WORLD CRAFTS COUNCIL
(WCC AISBL) INTERNATIONAL
Yogyakarta (Indonesia)
There are over 75,000 handicraft makers that spread out in the villages and urban villages all over in Yogyakarta Special Region producing everything from key chains to furniture. Although the stalls on Jal an Malioboro and in Pasar Beringharjo sell many of these locally made products, day-trips to the villages where they originate provides a look at the workers in action and a jaunt into the countryside, leaving the noise and traffic of Jogja behind.
Yogyakarta has many types of crafts including batik the province. Most of the crafts, including batik, in Yogyakarta relates to the agriculture and the activities of women who works at home while raising her children. And Batik has developed since ancient time even before the establishment of Borobodur temple (Mataram Buddha's Kingdom in 7th century)
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ln comparison to the other areas of batik in Java, the batik from Jogja has directly connection to the original of Mataram batik. As in the Giyanti Treaty in 1755, the lslamic Mataram was divided into 2 (two) Kingdoms, there are Solo and Yogyakarta. Based on the document Serta Jati Sari, 3 important components from lslamic Kingdoms of Mataram should be brought to Yogyakarta rulers. There are customs, heirlooms, and culture. This is including batik motifs and styles. Currently, Batik (hand painted and stamped) are spread out in the area of Yogyakarta city, Bantu, Sleman, Kulon Progo, Gunungkidul in Yogyakarta Special Territory.
Batik has a high impact in the social, cultural and economy. Batik permeates the lives of Javaneses from beginning to end: infants are carried in batik slings decorated with symbols designed to bring the child luck, and the dead are shrouded in funerary batik. Clothes with everyday designs are worn regularly in business and academic settings, while special varieties are incorporated into celebrations of marriage and pregnancy and into puppet theatre as well as other art forms.
The garments even play the central role in certain rituals, such as the ceremonial casting of royal batik into a volcano. The other example, there is a special ceremony called mitoni, dedicated for the 7th months of the first pregnancy. ln the series of the wedding ceremony, certain motifs of batik will be used by the couple, parents and families.
The culture of handmade batik consists of intangible cultural values such as associated rituals, symbolism of patterns and motifs and local cultural identity. This culture is closely related to other elements of Indonesia's intangible cultural heritage, eg. the wayang puppet theatre and kris.
Yogyakarta is a craft centre that is known nationally and internationally. In addition, the Yogyakarta are well-known with diligent craftsmen who have high creativity. It is not surprising that the crafts as a productive economic activity has become a commodity of Yogyakarta. Since a long time, batik has also been part of the small labor-intensive industries and local commodity. Instead of special batik shops those fabrics will also be provided in the most local market of certain villages until the big market in the city of Yogyakarta. Now batik become part of the green fashion movement, and express through wall painting, guitar (wooden batik), and leather batik and give a lot of contribution to the development Yogyakarta Special Region economy.
he traditional batik textile has passed down for generation since ancient time in Java, Indonesia. It is mostly produced by generation to generation in a family within various villages/urban settlements in Java. Batik is presented by the citizens to the nations and now belongs to the world, as a work of art and tradition needed to be maintained, conserved, and developed for the future generation, the steward of Indonesian cultural heritage.
The motif of batik symbolizes the nature - flora fauna, social status, and/or history. These patterns and motifs possess deep symbolism related to social status, local community, nature, history and cultural heritage. Expectant mothers wear batik; babies are carried in batik slings and touch batik with their feet when they first touch the ground; brides, marriage couples and family members wear batik; even corpses are covered with batik: all with appropriate patterns and motifs. Traditional dress includes batik. Batiks are collected and passed down as family heirlooms, each being a work of art with its own story. Batik craftspersons would fast and pray before making batik while meditating accompanied by traditional songs. It takes several days to make a hand-stamped batik, and at least 1 month to 1 year to complete a hand-drawn batik.