Ikat: A dyeing technique that never dies

Image: The local woman in Maumere City, Sikka Regency selling various of traditional hand woven called tenun ikat Sikka by Bastian AS.

Fashion trends come and go every few hours in the fast-paced and rapidly developing Indonesian fashion industry. However, traditional fabrics and clothing never really seem to lose their charm, not to mention that they have their own loyal target from time to time. This time, we would like to take a closer look at a technique that became a native to our traditional fabric crafting: ikat.

In Indonesian, ikat means “to bind.” True to its meaning, the ikat technique is done by binding the yarns to resist the dye and create patterns in the dyeing process. This process can be repeated multiple times to create more colorful shapes, too.

One of the notable features of this method is the blurriness of the pattern in its end product, which is due to the extreme difficulty in lining up the dyed yarns. The blurriness of an ikat cloth depends on the yarns, whether they’re on the finer side or not, as well as the skills of the weaver.

Even though the method is now globally known as the Indonesian loanword “ikat,” this method is not exclusively Indonesian. It is widespread in traditional fabric craftsmanship all over the world, from Asia and Africa to Latin America.

Some countries even recognised the use of this method in a more intricate level, namely double ikat. This fabric is made by weaving both the warp and weft yarns which are tied and dyed beforehand; a method that requires more attention to details and way more workhour.

In Indonesia, the only place we can find double ikat is Tenganan, Bali. Tenganan-made double ikat is one of the rarest traditional fabrics in the world, owing to the high level of craftsmanship required to make it.

Meanwhile, the most common ikat in Indonesia is the warp ikat, a method that is popular in East Nusa Tenggara. This method involves putting the yarns into a frame and tying them into bundles of yarn. The bundles are then covered in wax or other dye-resistant properties to create the desired patterns before dyeing - a similar dyeing technique used in batik. We can still find the trace of the Dong Son culture in the geometric patterns on warp ikat.

Many of the ikat fabrics we can find in contemporary fashion brands today were probably woven there. East Nusa Tenggara’s ikat fabrics are sure to be the most popular type to collaborate with. However, there are many issues related to Indonesian ikat that need widespread attention. These issues include, but not limited to, design copyright and government involvement in preserving the fabric as a part of the Indonesian heritage.

“Recently, especially since 2019, NGOs and the public have been urging the government to provide copyright protection for all warp ikat of East Nusa Tenggara,” Yetty van der Made-Haning, chairwoman of the Centre of Culture and Development-Netherlands (CCD-NL), explained. “11 types of ikat are already registered with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.”

However, copyrighting heritage fabrics such as warp ikat is not easy. The lack of legal awareness among the artisans and entrepreneurs is one of the present obstacles. “Some are not even aware of the existence of the Copyright Law of Indonesia,” Yetty added. Government intervention is highly recommended to raise awareness and to inform the steps required to access this legal protection. This issue is correlated to another issue, i.e. the use of this heritage fabric in contemporary fashion products.

We have seen popular and high-end fashion brands endorsing ikat in their products. They also bring up for discussion the preservation of Indonesian traditional fabrics. However, there haven’t been much discussions about the ikat artisans themselves.

The big question is whether the actual crafters are credited by designers in ways that are beyond monetary value. It could come in the form of acknowledgement to the crafters or support in efforts to overcome all sorts of issues surrounding heritage fabrics and indigenous women.

The CCD-NL is giving their utmost efforts to assist ikat artisan communities in East Nusa Tenggara, but then again, they cannot meddle in the transactional decisions made by the crafters. “We cannot tell them to whom they can or cannot sell their fabrics to. That is where they can earn income,” said Yetty.

Even until today, the CCD-NL is still trying to find ways to help these artisans get the acknowledgement that they so deserve, and they are committed to working closely with the community to figure it out.