Bali sacred textile nears extinction<\/p>\n
Alit Kertaraharja, Contributor, Singaraja, Bali<\/p>\n
Famous for its intricate textile designs, Bali is now facing
\nproblems in preserving its centuries-old textile traditions.<\/p>\n
One of the oldest and most sacred textile designs, the Bebali
\nceremonial cloth is rarely seen anymore because only a few
\nweavers are willing to produce the cloth.<\/p>\n
Like other ancient textile designs, such as the
\nPenggringsingan cloth produced by Tenganan villagers in Karang
\nAsem, East Bali, Bebali textiles have been produced for centuries
\nby Bali Mula (indigenous Balinese) in Pacung village in Tejakula,
\nBuleleng, North Bali.<\/p>\n
Pacung is one of several old Balinese villages, along with
\nJulah and Sambiran, in Buleleng regency.<\/p>\n
As is the case with other Bali Mula villages, the people of
\nPacung have their own traditions and language, which differ
\nslightly from more contemporary Balinese villages.<\/p>\n
Pacung village was formerly a center of Balinese textile
\nproduction. But in the early l970s, villagers began to leave
\ntextile production to plant agricultural products such as
\noranges, which were seen as more economically lucrative.<\/p>\n
The villagers enjoyed more than 10 years of economic success
\nfrom their abundant orange plantations, before a deadly virus
\ncalled CVPD attacked their orange \"gold mine\".<\/p>\n
The sweet oranges suddenly disappeared, leaving behind barren
\nsoil and impoverished locals. Some of the villagers turned to the
\nsea and became fishermen. Others worked as laborers or farmers.<\/p>\n
None of them seemed to remember that many women, especially
\nthe older ones, still possessed extraordinary weaving skills.<\/p>\n
Wayan Sandiarsa, 56, recalled: \"The village used to have large
\ncotton fields which were replaced by oranges.\"<\/p>\n
She said she had stopped weaving Bebali cloth 25 years ago. \"I
\ncould no longer weave. I have trouble with my fingers and my
\neyes, important human organs for weaving threads.\"<\/p>\n
But recently, the 33-year-old Nyoman Sarmika made a
\nsignificant effort to encourage the villagers to resume their
\nweaving tradition. Bebali was once a sacred cloth for the Bali
\nMula community in Tejakula.<\/p>\n
\"Bebali cloth and our community have been inseparable for
\ngenerations,\" explained Sarmika. The cloth was used in almost
\nevery religious and traditional ceremony, such as the
\ntelubulanan, a ceremony to celebrate the third month (according
\nto the Balinese calendar) of a baby's birth, and wedding
\nceremonies.<\/p>\n
The motif of the 50-centimeter-by-120-centimeter cloth is
\nsimple yet unique. It comprises several lines symbolizing the
\nhuman life cycle -- birth, growth and death.<\/p>\n
At his modest house in the village's center, Sarmika
\nestablished a small workshop where all the steps in the making of
\nthe cloth take place, from coloring and dyeing to the actual
\nweaving.<\/p>\n
\"We work in an open-air space so that people know what we are
\ndoing,\" Sarmika explained.<\/p>\n
Many of the villagers are interested in watching the process
\nbecause they remember that their parents were \"professional\"
\nweavers. \"It is like putting on a show in our own village,\" said
\nSarmika.<\/p>\n
As a member of the Bali Mula community, Sarmika is keen to
\npreserve his ancestors' legacy. Currently, together with 10
\nmembers of his family and neighbors, Sarmika has begun to produce
\nBebali textile using the traditional methods of his predecessors.<\/p>\n
\"There are many textiles that have similar motifs to Bebali
\ncloth, but they are produced by machines and other modern
\nequipment and chemical coloring,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The original Bebali was meticulously made by hand using
\ncagcag, a traditional weaving tool, and various plants as natural
\ndyes.<\/p>\n
A graduate of economics, Sarmika spent two years combing
\nthrough ancient and modern texts to research the dyeing process.<\/p>\n
\"It is a process of trial and error. I find it very difficult
\nto procure plants for the coloring process,\" he said. Sometimes,
\nhe has to travel to Java and other areas to find the appropriate
\nplants.<\/p>\n
\"To create colors similar to the original Bebali cloth was not
\neasy, we had to carry out a series of experiments,\" he said.<\/p>\n
His tireless efforts appear to have borne fruit. Many young
\npeople in the village are eager to learn how to make the cloth,
\nand more importantly Sarmika has received international attention
\nby displaying his creations in a number of museums and galleries
\nin Thailand, the United States, the Netherlands
\nand other European countries.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bali-sacred-textile-nears-extinction-1447893297",
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