culture and appreciation

I used to be a looser :(. I never really appreciated my own culture until I am abroad. It feels very proud when other foreigner able to appreciate what we have as an entity (in term of culture and values). To be able to appreciate our own culture and values is not easy. Youth might tend to see it as an old fashion-outdated (alias ketinggalan jaman).
Once upon a time, I uploaded my pictures using this traditional clothes on my facebook. I got abundance of admiration responds from my beloved foreigner friends and some of my Indonesian friend. However, I was extremely upset as some of my other Indonesian friends put improper comment such as addressed me as an ondel-ondel.
Well, this is me and this is what I am. I am so proud being what I am (who have thousands of unique cultures and languages). I would not called myself as an Javanese but I am nusantaranese (woohoo I invented another vocabulary). I can be Acehnese, Bataknese, Padangnese, Lampungnese, Java, Sundanese, Balinese, Dayak, Bugis, Ambonese, Papua, Timorese. I am so proud to be with them and I feel very rich as well!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1030425&id=675018181&ref=mf

autumn in corvallis

From sabang to merauke, ethnique-exotic-deli"fabrics"cious (3)

Ulos Batak: Ulos rujat dan ikat

The Batak people of Northern Sumatra have a history of weaving Ulos ni tondi (Cloth of the Soul) for ritual & ceremonial purposes that dates back to their earliest history. Batak myth tells that Lake Toba is the centre of the Earth & that the Batak are descendants of the first humans. The Toba Batak People live on Samosir Island & around the shores of Lake Toba.Weaving is still a vital and imporant part of the batak way of life.

Traditional Toba Batak Ulos (cloth) is hand made on a body tension (back strap) loom using hand dyed thread. Often villages produce only one or two Ulos designs, slight variations are seen between weavers. Some pieces have limited availability. Natural dyes are used in combination with commercial dyes. Twinning & braiding are techniques specifically used by the Batak. Women are the traditional weavers, children and men assist in twinning and spooling. Ulos have ritual & ceremonial meaning and are worn as head, shoulder or hip cloths. Batak people are proud of and cherish their own personal Ulos and weaving traditions.

Today you can see a fabulous array of personal Ulos being worn at ceremonies and celebrations, or being used as everyday carrying cloths and clothing.

From sabang to merauke, ethnique-exotic-deli"fabrics"cious (2)

Kain Bidap Bengkulu

http://www.indokain.com/various/index.html#bengkulu

Bengkulu 'bidap' - silk weft ikat, gold thread work - Interesting piece. Ikat (silk) center area, uncommon gold work.

From sabang to merauke, ethnique-exotic-deli"fabrics"cious (1)

LIMAR Palembang

The kain limar of the Palembang region of Sumatra are highly prized weft ikat silk selandangframed with gold supplementary threadwork. Kain limar w/ green center (widow's cloth) .

Lines of Acehnese Songket

Glory of Baju Bodo

source:

http://http://www.angingmammiri.org/lomba/?cat=4

Malabbiri memang tongngi

Tulolona Sulawesi

Mabbaji ampe mabbaji ampe

Alusu’ ri pangadakang
Tulolona Sulawesi..Tulolona Sulawesi..
Malabbiri memang tongngi

Tulolona sulawesi

Mabbaju bodo mabbaju bodo

Nakingking lipa’ sabbena..

[Lagu daerah Sulawesi Selatan : Tulolona Sulawesi]

Sepenggal lirik lagu yang menggambarkan seorang dara mengenakan baju bodo dan lipa’ sabbe.
Baju bodo adalah baju adat Bugis-Makassar yang dikenakan oleh perempuan. Sedangkan Lipa’ sabbe adalah sarung sutra, biasanya bercorak kotak dan dipakai sebagai bawahan baju bodo.
Konon dahulu kala, ada peraturan mengenai pemakaian baju bodo. Masing-masing warna manunjukkan tingkat usia perempuan yang mengenakannya.1. Warna jingga, dipakai oleh perempuan umur 10 tahun.2. Warna jingga dan merah darah digunakan oleh perempuan umur 10-14 tahun.3. Warna merah darah untuk 17-25 tahun.4. Warna putih digunakan oleh para inang dan dukun.5. Warna hijau diperuntukkan bagi puteri bangsawan6. Warna ungu dipakai oleh para janda.
Selain peraturan pemakaian baju bodo itu, dahulu juga masih sering didapati perempuan Bugis-Makassar yang mengenakan Baju Bodo sebagai pakaian pesta, misalnya pada pesta pernikahan. Akan tetapi saat ini, baju adat ini sudah semakin terkikis oleh perubahan zaman. Baju bodo kini terpinggirkan, digantikan oleh kebaya modern, gaun malam yang katanya modis, atau busana-busana yang lebih simpel dan mengikuti trend.
Walau dengan keterpinggirannya, Baju bodo kini tetap dikenakan oleh mempelai perempuan dalam resepsi pernikahan ataupun akad nikah. Begitu pula untuk passappi’-nya (Pendamping mempelai, biasanya anak-anak). Juga digunakan oleh pagar ayu. (dari berbagai sumber)

Batik Pesisir (5 cards in a cover)

source: http://www.heritagejkt.org/

North coast Javanese batik - batik pesisir - is a melding of international artistic styles. A thriving trade with China, India, and the countries of the Mediterranean area, along with Dutch colonial influences, led to the intermarriage of foreigners with Indonesia’s native peoples.
Indo-Chinese, Indo-Arabians and Indo-Europeans all inhabited the north coast of Java from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. Most of the designs found on batik pesisir are naturalistic and show a strong foreign cultural influence with various color variations.
The coastal locations of Cirebon and Indramayu also inspire their designs to be closely related to the sea.

history of batik

source: wikipedia
Batik (pronunciation: [ˈba.teʔ], but often, in English, is [ˈbæ.tɪk] or [bəˈtiːk]) is a wax-resist dyeing technique used on textile. Batik is found in several countries of West Africa, such as Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Mali, and in Asia, such as India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Iran, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. However, it is in Indonesia that it is considered a national art form.

Etymology
Although the word's origin is Javanese, its etymology may be either from the Javanese amba ('to write') and titik ('dot' or 'point'), or constructed from a hypothetical Proto-Austronesian root *beCík, meaning 'to tattoo' from the use of a needle in the process. The word is first recorded in English in the Encyclopædia Britannica of 1880, in which it is spelt battik. It is attested in the Malay of the Dutch colonial period in the various forms mbatek, mbatik, batek and batik.[1][2][3] The word is now used in both contemporary Indonesian and Malay languages.
Batik is believed to have originated in China, or more specifically in Yunnan. Until these days, batik is still the main attire of the Yunnan women and they consider batik as one of their heritage. This maybe due to the weaving machine invented by the Chinese that spurred the production of fabrics in Asia, including batiks and sarongs before they made their ways to neighboring people in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia and finally Indonesia.

[edit] Culture
Culture
Batik has been both an art and a craft for centuries. In Java, Indonesia, batik is part of an ancient tradition, and some of the finest batik cloth in the world is still made there.
Contemporary batik, while owing much to the past, is markedly different from the more traditional and formal styles. For example, the artist may use etching, discharge dyeing, stencils, different tools for waxing and dyeing, wax recipes with different resist values and work with silk, cotton, wool, leather, paper or even wood and ceramics.

Hell yeah, Batik is Back

by: Olenka Fatten

After years becoming the icon for traditional-formal clothing only, now batik is back as the mainstream in Indonesian fashion.
What used to be seen as old-style, now is worn proudly by teenagers and young adults hanging out in malls. Sounds weird?
No more.
Young executives wear cutting-edge batik to the office, combined with skirt or pants. Batik is always be in the heart of Indonesian, but what make it special today? Because of the acculturation of traditional and modern fashion.
"Balloon design" is in, traditional-simple design is definitely out. This new design allows girls and women in any ages flatter their beautiful figures without worrying that they will look fat or big. Hell yeah, batik is back!

Land of people and culture

I am walking away from the land with thousand tribes, languages, and customs. But I bring it along on my bag pack as I step my feet to the jet plane.
Indonesia

Batik Pesisir