Displaced Aceh women turn to traditional embroidery
Displaced Aceh women turn to traditional embroidery
Martin Abbugao
Agence France-Presse/Cot Selamat, Aceh
Since moving into a crowded tent that has been her home for the
past three weeks, tsunami victim Ratna remains haunted by the
giant waves that suddenly swept away her home and family.
But Ratna and about 50 other women from her obliterated
neighborhood hope to exorcise the demons by turning to their
hobby before the calamity struck -- doing traditional embroidery.
A non-government group helping in the relief work in the
Indonesian town of Meulaboh and its surrounding areas discovered
women in Cot Selamat used to do handcrafted colorful embroideries
while their husbands worked.
The group decided to help the women by buying the materials so
they could be occupied during their free time in the military-
issued tent evacuation center, and at the same time earn some
income.
"I'm so happy to be doing this again," said Ratna, 36, who
lost her husband, child and six other family members.
"If I just sit and do nothing, I just think about the tsunami.
If I can do something while sitting here in the tent, then maybe
I will forget. It's like recreation for me to wipe out the bad
memories."
Her former neighbor, 30-year-old Caslena Dewi, agreed, and
also pointed to the financial incentive.
"If we do this, we will make money, we will sell it," she
said.
While weaving in Indonesia's tsunami-devastated Aceh province
is a slowly disappearing tradition, embroidery remains embedded
in the people as an art, especially in the towns of Meulaboh,
Sigli and Banda Aceh, according to residents.
The women in Cot Selamat produce some of the best embroideries
on Aceh's west coast, the residents here claim.
Metallic thread of various colors -- gold is a favorite -- are
embroidered on a piece of cloth following a certain design.
The finished work has an array of uses from pillow covers to
wall and ceiling decorations. It is also a favorite backdrop for
Muslim wedding ceremonies.
The handcrafted product is enhanced by framing and decorating
it with sequins and beads.
There can be various motifs that highlight intricate patterns
and curves traditional to the region.
Some themes show flowers and peacocks, while others may
feature a mosque, Muslim calligraphy or a traditional house.
"It depends on what the customer wants," Ratna said, managing a
rare smile.
A handcrafted product can be done in 10 to 15 days, but can
take many weeks if they are bigger.
The Cot Selamat women are looking forward to selling their
products, hoping to buy additional food to supplement the daily
ration of rice and noodles from the government.
"In our former community, we sold some of our products to
supplement our husbands' income. Now, we just want to have some
money to rebuild our lives and our homes," Dewi said.
Apart from having no cash, the women said materials were no
longer available in Meulaboh, the biggest Indonesian town nearest
to the epicenter of the quake that triggered the tsunami.
About a third of Meulaboh's population was killed by monstrous
waves on December 26 and a large portion of the town was
pulverized by the onslaught.
Thousands more people now live in crowded evacuation centers,
most of them without proper sanitation facilities.
Embroidery materials are available only in Medan, another
Indonesian city 10 hours away by car, so they are more expensive.
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AFP
GetAFP 2.10 -- JAN 18, 2005 09:11:17