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.