Ikat is a technique that combines dyeing and weaving. It uses a type of resist dyeing, where bundles of yarn are tied extremely tightly and then dyed in as many colors as needed to create the desired pattern. This differs from tie-dye and Batik, where the fabric is dyed after being woven on the loom.
Once the yarns have been dyed, the artisan stretches them onto the loom as warp threads, and as the weft threads are added, the pattern gradually appears. This process is incredibly complex and requires immense experience and knowledge of the technique, as the weaver must dye the threads at the correct points and place them on the loom in such a way that the pattern makes sense when woven. Reiterating the difficulty of this process, to replicate the same pattern over many meters of fabric, the artisan must dye the other threads at exactly the same points, then place the threads on the loom in the same place and weave in exactly the same way as before!
This technique is passed down from parents to children in small villages through many generations. Despite being a very complex technique, it is believed to have developed simultaneously in different parts of the world. It was brought to Europe by the Dutch from South Asia at the same time that the Spanish brought it from South America and the Silk Road explorers, as it has been found for millennia from Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, and Central America to India, Indonesia, and Japan. The double ikats with countless colors are the most prestigious and expensive.