Once famous Madurese batik comes apart at the seams<\/p>\n
By Abdur Rozaki and Singgir Karta<\/p>\n
BANGKALAN, East Java (JP): The island of Madura is famous for
\nits traditional bull races, but few are aware that the Madurese
\nare also fine exponents of the craft of batik. Much of the batik
\nis marked by bright colors of red, green, blue and yellow, and
\nthe use of varied motifs.<\/p>\n
It's difficult to find historical records on Madurese batik
\nmaking. Acectdotal evidence says the craft was first practiced on
\nthe arid island about 300 years ago in Paseseh village,
\nTanjungbumi subdistrict, Bangkalan regency.<\/p>\n
It is believed the emergence of Madurese batik was linked to
\nthe tradition of Javanese batik. In roughly the 1700s, when the
\nMataram Kingdom opened contact with the Kingdom of Madura, a
\nprocess of cultural exchanges took place. The Javanese batik-
\nmaking tradition, particularly from rural areas, was brought to
\nMadura. This influence can still be seen today in batik made by
\nhousewives in Pamekasan and Sampang. In these two places, the
\nmotifs resemble those of rural areas in Java: dark colors
\ndominated by deep red, black and dark blue.<\/p>\n
Over time, Madurese batikmakers found their own format with
\npatterns and motifs suited to their own cultural background.
\nThere are two main characteristics of Madurese batiks: the rural
\nbatiks characterized by dark colors and coastal batiks dominated
\nby marine-inspired bright colors.<\/p>\n
Coastal batiks usually bear images of objects related to the
\nsea -- seashells, seaweed, starfish, algae, shrimps, crabs, ships
\nand so forth. The images are still maintained today by most
\nbatikmakers in coastal areas.<\/p>\n
Locals say the motifs are connected to the maritime culture
\nwhich is deep-rooted in the Madurese community. In the past, when
\nMadurese fishermen went to sea, their wives spent their time
\nmaking batiks as they waited for the ships to return. The strokes
\nthey made on their batiks showed their deep longing for their
\nbeloved husbands far at sea.<\/p>\n
Another unique aspect of Madurese batiks is the preparation of
\ncoloring materials. Although coloring chemicals are now
\navailable, most Madurese batikmakers prefer traditional coloring
\nagents prepared from plants.<\/p>\n
To obtain red, for example, they will soak the root of
\nmengkudu (morinda citrifelia) in water. Blue is obtained from the
\nleaves of tarum (indigofera) while the color of dark green is
\nfrom the bark of a mundu (garnicia dulcis) tree. Black is derived
\nfrom mixing the basic colors.<\/p>\n
In the 1970s, there was a boom in Madurese batik in the
\ndomestic market when the regional administration, through the
\noffice of the Ministry of Industry in Bangkalan regency, tried to
\nboost production by means of introducing coloring chemicals to
\nthe batikmakers. The idea was not well-accepted. However, the
\nbatikmakers have accepted the recommendation from the local
\nadministration to use silk cloth instead of the usual mori, or
\nunbleached plain cloth.<\/p>\n
The most important job in batikmaking is coloring or soaking
\nthe cloth in the coloring agent. The process of natural coloring
\ntakes about five weeks, while the chemical coloring process is
\nonly two weeks, but natural coloring provides better results. The
\nolder a batik cloth is, the more luster it will have if natural
\ncoloring agents are used. On the other hand, with a chemical
\ncoloring agent, the older the batik, the more faded the color
\nwill be.<\/p>\n
The price of a 2m x 1m batik cloth ranges between Rp 300,000
\nand Rp 400,000 if a chemical coloring agent is used. A batik
\ncloth of the same size will cost over Rp 600,000 when natural
\ncoloring agents are utilized.<\/p>\n
There are taboos which must be observed if natural coloring
\nagents are used, said batikmaker Hadi, 60.<\/p>\n
\"First, a batikmaker having her period must not prepare a
\ncoloring agent. Second, during the coloring process, the
\nbatikmaker is not allowed to make a visit of condolence even
\nthough the deceased is one of the closest neighbors. If these two
\ntaboos are not observed, the coloring agent will have a pungent
\nodor and could not be used,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Despite its long history and heyday, Madurese batik seems to
\nhave lost its popularity and is becoming increasingly forgotten
\non the national batik scene. There are several factors involved.
\nFirst, batikmakers lack knowledge of modern management skills and
\nare unable to run their batik enterprises as modern businesses.
\nIt is clear from the absence of promotional media and appropriate
\nmarketing techniques.<\/p>\n
Second, the regional administration has yet to embark on
\nmaximum efforts to place Madurese batiks as a prime commodity of
\nthe island. Government support is usually limited to production
\ntechniques and has never touched on marketing aspect. Third,
\nthere no investors who have been able to organize Madurese
\nbatikmakers. Other factors include design development and
\nproduction capacity in relation to the market demand.<\/p>\n
\"There was a time when Madurese batik was sold to many regions
\nand even exported to Malaysia, Singapore and Saudi Arabia, among
\nother countries,\" said Mafudz, a batik vendor in Tanjung Bumi
\nMarket. \"Madurese batik was taken abroad in the sea trade and by
\nhaj pilgrims. Today, however, it seems difficult to market
\nMadurese batiks in other regions.\"<\/p>",
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