Beyond batik: Exploring the diversity of traditional Indonesian textiles

Written by Ilman Ramadhanu | Read in Indonesian

Indonesia is a cornucopia of one-of-a-kind culture and tradition whose stories are beautifully told through the threads of its traditional textiles. There are over fifty traditional textiles originating from Indonesia, each with its own set of intricate alchemies, yet some are more in-vogue than others.

For instance batik, a traditional Indonesian textile that is arguably the most commonly worn within our society. It is often said that batik is the face of Indonesian fashion, but there are many other traditional textiles that are just as beautiful and also possess unique stories worthy to be told.

Songket

Songket is a luxurious hand-woven textile known for its blend of glimmering gold or silver threads. Even the name of the textile is inspired by these sparkly threads.

The word songket comes from a Malay word, sungkit, which means “to hook”. It is a reference to the ancient method of hooking a group of silk or cotton threads, a main material of the textile, into the gold or silver threads, which is an essential part of songket making. The gold threads also often contain real gold, which increases the monetary value of the songket.

These metallic threads are woven following intricate motifs mimicking the shape of flowers and animals or symmetrical geometric shapes. Each motif has specific philosophical meanings depending on where it is from. For instance, the nago besaung motif from Palembang is a profusion of flower petal and dragon patterns which is believed by the locals to be a symbol of spirituality, kindness, protection, prosperity and wisdom.

Palembang and some parts of South Sumatra are well known for songket production. The use of songket in South Sumatra has been recorded since the 9th century, specifically during the Sriwijaya empire. However, other areas in Indonesia, such as Bali, Lombok and Makassar, also have their own distinctive songket.

Ulos

For the people of Batak in North Sumatra, ulos possesses a holistic utility in their daily lives. From a sartorial symbolism of social status to an expression of gratitude, love, or sorrow and mundane everyday things like carrying a baby.

There are numerous types of ulos, namely ulos ragi hotang, ulos ragi hidup, ulos sibolang and ulos pinuncaan. Each is equipped with its own set of meaning and to be worn on specific occasions. The ulos ragi hotang, a geometric square-patterned scarf with tribal patterns and frayed edges, is usually worn during wedding ceremonies or gifted to the happy couple. It is meant to represent love and hope for long-lasting marriage.

Ulos is made through a taxing process that could take months. Cottons are spun into yarn using a tool called sorha. It is dyed using plant-derived materials; turmeric is used to create the colour yellow, while darker colours like black is created by mixing morinda and indigo plants. The yarn is then woven together using a manual loom machine.

Endek

A juxtaposition between the past and the future is delicately woven into the traditional textile of endek. Originating from Bali, endek was once worn only during religious ceremonies and now it is transformed into fashion-forward daily wear that perfectly captures the cultural identity of Balinese people.

The existence of endek could be traced back since the rule of Dalem Baturenggong in the 16th century. It was mainly used while performing religious rituals, but since the 1980s, its development was modernised to become daily wear or souvenirs to meet the demand of the tourism industry.

However, Balinese people still preserve the sanctity of the textile. Its motif usually specifies its function and upon where it should be worn. For instance, the motifs patra and encak saji are still used specifically for spiritual purposes. Some other motifs, which are usually inspired by nature and Balinese mythological creatures, are morphed into modern shirts.

Endek was further ingrained into the modern world of fashion, not just locally but internationally, when it was transformed into flowy coats, maxi dresses and handbags by Maria Grazia Chiuri for the french fashion house Dior in its spring and summer 2021 collection.

Tais

In Tanimbar Islands, the southern part of Maluku, weaving is often equated as a surviving skill that a mother would pass down to their daughters. First introduced to the locals in the 3rd century, weaving has been used by the Tanimbar women to create a textile called tais.

Image: National Museum of World Cultures from Wikicommons

Similar to other textiles from other regions in Indonesia, tais is mainly used during traditional ceremonies or formal events like weddings, birth, or funerals, and each motif signifies one’s status and specific philosophical meanings.

For instance, tais matin, a cloth with a human eye motif, is specifically used to wrap the bodies of dead people. Motifs that portray the idea of power or wealth like tais susui (a pattern that resembles a house or tower); tais lelesroi (a mix pattern between eye and spear imagery); and tais marin (a fish pattern to symbolise the richness of Maluku’s marine life) are worn specifically by the aristocats.

Terfo

Terfo is a woven textile originating from Sobey, Papua. Its production method has been passed down from generation to generation in the long lineage of Sobey women.

Its most prominent feature is the vertical lines usually in the colour of white, yellow, black, blue and white with frayed edges. Terfo is often used as scarves, towels, or skirts for women during certain traditional ceremonies.

Sasirangan

Known for its vertical pattern and vivid colours, sasirangan is a traditional textile originating from Banjar, South Kalimantan that was once believed to have the power to cure a plethora of diseases.

When it was used for medicinal purposes, colours are important clues to detect which diseases could be cured by this textile. Yellow is believed to have the capability of curing jaundice, red is believed to cure headache or insomnia, green is believed to cure stroke and paralysis, black is for fever, purple is for stomach-ache and brown is for mental illnesses.

There is no specific explanation as to why the myth exists. One theory explains that the belief was created because before it was known as sasirangan, this textile was actually called langgundi, a yellow woven fabric that in the past was often used during alternative medical practices. The colour yellow was specifically used because it was largely believed to have the power of warding off evil spirits.

The name sasirangan was derived from a word in Banjar, sirang, which means basting. It is a sewing technique that leaves temporary straight stitches. In the production process, a piece of cloth made out of cotton would be hand-sewn using the basting technique following a specific pattern before tying and dipping it into natural dyes. Subsequently, the stitches are removed, leaving the cloth with the desired motif.

Lipa saqbe mandar

Hailing from Mandar, West Sulawesi, lipa saqbe mandar is a silk woven textile known for its plaid-like patterns that are bursting with colours. The textile is often further adorned with specific motifs, usually in the shapes of flowers or animals. The placement of such motifs often signifies one’s social and economic status.

The plaid pattern that could virtually be found in every lipa saqbe mandar also has certain philosophical meanings that reflect the society of Mandar. It is meant to be a representative of an assertive rule of law. Even both the vertical and horizontal lines in the textile have different interpretations. The vertical line is a symbolism of the relationship between the leaders and the people, while the horizontal line is to represent the relationship among the people in society.

Many of the people in Mandar still use the traditional process of creating this textile, which could take months to finish. The process include ma’unnus, the extraction of silk threads out of cocoons, which is then dyed in the process called macingga. Once dyed, the threads will undergo certain preparation processes before going to manette or the weaving process.