A blend of Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic cultures<\/p>\n
Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung<\/p>\n
Historically, tapis cloth from Lampung began to be developed
\naround 800 A.D. as, for example, and is referred to in the Record
\nof King Belitang dated 898 to 915 A.D.<\/p>\n
The cloth was first developed by people living in Menggala,
\nTulangbawang regency and Kenali (West Lampung).<\/p>\n
Further evidence of the long history of tapis are the
\ncollections now kept in museums in Britain and the United States.
\nIt is estimated that the tapis cloth in this collection is some
\n400 years old. Several Lampung cultural experts have even gone
\nfurther back in time, saying that tapis cloth was already known
\nin prehistoric times.<\/p>\n
One of Lampung's cultural activists, Iwan Nurdaya Djafar, said
\nthat in bygone days a piece of tapis, made of woven cloth
\nembroidered with gold, silver or silk thread, reflected someone's
\nsocial status. Usually a needle and yellow thread were used to
\nmake a piece of tapis cloth. The embroidery is made on a cotton
\nwoven sarong with horizontal lines as its basic motif.<\/p>\n
A piece of tapis, which differs in function depending on its
\ndecorative motif, is actually part of a set of ritual
\nparaphernalia. The cloth fulfills social, religious, aesthetic
\nand economic roles in traditional Lampung communities.<\/p>\n
In the religious sphere, tapis cloth is usually worn in
\nceremonies relating to rites of passage, including religious
\nrites. The decorative motif on the cloth worn for this particular
\npurpose symbolizes Lampung people's belief in the grandeur of
\nnature and the greatness of God.<\/p>\n
The decorative motifs of tapis cloth are works of art that has
\ngreat aesthetic and historical value.<\/p>\n
Iwan Nurdaya Djafar, who is also noted as a translator of
\nclassical works and as a poet, said that in the past, tapis cloth
\nwas worn on the basis of someone's social status.<\/p>\n
He added that in the old days tapis was usually made to
\nfulfill a community's needs in their traditional rites. \"As time
\nchanges, a community's needs also change. Tapis cloth is now sold
\nto the public and has gradually lost its symbolic and religious
\nfunctions,\" Iwan said.<\/p>\n
Tapis cloth, he added, was not only esthetically beautiful but
\nalso implied moral, magical and religious content in the symbols
\nfound in its decorative motifs. The value inherent in tapis cloth
\nreflects human life.<\/p>\n
The symbolic values that tapis cloth contains usually take the
\nform of a plant, an animal, an object or a human being. These
\nsymbols reflect the inter-relationship between man and nature,
\nman and man, as well as man and God. You can also find tapis
\ncloth embroidered with boat motifs, a symbol of the country's
\nresource-rich seas.<\/p>\n
These motifs have been used since the times of Hindu kingdoms
\nin Indonesia. Later, with the advent of Islam, the establishment
\nof Islamic kingdoms in this country and the arrival of Arabian,
\nPersian and Indian merchants in Lampung (then called the Land of
\nRuwai Jurai) between 1500 and 1700, these motifs were modified
\nwith Islamic designs.<\/p>\n
The development of tapis cloth became richer with the
\nintroduction of Javanese culture through trade activities in the
\nMalacca and Sunda Straits.<\/p>\n
An ancient piece of tapis cloth, Iwan said, was usually of
\nexcellent quality because it was not made for commercial
\npurposes. In those days, muli, the local word for young women,
\nand housewives in Lampung would spend as much time as it would
\ntake to make a high-quality piece.<\/p>\n
\"The social norm prevailing in the past in Lampung was that
\nsomeone would be isolated if he or she did not possess a piece of
\ntapis cloth. This explains why Lampung people are generally
\nskilled at making it. They certainly did not want to be
\nostracized,\" Iwan said.<\/p>\n
Uniquely, skill in making tapis will determine whether or not
\na Lampung girl is perceived as being of good behavior and fine
\ncharacter. \"That is no longer the case now, although it is still
\ncommon practice for a young man wishing to marry a Lampung girl
\nto give her several pieces of tapis cloth.<\/p>\n
\"This is quite burdensome for the young man as tapis is
\nbecoming increasingly expensive,\" said Iwan, formerly chairman of
\nLampung Arts Council.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Rusli Syukur, a Lampung artist and also a tapis
\nexpert, said that the motifs created for tapis cloth were closely
\nlinked with the reality of the times concerned. These motifs,
\nwhich have undergone changes brought about by the three major
\nreligions in the past -- Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam -- continue
\nto develop through an acculturation process, without abandoning
\nits original identity.<\/p>\n
Now mass-produced, however, tapis cloth is no longer confined
\nonly to certain circles.<\/p>\n
\"Industrialization has led to a shift in the symbolic
\nfunctions of tapis cloth. Today the tapis cloth-making industry
\nprioritizes its economic aspect over its religious and
\nsociological facets,\" Rusli noted.<\/p>\n
He added that in the past tapis cloth was made only by women
\nto while away their spare time. \"They made the cloth not for
\nbusiness but for sacred and religious purposes,\" said Rusli, who
\nhas developed his own tapis motifs, which are usually used to
\ndecorate buildings constructed in a Lampung architectural style.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-blend-of-hindu-buddhist-and-islamic-cultures-1447893297",
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