Ambon refugees weave cloth to help make ends meet

M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon

Living in a shelter for displaced persons has not discouraged women in the conflict-torn Ambon city from working to improve the welfare of their families.

Using whatever is available, these women weave threads of different colors into the patterned cloth known as Tanimbar ikat, which is popular among both local and foreign tourists.

The women, like those who have lived in shelters in Kayu Tiga, Sirimau district for the past six years, receive regular orders. As many of their husbands are unemployed, the orders mean their families are able to scrape by.

One of the weavers, Setie Titirloloby, 59, started weaving in 2001 with six other women who are natives of Tanimbar, Southeast Maluku regency. Now, there are 13 weavers in the shelter.

"We happen to have the same skill -- weaving -- since we all come from Tanimbar where the skill has been passed down from generation to generation. During the conflict, it was difficult to find work and our husbands lost their jobs. We had to do something," Setie said.

The shelter they live in -- which was built by the government in 2002 -- is shared by 25 families and located on barren land, atop a hill. It is an isolated area but the view of Ambon city with its bay and rolling hills is a sight to behold. It is hard to imagine it was once a scene of devastation after the sectarian conflict in 1999.

The occupants are mostly displaced people from Ahuru in Batumerah subdistrict, Ambon, whose houses were razed to the ground during the conflict.

Some of the weavers worked for UD Lusila, an Ambon-based cottage industry that became the Tanimbar weaving business.

Apart from supplying cloth to the company, the displaced people also take orders, charging less than store prices.

But lack of capital to buy raw materials like thread and dye forces the weavers to ask for a downpayment when they take an order.

Setie said the orders, mostly for shawls, mainly came from foreign tourists.

A shawl can be completed in a day and is priced at Rp 55,000, while fabric for a suit or a dress, which is sold at Rp 300,000 a piece depending on the motif and colors, takes a week to finish.

She said that weavers had encountered problems in marketing their products but they had to stick to the job because there were no other jobs available.

From selling a shawl, a weaver profits Rp 30,000.

Setie said demand usually rose during the peak season from June to September, when many tourists arrived in Ambon.

"Tourist arrivals mean better sales. Tourists who come for a vacation in Ambon usually buy a lot of cloth, but at a higher price because the product passes through many hands. Middlemen buy a shawl from us at Rp 55,000 and sell it to a tourist for Rp 75,000 to Rp 100,000," she said.

Another weaver, Na Slarmanat, 31, said she had become a weaver because her husband Jan had lost his job as a worker at Yos Sudarso Port in Ambon.

"Luckily, I can weave cloth. If not, how would we put food on the table. I didn't know how to weave when I first arrived at the shelter. My mother-in-law taught me," Na said.

Another weaver, Sar Titirloloby, 32, said the weavers' only wish was to be provided with cash assistance to maintain their business, saying any profit they made went straightaway on basic necessities.

She estimated that working capital of Rp 500,000 would be enough to run her business for a year.

"Most of us have no savings. If we were provided with cash assistance we could make productive use of it. The government once provided us with Rp 150,000 per family as start-up capital for conflict victims," said Sar.

She hopes the government will establish a cooperative so that anyone requiring working capital can borrow money or buy raw materials. "And, at the same time, we could use it to market our products," she said.

Sar criticized many of the government officials in Maluku for preferring to wear woven cloth from other areas, like the East Nusa Tenggara town of Kupang, rather than the local equivalent.