Batik, the Culture That Is Often Claimed by Another

source: https://kontinentalist.com/stories/what-is-batik-unweaving-the-fabric-of-an-identity

Batik, one of the cultural identities of Indonesia, is a technique of using wax and dye to create patterns on pieces of clothes. This practice has been passed down among the people of Indonesia for centuries and has been adopted in many parts of the world, such as Asia, South America, and also Europe. There are many assumptions that state Batik did not come from Indonesia, but then UNESCO or the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization appointed Batik as one of the Indonesian national cultures. 

When we look into the history of Batik, we can see from the 17th-century Dutch transcripts that tell us about Javanese Batik designs. The patterns or designs can be observed to be similar to the carvings on the walls of ancient Javanese temples. Some experts believe that Batik designs had been used for royalties and special occasions while others believe that the people themselves had also used it for their daily lives. 

UNESCO officially declared Batik to be a part of Indonesian culture in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on 2nd October 2009.  In 2008, the Indonesian government did not just stand idly by when another country had claimed Batik as theirs. After a year of hard work, Indonesian Batik was officially nominated and in the process of consideration by UNESCO on 9th January 2009.

In these modern days, Batik has been recognized by the international community as a part of Indonesian culture. Batik contributed to Indonesia’s economic export value, which engaged with Japan, the United States, and Europe. Even though the Batik trend is rising amongst the international community, the daily use of Batik clothes by the Indonesian people is still low. This contradicts the fact that Batik is the national pride of Indonesian culture.

Reference:

Gaffney, D. (n.d.). What is Batik? The Batik Guild. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://www.batikguild.org.uk/batik/what-is-batik 

Adriennawati, B. (2019, October 4). Batik After 10 Years of World Recognition. Medium. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://medium.com/life-at-tokopedia/batik-after-10-years-of-world-recognition-3e15aa22fe74

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. (2009). Indonesian Batik. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/indonesian-batik-00170 

Living in Indonesia, A Site for Expatriates. (n.d.). Batik, the Traditional Fabric of Indonesia. Living in Indonesia, A Site for Expatriates. Retrieved November 9, 2021, from https://www.expat.or.id/info/batik.html

Andwika, Rizky. (2014, October 2). Kisah batik Indonesia pernah mau diklaim Malaysia. merdeka.com. Retrieved November 15, 2021, from https://www.merdeka.com/peristiwa/kisah-batik-indonesia-pernah-mau-diklaim-malaysia.html