Indonesian wastra and the issue of craftsmen regeneration

Written by Ardela Nabila | Read in Indonesian

Indonesian wastra or traditional cloth is one of the legacies in the form of handicrafts that have been passed down from generation to generation and reflect the richness of Indonesian culture.

The difference in characteristics hold a lot of meaning in them, starting from the motifs that represent stories from each region of origin to the complicated manufacturing process that requires special skills.

Not only batik, Indonesia has more than 50 types of wastra spread in various regions with their own uniqueness, becoming one of the forming aspects of regional identity. It means that the cultural heritage of this object needs to be considered for its preservation.

Starting from ulos which is commonly found in North Sumatra, endek which is a traditional Balinese cloth and is currently widely used for religious rituals, to tais which originates from the Tanimbar Islands in Maluku.

Papua also has a traditional cloth called terfo which is made by weaving. Then there are also lipa saqbe mandar from Mandar, West Sulawesi and sasirangan from Banjar, South Kalimantan.

Unfortunately, many Indonesian wastra craftsmen have difficulty regenerating. Instead of becoming artisans and selling works in the form of cloth, young people who are supposed to be the successors actually prefer to look for other jobs that have more "earnings".

One of the obstacles to the regeneration of craftsmen is seen among gedogan weavers in a number of areas, starting from East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) to North Sumatra, as experienced by TORAJAMELO who had faced challenges in finding woven craftsmen to work with.

TORAJAMELO is a social enterprise brand which was founded in 2008 and has collaborated with and empowered more than 1,100 female weavers from various weaving communities in Indonesia.

In terms of cooperating with craftsmen, this 14-year-old brand applies a collaborative approach. When choosing a textile craftsman to work with, TORAJAMELO considers a number of aspects.

“Are they experiencing challenges and have no support? Or are they experiencing problems such as a lack of opportunities to market their products in the local market?” said the CEO of TORAJAMELO, Aparna Bhatnagar Saxena when meeting TFR at Sarinah, Jakarta some time ago.

Tenun itself is another type of traditional cloth made from yarn by inserting the weft across the warp. Meanwhile, gedogan is an ancient technique in weaving, where the warp (thread) is attached at one end to the weaver's body and at the other end to a solid object such as a pole.

This type of wastra that existed more than 100 years ago and was produced by more than 300 tribes in Indonesia must certainly be preserved. In addition to intensively introducing it to local and global markets, the regeneration of the craftsmen must also be maintained.

Also read: TORAJAMELO introduces gedogan weavers to the global market

The lack of interest among young people is a challenge in regeneration

It is undeniable that the low interest in buying traditional cloth from its original suppliers has made it difficult for wastra craftsmen to sell their products.

Even those who want to buy, they often offer at a low price. In fact, to make just one piece of cloth requires a complicated process which is quite time consuming, as well as requiring special skills.

According to the Regional National Craft Council (Dekranasda) of the Manggarai Regency, NTT, which also represents local craftsmen and weavers in the area, Ester Dagomez, one of the biggest obstacles hindering the regeneration of weavers is the lack of interest in learning to weave among young people.

"The problem with regeneration is that many young people are lazy to start and learn (weaving)," said Ester when encountered during the same occasion.

In addition, based on Aparna's observations, another factor that has hampered the regeneration of weaving craftsmen is that many of them ultimately choose to work as factory workers or foreign workers (TKAs).

The reason is that most of these craftsmen fail to sell their products due to market limitations and the low appreciation of the people for fabrics that are rich in meaning, moreover, wastra such as tenun are indeed not cheap for the reasons previously mentioned.

"For weavers, there is usually not big enough local market (to sell tenun cloth), so they decide to stop (weaving) and become factory workers, foreign workers in Singapore and Malaysia," said Aparna regretfully.

Beyond that, a number of the craftsmen who still decide to stay and become craftsmen find it difficult to work in an organization that has a qualified system in place.

According to Esther, this is what must be changed, namely how weavers can also adjust their work methods and open themselves up to collaborate with third parties, such as brands, to expand their market.

“This is the first step to invite them and so that their work can be recognized. Eventually they will understand. That's why support from the government is really needed, because they have to be mobilized so they can move forward," said Esther.

The same thing was conveyed by the founder of TORAJAMELO, Dinny Jusuf, who said that the organization of weavers is an aspect that cannot be skipped.

She said, in this case, support from the local government to facilitate the weavers so that they can continue to regenerate is very important to do.

"Actually the domestic market (tenun) in Indonesia is very strong. But the challenge is the organization of the weavers. Therefore we (TORAJAMELO) provide additional conditions for collaboration, namely there must be leadership (among weavers) involved. So it is very important to have support from these leaders and the local government," said Dinny.

Also read: SPOTLIGHT Indonesia showcases the creativity of the local fashion industry through literature

Tenun’s efforts to keep up with changing market interests

For this reason, so that traditional Indonesian fabrics such as tenun can continue to expand their market and prosperity so that the regeneration of the craftsmen is maintained, various efforts need to be made.

In addition to support from the local government, as mentioned by Ester and Dinny, the craftsmen and brands who distribute their work must be able to keep up with the changing trends among consumers, especially the local community.

This effort must be made so that wastra can remain relevant to people's tastes today, especially the current Indonesian market which is dominated by millennials and Gen Z.

It just so happens that the current fashion trends that are in demand by the two generations favour clothes with earthy colors and minimalist motifs.

In the case of Indonesian wastra, the intended adjustments can be made by creating products with a more trendy, simple styles, but still of a high quality.

For example, previously tenun fabrics were known for their vibrant colors. Today, brands that work closely with local craftsmen can provide wastra products with more neutral colors that adapt to the latest fashion trends.

Changes in market appetite for tenun models are also being experienced by TORAJAMELO, which is now targeting the younger generation through a variety of tenun collections that are simpler, but still have strong characteristics from their region of origin to attract the attention of young people.

On the other hand, efforts to attract the younger generation to wear wastra can also be seen through well-known figures in Indonesia. For example, singer Yura Yunita is often seen wearing various types of traditional Indonesian cloths when performing on stage.

The influence brought by well-known figures as one of the trendsetters to preserve wastra is also felt by a wastra user named Alya (23), who now often wears local wastra due to influences from the surrounding environment.

"The main reason is from the environment, I see a lot of young people who wear kain to hangout and mix and match the cloths with casual outfits. From there, I became interested in trying it myself,preserving the culture and giving a statement that wearing these does not hinder activities at all," she said when contacted by TFR.

She also said how in her environment, the trend of using Indonesian wastra in day-to-day life is actually also in demand among men, the most important thing is how they are able to adapt the cloth to their own style.

“A lot of people I know wear them, not just women, but also men. This is actually one thing to be proud of, really. In the midst of the rise of fashion influences from outside, it turns out that there are still young people who want to join the movement to wear traditional cloth which has been adapted to be more modern," she said again.

Maintaining the regeneration of Indonesian wastra artisans who still use traditional tools to produce cloth is a real step towards preserving Indonesian culture.

However, apart from support and encouragement from the local government, the community as consumers also need to appreciate this cultural heritage.

When interest in traditional fabrics is high, brands can also engage artisans to assist in product marketing in order to generate income that impacts the craftsmen's welfare.

Also read: Beyond Batik: Exploring the diversity of Indonesian traditional fabrics