without altering the overall cellular structure of the wood. The result is that the wood slowly becomes a rock that looks very much like the original log, right down to the microscopic level in many cases.
Additionally, certain elements such as iron, copper, cobalt and manganese that are leached out of the surrounding soil can seep into the wood during the petrification process and add striking colors from blue-green to red-brown.
Petrified log with red-orange highlights (20″D x 25″H, 485lbs)
Due to volcanic activity Indonesian petrified wood is formed much more quickly than it is in other areas of the globe. Hot springs act to dissolve silica present in volcanic ash and then “cook” the buried logs, accelerating the process many fold.
Petrified wood collection in Java, Indonesia.
to be continued…
Timorese Ancestry: Anadeos
Timorese Religion and Beliefs Cont.
For the Tetum people of Timor, the interior of the earth is said to be like a female womb, an underworld source of life where ancestors emerge. At the core of their world view they believe that all humans pass through a corresponding life cycle.
Female Anadeo Figure
For many centuries, the people of both Sumba and Timor have carved stone and wood guardian figures known as anadeos. These anadeo statues are usually carved from sandy limestone, and in some rare cases, vesicular lava. The statues resemble people, and are typically seated in a kneeling position with the arms clasped over or across the knees.
Female and Male Timorese Anadeos
These figures are placed in front of homes or a village square facing outward with the intention of frightening away evil spirits. Many of the statues have rounded bases, requiring that the statues are partly buried in the ground. Gado Gado’s collection of anadeos range in age from the early to late 20th century.
Anadeos on Hillside
We also have a variety of East and West Timorese artifacts in our warehouse.
Timorese Society and Dwellings
One of the most beautiful and culturally rich islands of Indonesia is Timor. There are multiple languages and dialects spoken by the indigenous people of the island, with two large groups based on a common language: the Atoni in the west, and the Tetum in the east and center of the island.
The collective ideas, customs, and institutions normally associated with these two groups are quite similar, and differences are more the result of local specificities rather than racial divides. There are a few moderately large urban areas in Timor, but the majority of the population lives in villages and hamlets, and the social structure of these groups are based mainly on male lineages.
A typical Timorese structure
Timorese Artistry
Timorese culture is diverse in its art, and there is a variety of different artists. Women are typically called upon to weave, incorporating the design of a god’s image into their work. The Bunaq people of Timor have bards renowned for their resourceful writing and storytelling.
Carvings are common in wood, although some artists use buffalo horn. These carvings are most often found on the doors of residences, but can also been seen on posts, ridge crests, and statues. In addition, some groups are skilled in smithing and silver working.
Women use traditional looms to craft shawls and fabrics.
Timorese Religion and Beliefs
Timorese religion comprises a set of ritual transactions by which human individuals and social groups maintain relationships with their ancestral ghosts. For the people of Timor, the harmony between the two may be disrupted by infractions of ritual conventions. This upsetting of the cosmic order has repercussions in the human spectrum, such as illness.
Although it is unclear for the Timorese when exactly the human soul enters a body, it certainly leaves upon death, encouraged by a rite of passage. This soul leaves the secular Upperworld and joins the other ghosts and fertility spirits in the sacred Underworld. Within a few decades the dead soul becomes an ancestral ghost.
The ancestral ghosts in the Timorese religion have a hold over the behavior of human life, and in turn exploit the resources of their living kin. These ghosts crave regular offerings of betelnut, palm wine, and food from living descendants.
A typical offering of Betelnut, a natural stimulant, in basket, with a Betelnut case on edge.
However, these ghosts also have the power to make men and women fertile, enabling their kin to reproduce. Since the ancestral ghosts require sustenance and humans require offspring, there is a relationship of reciprocity between the sacred and secular worlds.
