Zivanna Letisha, Miss Indonesia 2008 with Batik (courtesy of: Detik)

If you hear about the dispute about the property right of Batik between Indonesia and Malaysia, you may ask a question; what is Batik anyway?

Batik (or the words of Batik) origin of Javanese words "amba” means write and "nitik" (dot). The words of batik itself pointed to the technique of making a motive by using a special pen or called as “canting” or with stamp (chop) – and dye textile materiel by using a wax materiel (called as “malam”) to make a motive applied to the textile.

The using of “malam” is to prevent a color into the textile, this system also known as wax-resist dyeing.

So, batik textile or “kain batik” means a textile that has an artistic motive made by canting or stamp by using a malam as a color resistant.

This technique only able applied on the special type of textile with a material of natural fiber like cotton, silk or wool, and not a materiel like polyester or other artificial fiber.

We may found a textile with a same motive like batik but it made fabrication printing. That is not batik that is an ordinary textile with a batik motive.

Batik is a craft with highly value of art, every motive has a meaning, it is an old cultural of Indonesian archipelago, especially Javanese.

In the past, Javanese woman using their expertise to made batik as a job to get an income, making batik is an exclusive job until they found a new technique by using a stamp. Since then, not only a woman do make a batik but also a man.

In the beginning the motive and color of batik are very limited, some motive only made for a special social level community, later on the motive and color of batik influenced by other culture like Chinese, Arabic, European, etc. One of the popular Chinese motives of batik is Phoenix style.

The European also taking an interest on Batik, the European motive of batik mostly like a flower motive that originally the Javanese did not made that motive, for example the motive of Tulip flower, even later there are a new motive like building or cart, that also including the color like blue color that very popular by the European.

The traditional batik still keep the original motive, and still using on a special occasion like traditional ceremony, because every motive has a special meaning.

The technique to make batik has known since a thousand years ago. But, there is no clear history literature about the origin of batik. There are some historian said that batik origin from Sumerian tribe and then bringing to Java by some trader from India.

Nowadays batik will found in many countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and Iran. Beside in Asia batik also popular in some countries in African. However, the batik that very famous in the world is coming from Indonesia, especially from Java Island.

The tradition to make batik in the beginning is like a family tradition, which is why sometimes a people will recognize who’s made the batik from the motive. Several motive of batik will shown the status of the person that wearing the batik. Even this time some traditional motive only made for and used by an aristocracy family of Yogyakarta and Surakarta.

Batik is a wealth of Indonesian, especially Java tribe that until now still exist. Batik firstly promoted by the 2nd Indonesian President, Suharto, that he wear batik when he intending the United Nation convention.

HOW TO KAME BATIK

Firstly batik made on the white base color cotton textile, in Java called as “kain mori”. But today, people made batik by using other type materiel of textile like silk, polyester, rayon and other synthetic materiel.

For the detail motive of painting it using a cold liquid wax (called as malam) with special equipment called ‘canting’, or for a wide motive it using a painting brush, so the wax liquid will be penetrate into the textile.

After the painting finish then the textile put in the coloring water, normally starting with the soft color. And then do the same thing with another coloring water – usually with a dark color – to make another motive.

After a several process, the textile that already painted dyed into a chemical water to cleaning the wax. Finally dry it in the sunshine.

TYPE OF BATIK

Batik painting is a textile hand-painted by a texture of batik motive. To made a batik painting with a size approximately 10 feet x 4 feet needed a time around 2 to 3 months.

Batik stamp (chop) is a textile with the same size with batik painting but the motive made by a special motive stamp (the stamp usually made by copper materiel). The process only needed a time between two or three days.