Tracing batik in Bali and Kalimantan

Read in Indonesian

In order to learn more about the history and the motifs of Indonesian batik, TFR reached out to Sobat Budaya, one of the contributors of iWareBatik, a web-based application that is dedicated to record the history of Indonesian batik.

The way to preserve batik tradition is never an easy one. We shouldn’t stop only at the production stage, but take it further to secure data of the motifs. Regeneration in batik production is no longer the only challenge in batik preservation. According to Sobat Budaya, the challenge also lies in the awareness of the motifs’ identity, history and meaning.

In the article How to keep heritage alive through design, we discussed what makes something a cultural heritage. Nikkie Wester, a future heritage specialist and textile designer, described it as “a collective name for monuments and collections with great cultural-historical significance, both the tangible and the intangible elements combined, forming the identity of a city, a country, or a group of people.”

It is indeed a challenge to preserve a cultural heritage without the help of the community who identify with the said heritage. In short, it is impossible to preserve batik if the concerned communities are unaware of batik as part of their identity.

As an effort to educate more and more of these groups of people, Sobat Budaya contributed in the making of the iWareBatik application to raise awareness among and educate the broader public about the history of batik. There are many types of batik in Indonesia that haven’t yet been exposed to many. In this part of the series, we would talk about the batik of Bali and Kalimantan.

Bali

The batik industry in Bali started in 1970, initiated by Pande Ketut Krisna. Aside from the wax-resist dyeing technique, the handloom textile tradition is also profound in Bali. These textiles are crucial in the Balinese society as it plays many roles in all sorts of daily events. Some batik motifs also show the wearers’ social standing and caste.

The motifs in Balinese batik are mostly about the fauna of the island, both real and mythical, although they are also often inspired by local flora, such as frangipani and hibiscus. Some of the motifs also depict the daily activities of the Balinese society, such as dancing, religious rituals and rice planting.

The defining features of high-quality batik is the intricate patterns and the finely woven basic materials, such as silk or cotton. Some types of batik are produced through meditation, one of the preserved ancient traditions among artisans in the royal courts of Bali, Central Java and Madura.

In recent times, the motifs of Balinese batik incorporate not only Balinese-style patterns, but also designs from other areas. There is no specific rule in the way these artisans express their artistic visions. Some of the notable motifs from Bali are merak abyorhokokai, barong bali, buketan bali and pisang bali.

Central Kalimantan

Central Kalimantan batik was initiated by the wife of Suparmanto, the Central Kalimantan governor for the period 1989-1993. The batik was created by combining two traditions, namely the Javanese batik technique and the ngaju motifs of the Dayak tribe. This batik is called benang bintik or spotted thread batik. This fabric is worn especially during Dayak cultural festivals.

The characteristic of this batik is the batang garing (tree of life) motif that symbolises the balance between dunia atas (the sky, the spiritual world) and dunia bawah (the earth, the materialistic world). Some other notable motifs are anggrek tewu, enggang dayak, gumin tambun and kaharingan.

East Kalimantan

East Kalimantan is one of the areas where the textile-weaving method makes up a huge part of the textile tradition. However, starting in Bontang regency, batik also became a part of it. Batik in this area usually use various shades of orange, green, pink and red, while the motifs usually illustrate their philosophy of nature and their environment.

For example, the batang garing motif is an illustration of a tree trunk, shaped like a cone or a spearhead. According to the Dayak tribe, the motif represents the god, Ranying Mahatala Angin, the creator of all living creatures. Other popular motifs are rutun penyu, tengkawang ampiek, kuntul perak and hiu taliyasan.

North Kalimantan

Tarakan batik, the name of North Kalimantan batik, was developed recently by local craftsmen. This batik is produced using environmentally-friendly materials and dyes. In North Kalimantan, batik is commonly worn for formal functions or presented as goodwill and congratulatory gifts among family and friends.

The motifs are mostly adapted from Dayak ornaments and cultural customs, thus they are mostly about life lessons, their philosophy and local wisdom. Some also illustrate local flora and fauna. Some of the most notable ones are bunga raye, bultiya, dayak taghol and bekantan pakis.

South Kalimantan

Sasirangan batik is the identity of the Banjar people in South Kalimantan. Before it became sasirangan, the fabric was called calapan, which was developed from the 12th to the 14th century.

The fabric was closely related to the tale of Patih Lambung Mangkurat who heard a female voice instructing him to help her to the surface, build her a royal boat, as well as a palace with the help of 40 unmarried men, and weave her a cloth bearing the padi waringin (ears of mature rice) motif with the calap (dip-dye) method. The cloth was then made with the multiple-dip-dyeing (calapan) technique and woven in repeated single motifs in rows (sasirangan).

For the Banjar people, the batik is believed to be able to cure the wearers from diseases and to repel the disturbances from evil spirits and protect them from astral disturbances. The colours used in the batik are specified for each problem, such as yellow to cure jaundice, red for headache or insomnia and green for paralysis. Some of the popular motifs are gigi haruan lidi, tampuk manggis and bayam raja.

West Kalimantan

West Kalimantan is not only well-known for their woven textile culture; batik also flourishes there. Batik from West Kalimantan is representative of their multicultural social life. The existing pattern that represents each tribe is tidayu, the acculturation of the Malay, Chinese and Dayak cultures.

Some of the West Kalimantan batik motifs are dayak kamang, insang ikan, awan berarak and tidayu.