Ina Sumba

Weaving The Cultures of Sumba

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Inspiration

Sumba’s traditional weaving (Tenun), local languages, and cultural stories are slowly disappearing. Many weavers struggle to sell their work and connect with the digital world. We wanted to create a solution that helps preserve culture, support local artisans, and make it easier for young people to learn and appreciate their heritage.

What it does

InaSumba is a digital platform that helps protect Sumba’s culture in four ways:

  1. Ina Talk – Translates local Sumba languages into Indonesian and English.
  2. Ina Na – A chatbot that teaches about Sumba’s traditions, history, and weaving culture.
  3. Ina Tenun – Classify weaving Sumba motifs through image detection.
  4. Ina Shop – An online store where people can buy original woven fabrics directly from Sumba artisans, each with a story behind it.

How we built it

We used AI to recognize Tenun Ikat motifs through a model based on MobileNetV2. We also created a simple chatbot and translation feature. Our team focused on making the platform fun, educational, and easy to use especially for younger generations who enjoy interactive apps, short videos, and gamified experiences.

Challenges we ran into

It was hard to find enough training data for Sumba’s motifs and languages, so we had to create and clean a lot of it ourselves. Making traditional culture feel exciting for Gen Z was a challenge—we had to find the right mix of storytelling, visuals, and interaction. Building trust with local communities took time, and we wanted to make sure everything we created truly represented their values and culture.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  1. We built an AI tool that recognizes traditional motifs and shares their meanings.
  2. We created an experience that makes culture fun and meaningful for young users.
  3. We connected with local weavers and cultural experts who believe in this project.
  4. We designed a long-term roadmap to scale this idea from Sumba to the world.

What we learned

  1. Culture and technology can work together if we listen to local voices and respect traditions.
  2. Gen Z is open to learning about heritage but it needs to be engaging, visual, and fun.
  3. Even small communities can have a global impact with the right digital tools.
  4. Trust and collaboration with locals* are key to creating meaningful innovation.

What's next for InaSumba

  1. In 1 year: Launch the app in Sumba with full features and support local artisans.
  2. In 3 years: Expand to other regions in Indonesia and grow our motif and language databases.
  3. In 10 years: Build a global platform for Southeast Asian heritage and launch a cross-border marketplace for traditional artisans. We aim to be recognized by global organizations like UNESCO.

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