Roti is a small island lying between Timor and Savu. South of Roti lies the small island of Ndao, where weaving is still common.
A local language is spoken in many dialects.
In the 17th century Indian cloth were introduced to Roti aristocracy. In trading with the Dutch the major item of trade were spices which were exchanged for patola textiles and other goods. From the 18th century the people of Roti began to replace the patola with their own making, some of them exact replicas.
The weavings of Ndao and Rote have in common a moderate design scala influenced by the design of indian patola cloth, a limited dye range
The patterns and their distribution over the surface of the textile closely follow that of the indian patola cloth. The colors used are red, white, black and blue black.
In Roti people make warp ikat and (limited) supplementary warp
The center of production has now moved to the small island of Ndao. Imported yarns and synthetic dyes are used today.
