Trusmi: Batik-making center in Cirebon

Trusmi: Batik-making center in Cirebon

By Berto B. Wedhatama

CIREBON, West Java (JP): Indonesia has earned world renown for
its batik. Not many people know, though, that only a few areas in
Indonesia produce batik of good quality. One of these few areas
is Cirebon.

Better known as the city of shrimps, Cirebon can boast about
its batik, known among batik lovers as the coastal batik. A
fitting name considering the city's location on the northern
coast of Java.

Cirebon was once known as a melting pot where Islamic
Sundanese Kingdoms existed and was frequently visited by traders
and scholars from Persia, India, China, and Europe. It was a
center of dissemination of Islam.

Each of these elements contributed to the designs of Cirebon
batik. Designs are freely painted against a plain background
that may be dyed in yellowish color.

Old Cirebon batiks have ticker and strong lines because they
were usually made by male members. It was years later that women
took up batikker profession. The women-made batik was usually
finer as they use canting pen.

Cirebon batik usually has a brighter color base than that of
batik from other places in Java, for example Yogyakarta and
Surakarta, where the dominant colors are dark brown or black and
white. The patterns and motifs of Cirebon batik are either
generally connected with local folk tales or a depiction of
Cirebon's own natural landscape, such as the painting of
Sunyaragi Cave, Singa Wadas or shrimp-like shapes.

Cirebon batikmakers still rely on the traditional method and
system. Traditional batik production centers are found in
villages of Trusmi and the Karang Tengah. Chinese-style Cirebon
Batiks are produced in the Kunduran Chinese village.

A real batik-making mill is yet to be set up in Cirebon as
most of Cirebon batik is the output of household industrial
undertakings in Trusmi village, the largest batik producer
located some seven kilometers from downtown Cirebon. Batikmakers
in this village have their own skills, from people making
handmade batik to those selling the product.

One of the more famous owners of a batik-making business in
this village, H. Abed Menda, who set up his business in 1981,
said that Trusmi, a kyai (Muslim elder), established this
village, which was later named after him, in the 14th century. It
was this kyai, Menda said, that first taught the villagers how to
make batik. Over the centuries, batik-making has become the main
livelihood of the villagers of Trusmi, said Menda.

Batik-making has been able to flourish in Trusmi village also
because one of nature's elements in the village is conducive. The
result of a survey in Trusmi has shown that the acidity level of
water in this village is suitable for batik coloring, a reason
why the resulting colors are bright and real.

Today the motifs and patterns in Trusmi batik are becoming
richer to cater to market demand and developments in batik-making
although, of course, the uniqueness of the batik will continue to
be preserved. Cirebon batik has also attracted foreign buyers.

Menda said, however, that batikmakers in Trusmi have yet to
export their products. Although Cirebon batik is sold only
domestically, batikmakers in Trusmi can earn a living, between Rp
10,000 and Rp 15,000 a day, depending on the level of difficulty
of the job. Traders later sell the batik for between Rp 150,000
and Rp 1,500,000, depending on the materials and the length of
time taken to make them. Handmade batik costs more than printed
batik.

Anyone interested in seeing how Cirebon batik is made can take
a 30-minute bus ride from downtown Cirebon to Plered, disembark
at the three-way intersection close to Plered market, where a
board bearing the name of Trusmi is clearly visible. There are
various batik workshops within walking distance in the village.