Bali sacred textile nears extinction

Alit Kertaraharja, Contributor, Singaraja, Bali

Famous for its intricate textile designs, Bali is now facing problems in preserving its centuries-old textile traditions.

One of the oldest and most sacred textile designs, the Bebali ceremonial cloth is rarely seen anymore because only a few weavers are willing to produce the cloth.

Like other ancient textile designs, such as the Penggringsingan cloth produced by Tenganan villagers in Karang Asem, East Bali, Bebali textiles have been produced for centuries by Bali Mula (indigenous Balinese) in Pacung village in Tejakula, Buleleng, North Bali.

Pacung is one of several old Balinese villages, along with Julah and Sambiran, in Buleleng regency.

As is the case with other Bali Mula villages, the people of Pacung have their own traditions and language, which differ slightly from more contemporary Balinese villages.

Pacung village was formerly a center of Balinese textile production. But in the early l970s, villagers began to leave textile production to plant agricultural products such as oranges, which were seen as more economically lucrative.

The villagers enjoyed more than 10 years of economic success from their abundant orange plantations, before a deadly virus called CVPD attacked their orange "gold mine".

The sweet oranges suddenly disappeared, leaving behind barren soil and impoverished locals. Some of the villagers turned to the sea and became fishermen. Others worked as laborers or farmers.

None of them seemed to remember that many women, especially the older ones, still possessed extraordinary weaving skills.

Wayan Sandiarsa, 56, recalled: "The village used to have large cotton fields which were replaced by oranges."

She said she had stopped weaving Bebali cloth 25 years ago. "I could no longer weave. I have trouble with my fingers and my eyes, important human organs for weaving threads."

But recently, the 33-year-old Nyoman Sarmika made a significant effort to encourage the villagers to resume their weaving tradition. Bebali was once a sacred cloth for the Bali Mula community in Tejakula.

"Bebali cloth and our community have been inseparable for generations," explained Sarmika. The cloth was used in almost every religious and traditional ceremony, such as the telubulanan, a ceremony to celebrate the third month (according to the Balinese calendar) of a baby's birth, and wedding ceremonies.

The motif of the 50-centimeter-by-120-centimeter cloth is simple yet unique. It comprises several lines symbolizing the human life cycle -- birth, growth and death.

At his modest house in the village's center, Sarmika established a small workshop where all the steps in the making of the cloth take place, from coloring and dyeing to the actual weaving.

"We work in an open-air space so that people know what we are doing," Sarmika explained.

Many of the villagers are interested in watching the process because they remember that their parents were "professional" weavers. "It is like putting on a show in our own village," said Sarmika.

As a member of the Bali Mula community, Sarmika is keen to preserve his ancestors' legacy. Currently, together with 10 members of his family and neighbors, Sarmika has begun to produce Bebali textile using the traditional methods of his predecessors.

"There are many textiles that have similar motifs to Bebali cloth, but they are produced by machines and other modern equipment and chemical coloring," he said.

The original Bebali was meticulously made by hand using cagcag, a traditional weaving tool, and various plants as natural dyes.

A graduate of economics, Sarmika spent two years combing through ancient and modern texts to research the dyeing process.

"It is a process of trial and error. I find it very difficult to procure plants for the coloring process," he said. Sometimes, he has to travel to Java and other areas to find the appropriate plants.

"To create colors similar to the original Bebali cloth was not easy, we had to carry out a series of experiments," he said.

His tireless efforts appear to have borne fruit. Many young people in the village are eager to learn how to make the cloth, and more importantly Sarmika has received international attention by displaying his creations in a number of museums and galleries in Thailand, the United States, the Netherlands and other European countries.