Sintang ikat: West Kalimantan textiles find their spotlight<\/p>\n
Emiria Wijayanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
It was still a jungle out there when Father Peter Jac. Maessen
\nfirst stepped foot in West Kalimantan 35 years ago.<\/p>\n
In a country still reeling from the political and social
\nturmoil of two years before, Sintang was a sleepy, almost
\nforgotten backwater along the Kapuas River.<\/p>\n
Set to conduct missionary work among the Dayak tribespeople,
\nthe Dutchman never imagined that he would along the way build up
\na venerable collection of local textiles and help revive interest
\nin the craft.<\/p>\n
As fate would have it, he did just that: Maessen helped establish Kobus,
\nan information and advice center for the culture of West
\nKalimantan and the Dayak Ikat Weaving Cooperative, aiming to
\nprovide an income for the women weavers, as well as instill
\nrespect for their cultural heritage in the community.<\/p>\n
The current exhibition of Sintang ikats at the Jakarta Textile
\nMuseum, titled Woven Dreams: Women and Weaving in Indonesian
\nBorneo, comes from his collection.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Textile Society (Wastaprema), led by Adiati P.
\nSiregar, visited Sintang in March of this year, and invited Kobus
\nto Jakarta in conjunction with the society's 28th anniversary.<\/p>\n
The success of Kobus and the revival in the fortunes of
\nSintang ikats can be credited squarely to the arrival of Maessen.<\/p>\n
\"When I first came to Indonesia, there were no roads into
\nSintang. It took me 88 hours to reach Sintang from the main road
\nin West Kalimantan,\" said Maessen during his trip to Jakarta for
\nthe exhibition.<\/p>\n
He had heard of local textiles, but discovered that the craft
\nhad become an almost extinct \"underground\" activity.<\/p>\n
\"Upon my arrival, I was interested in this weaving culture
\nthat they had. Women would weave in the night under flickering
\nlight. When I first approached them, they were hesitant to show
\nme their work. It seemed as they were ashamed and did not want to
\nacknowledge the richness of their culture.\"<\/p>\n
The seeming lack of interest from locals did not dampen
\nMaessen's efforts to find out more. At the time, the textiles
\nwere woven by old women, many of whom begged off weaving new ones
\ndue to poor health.<\/p>\n
\"They gave me reasons like their inability to see clearly
\nanymore. So, I gave them glasses. This pleased them, not because
\nthey could weave, but because they could see their grandchildren
\nclearly for the first time.\"<\/p>\n
And so the women began weaving again.<\/p>\n
\"I started to take their weaving to experts who responded
\npositively. They would give money for the finished products and I
\ngave this money back to the people, who would give it to their
\nchildren for school.\"<\/p>\n
This new source of income, more valuable to locals than any
\nplaudits from foreign visitors about the beauty of the textiles,
\nspurred renewed interest in the craft.<\/p>\n
\"The weavers in the community achieved more respect from
\nyoungsters, who received money to go to school. They began to see
\nthe potential of their weaving culture and wanted to do more.\"<\/p>\n
Interest in the Sintang weaving tradition grew, helping the
\nproduction of ikats.<\/p>\n
\"We were first aided by Pia Alisyahbana,\" he said of the
\npublisher and patron of the arts.<\/p>\n
\"She provided us with paint and thread. And there was added
\nvalue because we would be featured in articles within her
\npublications. People started to come to Sintang to see the ikats
\nand when they appreciated what they saw, they began to pay money
\nfor them.\"<\/p>\n
Although the growth in popularity has ensured higher
\nproduction, Maessen said his objective was more than the
\ncommercial value.<\/p>\n
\"Personally, I am fascinated with the people behind the
\ntextiles. I am convinced of the importance of this heritage, it
\nmust not disappear, for it comes from their ancestors,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"These textiles portray the human values we have. It shows the
\nstory of the Dayak people.\"<\/p>\n
The intricate quality of the textiles is apparent in each
\npiece and its motifs.<\/p>\n
\"The pattern of the textile starts from the sandung, in
\nreference to the final resting place of Dayak ancestors,\" Maessen
\nsaid as he examined his favorite piece on display.<\/p>\n
\"The design goes on to the shape of a serempang, which is a
\nspear with hooks, symbolizing the monogamy of marriage. A deer is
\na symbol of the joys of life and a spider's web symbolizes
\ncloseness of a family.<\/p>\n
\"It is important that people are aware of the thought behind
\nthe creation and how these textiles are a medium of expression.\"<\/p>\n
Sintha Djandam-Assan, a visitor to the exhibition who is of
\nDayak Ma'angan descent, was appreciative of the efforts of the
\nDutchman in continuing the textile tradition of her ancestors.<\/p>\n
\"This exhibition makes me feel very proud, and I'm touched by
\npeople like Father Maessen.\"<\/p>\n
Curator Lucy Djuhari hoped the textiles would eventually reach
\na wider audience.<\/p>\n
\"We hope to go international one day, while along the way
\nprodding the nation to be proud of this tradition,\" she said,
\nadding that many Indonesians were also unaware that ikat did not
\nonly come from West Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
Kobus also plans to involve more Dayak in the weaving
\nactivities to improve their economic welfare.<\/p>\n
Although aiming to gain greater recognition of West
\nKalimantan's ikat weaving tradition, Lucy said it was important
\nto ensure the quality of each piece.<\/p>\n
\"We hope to raise the quality of our products, our material,
\netc. What we don't want though, is to gain commercialism through
\nmass production and lose the artistic value. We hope the weavers
\nwill still do this as a part-time job or a hobby, while achieving
\ntheir dream of schooling their children through weaving and
\nhopefully create a better future.\"<\/p>\n
As observers carefully scan the Sintang ikat on display at the
\nmuseum on the opening day, Maessen looked on proudly.<\/p>\n
\"When I first wore ikat textiles in Kalimantan on special
\noccasions, the local people would mock me,\" he said. \"But today,
\neveryone here is wearing a piece of textile as his or her attire.
\nThey are proud of it. They have accepted the culture and
\ntradition.\"<\/p>\n
The writer, an undergraduate student at Wesleyan University in
\nthe United States, is an intern at The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Woven Dreams - Women and Weaving in Indonesian Borneo
\nUntil Sept. 10, 2004
\nThe Jakarta Textile Museum
\nJl. K.S. Tubun No.4
\nTanah Abang, West Jakarta<\/p>\n
Opening hours:
\nTuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
\nFriday, 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
\nSaturday 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
\nMonday: Closed<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sintang-ikat-west-kalimantan-textiles-find-their-spotlight-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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