Gorontalo's 'kerawang': Beyond a threadbare existence<\/p>\n
Bruce Emond, The Jakarta Post, Gorontalo City<\/p>\n
Every Thursday is kerawang day in Gorontalo City. Civil servants
\nhead off to work in the traditional hand-drawn threadwork of the
\nprovince, the women in two-piece shift dresses, men wearing baju
\nkoko (high-collared shirts).<\/p>\n
The needlework is one of the proudest claims to fame of
\nGorontalo, the country's second youngest province which separated
\nfrom North Sulawesi in February 2001. The back section of the
\nGorontalo Post, its pages filled with stories of land disputes,
\njilted wives taking revenge on their usurpers and second-billing
\nmusic groups coming to town, is titled Kota Kerawang (Needlework
\nCity).<\/p>\n
Kerawang, with its intricate, painstaking art of drawing the
\nthread from the fabric, stands out from the batik of Java, the
\nsongket (gold-thread weavings) of Sumatra and the ikat of eastern
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
There are few other examples of drawn threadwork in the
\narchipelago. Michael Hitchcock, in Indonesian Textiles (Periplus
\nEditions, 1991), notes drawn threadwork in textiles thought to
\ncome from Bali, but these were done on woven fabric, not the
\ndelicate cottons and chiffons of the best kerawang.<\/p>\n
Although the history of kerawang is proudly acknowledged at
\nevery turn, it, like so many Indonesian textiles, seems caught in
\nthe awkward limbo between tradition and modern demands.<\/p>\n
As it has for generations, production remains a home industry,
\nwith housewives who are members of cooperatives and workshops
\ndoing the craft in their free time. Kerawang provides a small but
\nmuch needed extra source of income, but it has a limited scale of
\nproduction, with most of the artisans only able to produce from
\nthree to five pieces a month, and the supply of fabric dependent
\non imports from Java.<\/p>\n
\"We've been sent to expos in Indonesia and abroad, and people
\nalways liked the designs,\" said Hian Ismail, the head of the
\nembroidery cooperative Pertiwi, which groups about 240 women
\nliving in the surrounding kampong.<\/p>\n
\"But when we went to Singapore, for example, they wanted us to
\nfill a big order, which was impossible for us to do.\"<\/p>\n
The women are paid for each product they complete, including
\nshawls, dresses, tablecloths, fans and drink holders. A shawl
\nsells for Rp 30,000 to Rp 35,000 at one of the kerawang shops
\nalong Jl. Suprapto in the city center.<\/p>\n
It's meticulous, time-intensive work, especially for the women
\nwho must delicately draw the thread to prepare the fabric for the
\nneedlework.<\/p>\n
Arfa Hamid from the Gorontalo office of the Ministry of
\nIndustry and Trade, which provides training for the women in the
\nPertiwi cooperative and others in outlying villages, said eye
\ndisorders were an occupational hazard.<\/p>\n
\"They are being paid for the pieces they complete, but what if
\nthey have to go to the doctor when they get sick and have to pay
\nfor their treatment?\" she said.<\/p>\n
In Telaga, about a 20-minute drive from downtown Gorontalo,
\nthe Naga Mas workshop is run by Iko Lihawa Mantali and his wife.
\nThey opened the workshop in 1985 after seeing an opportunity to
\nhelp local women, many of them school dropouts, learn the trade.<\/p>\n
The couple have been successful in their efforts; groups of
\ntravelers come by to view the products, including Muslim clothes,
\ndisplayed in the front three rooms of their comfortable home. On
\none wall hangs a photo of Mrs. Mantali receiving the Upakarti
\naward from then president Soeharto for her efforts in opening up
\njob opportunities in the area.<\/p>\n
\"We still have to overcome problems, especially in finding
\nskilled, professional tailors to make dresses with kerawang
\nmotifs.<\/p>\n
\"When we take part in exhibitions, everybody wants ready-to-
\nwear fashion, but we have to buy the fabric from Jakarta first to
\nbe made here,\" said Mrs. Mantali.<\/p>\n
Hian and the Mantalis said the local government needed to do
\nmore to raise the profile of the threadwork, aside from the
\nfrequent declarations of pride in the tradition.<\/p>\n
However, a concerted campaign will take money, and funding
\npriorities for the young province may lie elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Still, the local government's plans for the future include
\ncooperating with fashion designer Samuel Wattimena, known for his
\nlong-standing interest in traditional fabrics and for his work as
\nthe fashion consultant to President Megawati Soekarnoputri, in
\nimproving the design process.<\/p>\n
Arfa Hamid also said men would be encouraged to handle
\nmanagerial positions for workshops and cooperatives.<\/p>\n
\"There should be no difference between the sexes in trying to
\nimprove professionalism,\" Arfa Hamid said when asked if the
\npresence of men would negatively affect the traditional women's
\ndomain.<\/p>\n
\"In the Islamic tradition, the Prophet himself gave the
\nexample that he could sew buttons on his shirt by himself.\"<\/p>",
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