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.