Sintang ikat: West Kalimantan textiles find their spotlight

Sintang ikat: West Kalimantan textiles find their spotlight

Emiria Wijayanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It was still a jungle out there when Father Peter Jac. Maessen
first stepped foot in West Kalimantan 35 years ago.

In a country still reeling from the political and social
turmoil of two years before, Sintang was a sleepy, almost
forgotten backwater along the Kapuas River.

Set to conduct missionary work among the Dayak tribespeople,
the Dutchman never imagined that he would along the way build up
a venerable collection of local textiles and help revive interest
in the craft.

As fate would have it, he did just that: Maessen helped establish Kobus,
an information and advice center for the culture of West
Kalimantan and the Dayak Ikat Weaving Cooperative, aiming to
provide an income for the women weavers, as well as instill
respect for their cultural heritage in the community.

The current exhibition of Sintang ikats at the Jakarta Textile
Museum, titled Woven Dreams: Women and Weaving in Indonesian
Borneo, comes from his collection.

The Indonesian Textile Society (Wastaprema), led by Adiati P.
Siregar, visited Sintang in March of this year, and invited Kobus
to Jakarta in conjunction with the society's 28th anniversary.

The success of Kobus and the revival in the fortunes of
Sintang ikats can be credited squarely to the arrival of Maessen.

"When I first came to Indonesia, there were no roads into
Sintang. It took me 88 hours to reach Sintang from the main road
in West Kalimantan," said Maessen during his trip to Jakarta for
the exhibition.

He had heard of local textiles, but discovered that the craft
had become an almost extinct "underground" activity.

"Upon my arrival, I was interested in this weaving culture
that they had. Women would weave in the night under flickering
light. When I first approached them, they were hesitant to show
me their work. It seemed as they were ashamed and did not want to
acknowledge the richness of their culture."

The seeming lack of interest from locals did not dampen
Maessen's efforts to find out more. At the time, the textiles
were woven by old women, many of whom begged off weaving new ones
due to poor health.

"They gave me reasons like their inability to see clearly
anymore. So, I gave them glasses. This pleased them, not because
they could weave, but because they could see their grandchildren
clearly for the first time."

And so the women began weaving again.

"I started to take their weaving to experts who responded
positively. They would give money for the finished products and I
gave this money back to the people, who would give it to their
children for school."

This new source of income, more valuable to locals than any
plaudits from foreign visitors about the beauty of the textiles,
spurred renewed interest in the craft.

"The weavers in the community achieved more respect from
youngsters, who received money to go to school. They began to see
the potential of their weaving culture and wanted to do more."

Interest in the Sintang weaving tradition grew, helping the
production of ikats.

"We were first aided by Pia Alisyahbana," he said of the
publisher and patron of the arts.

"She provided us with paint and thread. And there was added
value because we would be featured in articles within her
publications. People started to come to Sintang to see the ikats
and when they appreciated what they saw, they began to pay money
for them."

Although the growth in popularity has ensured higher
production, Maessen said his objective was more than the
commercial value.

"Personally, I am fascinated with the people behind the
textiles. I am convinced of the importance of this heritage, it
must not disappear, for it comes from their ancestors," he
said.

"These textiles portray the human values we have. It shows the
story of the Dayak people."

The intricate quality of the textiles is apparent in each
piece and its motifs.

"The pattern of the textile starts from the sandung, in
reference to the final resting place of Dayak ancestors," Maessen
said as he examined his favorite piece on display.

"The design goes on to the shape of a serempang, which is a
spear with hooks, symbolizing the monogamy of marriage. A deer is
a symbol of the joys of life and a spider's web symbolizes
closeness of a family.

"It is important that people are aware of the thought behind
the creation and how these textiles are a medium of expression."

Sintha Djandam-Assan, a visitor to the exhibition who is of
Dayak Ma'angan descent, was appreciative of the efforts of the
Dutchman in continuing the textile tradition of her ancestors.

"This exhibition makes me feel very proud, and I'm touched by
people like Father Maessen."

Curator Lucy Djuhari hoped the textiles would eventually reach
a wider audience.

"We hope to go international one day, while along the way
prodding the nation to be proud of this tradition," she said,
adding that many Indonesians were also unaware that ikat did not
only come from West Nusa Tenggara.

Kobus also plans to involve more Dayak in the weaving
activities to improve their economic welfare.

Although aiming to gain greater recognition of West
Kalimantan's ikat weaving tradition, Lucy said it was important
to ensure the quality of each piece.

"We hope to raise the quality of our products, our material,
etc. What we don't want though, is to gain commercialism through
mass production and lose the artistic value. We hope the weavers
will still do this as a part-time job or a hobby, while achieving
their dream of schooling their children through weaving and
hopefully create a better future."

As observers carefully scan the Sintang ikat on display at the
museum on the opening day, Maessen looked on proudly.

"When I first wore ikat textiles in Kalimantan on special
occasions, the local people would mock me," he said. "But today,
everyone here is wearing a piece of textile as his or her attire.
They are proud of it. They have accepted the culture and
tradition."

The writer, an undergraduate student at Wesleyan University in
the United States, is an intern at The Jakarta Post.

Woven Dreams - Women and Weaving in Indonesian Borneo
Until Sept. 10, 2004
The Jakarta Textile Museum
Jl. K.S. Tubun No.4
Tanah Abang, West Jakarta

Opening hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Friday, 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Monday: Closed