Lampung 'tapis': No longer a sacred status symbol

Lampung 'tapis': No longer a sacred status symbol

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung

For the Lampung community, tapis cloth reflects the status of the
owner.

Take Tapis Raja Medal, for example. This particular type of
cloth may be worn only during traditional ceremonies by the upper
class of the indigenous Lampung ethnic group, such as family
members of traditional community elders or tribal chiefs.

Such ceremonies include wedding receptions or the conferring
of a traditional title (cakak pepadun). Even among the upper
class, there are special rules that must be observed when wearing
the cloth.

The type of the ceremony will determine which tapis cloth
should be worn. For weddings and cakak pepadun, only Tapis Jung
Sarat, Raja Medal, Raja Tunggal, Dewasano, Limar Sekebar, Ratu
Tulang Bawang and Cucuk Semako can be worn.

If a piece of tapis cloth is worn for a cangget, an event in
which a dance is performed to honor an important guest, then it
must be one with any of these motifs: Bintang Perak, Tapis Balak,
Pucuk Rebung, Lawek Linau or Kibang. For elderly women, the tapis
worn is usually Tapis Agheng, Cucuk Pinggir or Tapis Kaca.

If a piece of tapis cloth is worn when it should not be, a
traditional sanction will be imposed on the wearer. He or she
will be admonished by the other members of the community. If, for
example, someone who has yet to meet the traditional requirements
for wearing Tapis Medal insists on wearing it during a
traditional ceremony, the cloth may be taken off in public.

However, modernization has caused tapis cloth to lose its
sacred quality. Today, it is worn not only by noble families and
traditional community elders, but also by lower class Lampung
people. There is a difference, though.

The thread used to embroider the cloth worn by traditional
community elders is usually mixed with gold but for ordinary
people, the thread is gold in color only.

Despite this difference, the motifs embroidered on tapis cloth
worn by ordinary people are still beautiful. However, the cloth
may only be worn for certain traditional rites, such as bumammat,
an event in which youngsters recite the Koran in a traditional
hall in the presence of community elders and others as evidence
that they can read the Koran.

"As times changed, the motifs used in tapis also changed, but
the old-style motifs are still extant," said Aisyah Yaqub, 66, a
tapis maker from Natar village, South Lampung.

Aisyah cited as an example the Pucuk Rebung (bamboo shoot)
motif, which has been known since time immemorial, or decorative
motifs that have survived since the Hindu era.

The Pucuk Rebung motif, a symbol of prosperity, remains the
main motif used in tapis cloth today. Also still popular nowadays
is the spiral motif, the symbol of worship of the sun and nature.

The decorative motif of the Tree of Life is also believed to
signify the unity and oneness of God, the creator of the
universe.

Aisyah said that in the old days, tapis makers prepared their
materials by themselves. They wove the fabric using the ikat
weaving method and made the thread out of cotton. They used silk
worms to produce silk yarns and collected pantis, bees wax used
to stiffen thread.

To preserve the yarn, they used the roots of the fragrant
citronella grass. Then, to avoid discoloring, they used betel
leaves. For red colorant, they used raw areca nuts, pacar
(Lawsonia inermis) leaves and jejal tree bark They used Eugenia
cumini/polyantha bark and Nephelium lappaceum to obtain black
dye. For blue, they used mahogany bark, while durian (Durio
zibethinus) was used for brown.

If they wanted a stronger bluer, they would use lanson fruit
or talom leaves. As for yellow, this obtained this using turmeric
and lime.

"All these materials, taken from nature, are much better in
quality than those that you can obtain now in the shops," Aisyah
said.

Nowadays, she said, if you wanted to make tapis cloth, you
simply bought a spool of cotton thread of the Tiger or Astra
brand. This thread comes in various colors. To embroider, you
simply buy a spool of gold thread.

You must be highly skilled to be able to make tapis cloth and
the process of making it is long and complicated. It usually
takes between two weeks and two months to make one piece of tapis
cloth.

The process is unique and has magical connotations. In the
past, a piece of tapis cloth was made of pineapple leaves.
Throughout the process of weaving and embroidering, the tapis
maker would recite mantras to ensure that the cloth would not
bring harm to anyone wearing it later.

As has been mentioned earlier, you will need cotton, cotton
thread and gold thread to make tapis cloth. Cotton is the basic
material, while the cotton thread and gold thread are used to
embroider decorative motifs on the cloth.

When you have collected all the materials, the first thing to
do is to weave the cloth. This process is called mattakh. Then
comes the embroidering of the decorative motifs on the cloth. To do this
you will need an instrument called a tekang, which is a
rectangular-shaped board on which the cloth for embroidering is
stretched. The embroidering is done manually using a needle. Of
course, before you do this, you will have traced out your motif
on the cloth.

There are many kinds of decorative motifs. You may prefer the
geometrical motifs like diamond shapes or motifs taken from
plants or animals. If you decide to draw a motif of a plant,
usually you will opt for symmetrically embroidered flowers or
tendrils. The decorative motif of a tendril is usually
embroidered in the shape of a string and used for Tapis Cucuk
Andak and Inuh. The tendril is spiral shaped. If you like
animals, then you will usually opt for a dragon, a bird (a
garuda, a mythical bird in Hinduism that transported the god
Vishnu through space, or a peacock), a cock or other animal.

A bird signifies someone's high social status while a cock
symbolizes bravery. The motif of a peacock, which is noted for
the beauty of its tail, symbolizes grandeur.

This motif is found in Perahu Garuda (Garuda's Boat) tapis,
which is usually worn to a traditional feast. It is the symbol of
the attainment of high social status. The motif of a bird is
usually found in tapis cloth worn by elderly ladies and generally
the cloth has a dark foundation color.

You can also find the motif of other animals, such as
elephants, water buffalo or winged horses. An elephant and a
water buffalo symbolize prosperity while a winged horse is the
symbol of bravery.

These motif are usually found on the tapis cloth worn by young
ladies and the wives of traditional community elders, and are
called Tapis Raja Medal, Tapis Raja Tunggal and Tapis Gajah
Meghem. You can also find dragon, fish or butterfly motifs, a
clear sign of Chinese influence.

Aside from plants and animals, human beings also feature in
tapis cloth motifs. Usually the motif depicts someone riding a
horse, an elephant or his rato (royal carriage). These motifs,
which show that a person is higher than an animal, can be found
in Tapis Raja Tunggal and Tapis Raja Medal.

The motif of a human being can also be found in Tapis Ratu
Tulang Bawang. It depicts someone wearing a crown or having
horns, symbols of respectability at a very high level.

There are also a motif in the form of a silver-colored star or
a crescent. This is found in Tapis Limar and symbolizes a bright
future. The motif of a boat is found in Tapis Raja Tunggal, Tapis
Salem Di Lawek Di Gunung and symbolizes a transitional period,
which, according to the worldview of Lampung people, means a
desire to reach higher social status.

The boat clearly symbolizes the means with which someone can
climb the social ladder. Last but not least, there is the Pucuk
Rebung motif, which symbolizes prosperity and natural wealth.