Buying directly from producers, why not...<\/p>\n
Sri Wahyuni
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nYogyakarta<\/p>\n
If you feel confused about which handicrafts to bring home
\nfrom your visit to Yogyakarta, don't be ashamed. You have all the
\nreason to feel that way.<\/p>\n
The large assortment of charming handicrafts that this ancient
\ncity offers, the numerous showrooms and the shops that offer
\nthem, not to mention the relatively good prices, are simply
\nstaggering and, frankly, hard to resist.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta is certainly a shoppers' paradise. You can find
\nhandicrafts in almost every corner of the city, ranging from the
\nair-conditioned showrooms and star-rated hotels to the small
\nkiosks and vendors along Yogyakarta's streets, including the
\nlegendary Jl. Malioboro right in the heart of the city and
\nPrawirotaman village in the south part of the city.<\/p>\n
You can also find handicrafts sold at many tourist
\ndestinations, mostly by street vendors, including the Hindu
\ntemple of Prambanan on the eastern outskirts of Yogyakarta and at
\nYogyakarta palace.<\/p>\n
\"But you need to be very careful when deciding on which
\nhandicrafts to buy from street vendors, especially regarding the
\nprice and the quality of goods they offer,\" Mohammad Abadi of
\nYogyakarta's Apikri Foundation advised shoppers.<\/p>\n
Although street vendors offer handicrafts that seem to look
\nthe same and have the same price, theirs might be a copy that is
\nof a lower quality, he warned.<\/p>\n
Abadi therefore suggested that the best way to purchase high
\nquality handicraft products at a relatively rational price was by
\nbuying directly from the producers in the villages. That, too,
\nwould enable shoppers to get a closer look as to how the products
\nwere made.<\/p>\n
\"Unless you are sure about the quality and that you have a
\ngood bargain, you will end up with a handicraft of inferior
\nquality at a much higher price when you buy from the street
\nvendors,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The variety of handicrafts that Yogyakarta offers is
\nlimitless, ranging from easy-to-pack souvenirs as small as a key
\nchain to memorable items that require shipping, such as life-size
\nstatues or two-meter-high earthenware jugs. Also in unlimited
\nsupply are the materials used to make the handicrafts.<\/p>\n
These include wood, silver, bamboo, shells, ceramics, leather,
\ncloth and natural fibers, such as pandanus leaves, fragrant root,
\nagel (a plant), enceng gondok ( water plant), rami (jute), and
\nbanana bunch stems.<\/p>\n
Wood can easily turn into puppets, masks, loro blonyo
\n(traditional Javanese groom and bride) statuettes, animal
\nminiatures and functional souvenirs, such as tissue holders,
\njewelry boxes and ashtrays. Among the most famous wooden
\nhandicraft centers include Bobung in the Pathuk district of
\nGunungkidul regency, and Kerebet in Pajangan, Bantul regency,
\nwhich is also one of the regency's well-known tourist
\nattractions.<\/p>\n
Bobung, which is located some 28 kilometers southeast of
\nYogyakarta, is home to hundreds of wooden handicraft makers.
\nAlmost every family in this village has one or more of its
\nmembers working in this particular business sector. The monthly
\nturnover of the village's wooden handicraft business reportedly
\nreaches billions of rupiah.<\/p>\n
\"I earned a gross income of Rp 121 million last year (2001),\"
\nSujiman, one of Bobung's craftsmen, said.<\/p>\n
Although most of the handicraft products are exported or sent
\nto other tourist regions, mostly Bali and Jakarta, and many of
\nthe handicraft makers do not have showrooms, they will sell to
\ntourists or allow them to watch how the handicrafts are made.<\/p>\n
Finding this village of 78,000 hectares and a population of
\n460 was not difficult. You only need to follow the Yogyakarta-
\nWonosari road and turn left at the Sambipitu intersection at the
\n25th kilometer. Bobung is just three kilometers away from the
\nintersection.<\/p>\n
There you can visit one or more of the six different groups of
\nBobung handicraft makers of Karya Manunggal, Bina Karya, Bina
\nUsaha, Hasta Karya, Sanggar Mulyo or Panji Sejati, who will
\nwarmly greet you.<\/p>\n
If silver is your preference, however, Kotagede, which is
\nlocated just a few kilometers southeast of Yogyakarta, is the
\nbest choice. Although you may also be able to find silver work in
\nthe city, you will find a much larger choice of silver in
\nKotagede, or the city of silver as it is also referred to.<\/p>\n
Most of the silver work showrooms are located along both sides
\nof Jl. Mondorakan, Kotagede's main street. Visitors and buyers
\ncan have a look at how handicrafts are made in the showrooms as
\nmost of them also give demonstrations. However, many of the local
\nsilver craftsmen do their work at home.<\/p>\n
Kasongan village in Bantul regency, some 10 kilometers south
\nof here, offers different kinds of handicrafts. Initially, it was
\njust a ceramics handicraft center as most of its villagers are
\nskilled at making ceramics. However, as time went by, the village
\ndeveloped into a market where visitors can also buy handicrafts
\nother than ceramics.<\/p>\n
\"You can also find leather work here, but it is of course not
\nas complete as what a leather work center would offer,\" said
\nYayuk, a visitor at Kasongan, who mentioned Bugisan village, in
\nWirobrajan, Yogyakarta's municipality, as one of the only few
\nleather work centers left in the province.<\/p>\n
While the ceramic work centers, including Kasongan and
\nPundong, also in Bantul regency, are developing, many of the
\nleather craftsmen in their respective centers have stopped
\nbusiness activities, mostly due to a drop in business orders.
\nLeather craftsmen in Manding village, the center of production
\nfor leather bags and shoes, and Gendeng village, the leather
\npuppet center, both in Bantul regency, are two examples.<\/p>\n
\"But you can still find a few craftsmen who continue to
\nproduce handicrafts in these two villages,\" Abadi told the
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
A village that is also worth visiting is Imogiri, some 20
\nkilometers east of here, which is home to hundreds of traditional
\nbatik makers. Shoppers can buy a sheet of handmade cotton batik
\nfor Rp 350,000 to Rp 500,000 (about US$59), depending on the
\nquality of the batik print and the cotton.<\/p>\n
\"But you may not be able to find silk batik there. It's all
\ncotton as far as I know,\" said Etty Larasati, a regular visitor
\nto the batik craftsmen in Imogiri, adding that batik showrooms
\nand galleries in the city would be the right place for shoppers
\nto find fine handmade silk batik.<\/p>\n
Other handicraft centers where visitors can find good products
\nat the best price include Malangan and Nanggulan, both in
\nKulonprogo, which are centers for handicrafts made of natural
\nfibers or plants, such as bags, shoes, slippers and boxes of all
\nsizes and for different functions. While Minggir in Sleman
\nregency, some 20 kilometers west of here, and Dlingo in Bantul
\nregency are centers for bamboo handicrafts.<\/p>",
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