Kame Tane: Supporting Women Weavers in Adonara and Lembata with Ergonomic Weaving Tools

Like in many parts of Indonesia, weaving is central to the culture, heritage and beliefs of the local communities in Adonara and Lembata in East Nusa Tenggara province. Traditionally, women are taught to weave from a very young age using a simple tool with a backstrap loom. The tool requires the weavers to be seated in a position, with their legs stretched out in front of them on the ground. This method, however, has resulted in prolonged discomfort and pain throughout the entire body leading to musculoskeletal problems especially in the lower back, hip, and leg areas. Musculoskeletal pain becomes more severe as the women get older. This causes complications among women in performing daily duties. In the long term, the pain could lead to a poor quality of life for weavers.

Without altering the traditional weaving technique, Kopernik has developed an ergonomic weaving prototype. We removed the tension control on the backstrap loom and replaced it with a swing arm and lever mechanism. The tool was elevated from the ground to accommodate a better sitting position. In this phase, Kopernik is replicating the ergonomic weaving tool for women weavers to eliminate the risk of health hazards.

The objective of this project is to support more women weavers in sustaining their livelihood as well as their cultural heritage while avoiding pain and discomfort.

We expect women weavers in the area to have an increased awareness regarding the importance of protecting their physical health by using the ergonomic weaving tool.