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INDONESIAS
FABULOUS FABRIC
ATIK has been around for ages, yet it is wood, bark, and spices, although synthet-
B not old-fashioned. Royalty wear it at fan-
cy receptions, as do traders at local market-
ic dyes are also used. Before wax was intro-
duced, vegetable pastes, animal fats, and even
places. It is beautiful, colorful, and incredibly mud were used to create patterns. Nowadays,
varied. But what is batik? How is it made? the wax is often synthetic. Yet, a mixture of
Where did it originate? And how is it used to- paran and beeswax is still used.
day?
Long HistoryBright Future
Batik is a fabric with an ancient history.
The Batik design is made by using a special No one knows exactly when and where ba-
dye-resistant technique and has become an tik was made for the rst time. In China,
integral part of Indonesian life and culture. some fragments of batik date back to the
Similar fabrics are popular the world over. sixth century C.E. It is still unclear when the
technique became known in Indonesia, but
A Marriage of Dye and Wax by the 17th century, there was evidence of a
A craftsperson produces a piece of batik batik trade to and from Indonesia.
cloth by using a small copper tool lled with In recent decades, batik has gained greater
liquid wax to draw by hand an intricate de- popularity and has become a symbol of In-
sign on a piece of fabric. When the wax is dry, donesian national identity. In 2009, in recog-
the fabric is dyed. Waxed parts keep their nat- nition of batiks long history in Indonesia and
ural color, unaected by the dye. The process its impact on local culture, UNESCO listed
is often repeated using various colored dyes batik as part of the countrys Intangible Cul-
to create vivid designs. tural Heritage of Humanity.
In the mid-19th century, Batik artisans
used copper stamps to apply the wax. This Batik Attire
method was faster than using the handheld There are traditional ways of wearing, fold-
tool and could be used to produce identi- ing, and making batik that are inuenced by
cal pieces of fabric. During the 20th century, local beliefs and superstitions. Many of In-
commercial factories started to screen print donesias provinces have their own typical ba-
the design on the fabric. Handmade batik can tik colors and motifs. Batik from the north
still be purchased. However, the industrially coast of Java, for example, is brightly colored,
printed batik now dominates the market. often having motifs of owers, birds, and oth-
Cotton or silk is usually used to make ba- er animals. However, batik from central Java
tik. Dyes are made from locally grown leaves, usually has a narrower color range, and the
22 Awake! June 2012
A small copper tool lled with liquid wax is The fabric with the wax design is
used to draw an intricate design by hand repeatedly dipped into the dye