The cultural artifact I chose for this month was a video about the traditional Indonesian fabric/dyeing technique called batik. The technique centers on using wax as a method to color the cloth, which is also considered an ancient art form.
The most notable aspect about batik is the many patterns and motifs. In the video, the presenter mentions a few which correspond with a place and/or theme:
- Motif Tujuh Rupa: originated in Peklongan, includes a lot of motifs related to nature (animals/plants), mix of local culture and ethnic Chinese culture.
- Motif Batik Sogan: identical to the area of the Javanese court, classical palace motifs (in the past, used by Javanese royalty but now used by everyone).
- Motif Batik Mega Mendung: from Cirebon, popular in Indonesia and worldwide, cloud motif which represents patience (reflective of the nature of life, artisans/users of this type of motif must also exercise patience).
- Motif Batik Gentongan: from Madura and cannot be found elsewhere, unique process using a barrel (soaked and stored for a certain amount of time).
- Motif Simbut: includes a shape resembling taro leaves, simple repeating motif, from Badui tribe in Sunda.
- Motif Batik Parang: one of the oldest in Indonesia, diagonal motif (pereng), motif that resembles letter “S,” symbolizes continuity/eternity through ocean waves.
- Motif Batik Kawung: the oldest motif in Indonesia, includes a pile arranged in four square corners, founded in Java, represents self-control, clean heart, etc.
- Motif Batik Pring Sedapur: from Magetan City, must be preserved through research of the development of the decorations, pring sedapur means “cluster of bamboo trees likened to strength.”
- Motif Batik Priangan: developed in Priangan region and representative of the beauty of the region, use of flora and fauna motifs.
Even though there exist many batik motifs, I think the fact that they are all considered “Indonesian batik” is representative of the unity present in Indonesian culture. This reminded me of a previous lesson in which an aspect of Indonesian culture is their collective identity. When learning about the different motifs, I was surprised that none of them were directly influence by religion, especially by Islam (seeing as Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world). I have taken a religious art class in the past, and the different symbols (nature, patience, continuity, etc.) reminded me of other forms of religious art, so I was expecting some mention of it.
In a class lesson, Farida went over some popular tourist spots in Indonesia, one of which was Yogyakarta. I learned that it is common to purchase batik when visiting Yogyakarta as there are many batik vendors there and stores selling batik. I have been to Yogyakarta once and I remember visiting a batik store in one of my trips to Indonesia, though I cannot remember if it was specifically in Yogyakarta or Jakarta (where I usually visit my family). Even so, I was young and did not understand the motifs, so I hope to be able to go back one day and appreciate the different designs.
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