This paper is the first part of a two-part typological studyof the classification of Indonesian handlooms. This study aimsto examine the basis and development of weaving culture inIndonesia, analyzing the various types of looms used by differentIndonesian ethnic groups. In the second part, as the basic datafor further comparison and analysis, the study presents (1) abasic classification of Indonesian handlooms, and (2) their fundamentalstructure and examples of each classified type with theirdistribution among the different ethnic groups. According tothese data, examination will be focused added on their structure,function, and distribution. In this study, Indonesian handloomsare classified into eighteen types : two types with no heddle, sixtypes with single loops-heddle, six types with double jointedloops-heddles, two types with single plate-heddle with holes andslots, and two types with a single set of tablets-heddle withholes. This classification is based on my previous paper, "Principlesfor a Basic Classification of Handlooms" [YOSHIMOTO 1987:315-447], which showed the four primary loom elements in thebasic structure of the shedding device, the arrangement of theshedding device, the warp-supporting system, and the warpingsystem. In addition, the structure and arrangement of thewarp supporting tools, the use of a reed and of a flying shuttleare related for further classification. The names of the eighteentypes of classification are given below, where (a) is the basicclassification code used in [YOSHIMOTO 1987], (b) is the figurenumber of the basic classification, and (c) is the figure numberof geographical distribution of the ethnic groups that use eachtype.Looms with No HeddleJavanese type(a=A0oba-1 type, b=Fig. 1 c=Fig. 43)Minangkabau type(a=A0obd-2 type, b=Fig. 3, c=Fig. 44)Looms with Single Loops-HeddleSobei type I(a=Blcca-1 type, b=Fig. 6, c=Fig. 45)Sobei type II(a=Blcca-2 type, b=Fig. 9, c=Fig. 46)Atoni type(a=Blcca-3 type, b =Fig. 11, c=Fig. 47)Gorontalo type(a=Blccb type, b=Fig. 14, c=Fig. 48)Balinese type I(a=Blccd-1 type, b=Fig. 17, c=Fig. 49)Balinese type II(a=Blccd-2 type, b=Fig. 19, c=Fig. 50)Looms with Double Jointed-Loops-HeddlesMinangkabau type I(a =D12fbd-1 type, b=Fig. 23, c=Fig. 51)Minangkabau type II(a=D12fbd-2 type, b=Fig. 25, c=Fig. 52)Minangkabau type III(a=D12fbd-3 type, b=Fig. 28, c=Fig. 53)Javanese type I(a=D12fbd-4 type, b=Fig. 30, c=Fig. 54)Javanese type II(a=Dl2fbd-5 type, b=Fig. 32, c=Fig. 55)Javanese type III(a=D12fbd-6 type, b=Fig . 35, c=Fig. 56)Looms with Single Plate-Heddle with Holes and SlotsAchehnese type(a=Elecd type, b=Fig. 37, c=Fig. 57)Minangkabau type(a=Elfbd type, b=Fig. 39, c=Fig. 58)Looms with Tablets-Heddle with HolesSundanese type(a=Glfbd type, b=Fig. 41, c=Fig. 59)Toraja type(a=Glfcc type, b=Fig. 42, c=Fig. 60)These types of handlooms can be divided into two groupsaccording to the width of cloth woven on the loom. The firstgroup consists of looms for general use, on which cloth of variedwidth, normally ranging from about 30 cm to 60 cm, the mostpopular size of ,cloth in Indonesia, is woven. Sometimes wideror narrower clothes are also woven on this group of looms. Tothis group belong all types of looms with single loops-heddle,and the three Minangkabau types of loom with double jointedloops-heddles. The second group consists of looms speciallydesigned for narrow cloth up to about 20 cm. The Javanesetype and the Minangkabau type of loom with no heddle, the threeJavanese types of loom with double jointed-loops-heddles, thetwo types of loom with single plate-heddle with holes and slots,and the two types of loom with a single set of tablets-heddle withholes belong to the second group.As to their distribution, looms of the first group are the mostpopular handlooms in Indonesia and have been used amongalmost all ethnic groups who know weaving techniques. Loomsfor narrow cloth are found only among a limited number of ethnicgroups of the first group and function in subsidiary and regionaluse for weaving specified narrow cloths.Among looms of the first group, loom with single loopsheddleare the most popular: the Atoni type and the Bali type IIare the most typical and widely used handlooms in Indonesia.Furthermore, a relative difference is observed among certaintypes of the generally used type of looms and among the narrowclothtype looms. This coincides with the fact that the historicaland structural transformation of handlooms overlap with thedevelopment of their productivity. Three types of structuraland functional transformation can be shown (Fig. I) amongboth the generally used type of looms and the narrow-cloth typelooms. Studying the transformation from the distributionalpoint of view, the following structural transformation may beshown (Fig. II), among the handlooms used by different ethnicgroups in Indonesia.