Gold embroidery in W. Aceh lucrative inherited business

By Lila Fitri Aly

MEULABOH, Aceh (JP): The stage-like bridal seat for a traditional wedding in Aceh is buried under a multitude of colors and gold embroidery. The bridal seat, curtain, decorative cushions and presentation covers of black, yellow and red velvet all are embroidered with gold or silver thread, whose motifs are handed down from father to son.

The renowned traditional wedding paraphernalia is found in the Bubon district of West Aceh, which is a six-hour drive from Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh. Most of the district's population is involved in the business, which has attracted local, as well as foreign, buyers. When one takes a close look at every one of the 400 houses in the area, one cannot fail to see activities of embroidery.

In the past, the embroidery was used only for wedding paraphernalia. Today, the art has expanded to household items, including chair cushions, wall paintings and prayer mats.

One set of chair cushions, consisting of five pillows measuring 45 centimeters by 45 centimeters each, and one table cloth, is priced at Rp 140,000 per set. It takes a month to finish a set.

"Silver thread embroidery is priced higher than gold thread embroidery. This is because silver thread costs more, as does the workmanship," Daslina, 32, a graduate of the Institute of Islamic Studies Ar-Raniry, Aceh, said.

The workmanship costs more because silver thread is very fine and requires meticulous skills.

After graduation, in 1986, Daslina became a teacher of religion at a local Islamic elementary school. She decided to give her mother a helping hand after school hours and took on a part time job in her mother's embroidery business.

"My mother has been in the business for about seventeen years," Daslina said.

Her younger sister also joined the business. Today, there are 20 embroiders from various villages working for her family.

"We distribute the work in the surrounding villages. We provide the materials and designs, the villagers do the work," Daslina said.

Everyone works in her own place and only visits Daslina's home to bring the finished items.

The girls are also allowed to accept work from other people, as long as they do not neglect their first commitments.

Everyone has their own story. Zuraidah, 30, has been in the embroidery craft for five years and earns Rp 200,000 per month as a skilled embroiderer.

She usually shares the orders she gets with other villagers because of the time needed to finish an order.

"When an embroiderer finishes one spool of gold yarn, called unting in the local dialect, she gets Rp 1,200. It usually takes eight hours to finish one spool," Daslina said.

Workmanship for silver yarn embroidery pays Rp 1,300 per spool.

According to Rohana, who has her own business, children start embroidering at the ages of seven, eight and nine. There are also young people and high school graduates who join the profession after failing to find a job elsewhere. There is no shortage of work in the embroidery business.

Buyers usually come from Banda Aceh, Meulaboh, Medan and Jakarta. There are even customers from Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

Customers usually describe what they are looking for and the handicraft sellers try to pick up on the buyer's taste. Then, businesswomen like Rohana and Daslina would explain to a motif designer what a certain buyer has in mind. The designer then gets to work, transferring the idea onto paper, which in turn is copied onto the material. Only then will the design be passed on to an embroiderer for embroidering in gold or silver thread.

"We have two motif designers," Daslina said.

A motif for the back of a chair costs Rp 500. The motif for a larger piece, such as a table cloth, costs the same price.

"I started to design motifs at the age of 20. Nobody taught me. I experimented and copied from existing samples," designer Samidan, 65, said.

Before she got married, Samidan had no idea how to make a living. But, she came to face the facts of life right after she got married, at the age of 14. Her husband was very poor. As a fisherman, he did not have a regular income.

She learned to draw motifs by looking at things around her, like mosquito nets. The motifs are never of consistent measurements because she uses her feelings.

"I simply guess at the measurements," she said.

"I think drawing motifs is more complicated than doing the embroidery. An embroiderer only needs to follow the motifs. It is different with drawing. A motif designer has to use her creativity to draw a picture from an idea," she explained.

Samidan said that her motifs are usually taken from nature, such as plants and animals. She draws Bungong Meulu (Camellia flower), Bungong Pucuk Paku (Fern Buds), Bungong Tolak Angin, Bunga Berantai, and Bunga Daun Sirih (flowers of betel nut leaf). There are also birds of paradise, doves, carved leaves, rencong (traditional Aceh knife), or the hat of Teuku Umar (hero of the Aceh War). The motifs are of no specific meaning or purpose. They are just drawings.

In the 45 years of her career as a motif designer, she has created 50 designs.

People who want to order a design are shown available samples. They can request a new design, as long as they can explain in detail the form and desired motif.

"I make Rp 4,000 a day at the most, Rp 2,500 at the least," she said.