Batik makers in Cirebon regency, West Java, have welcomed the UNESCO's decision to recognize the method of making batik cloth, as part of the world's cultural heritage on Oct. 2, with the local administration requiring civil servants and students wear clothes made out of batik on that day.
Batik cloth is a fabric traditionally made by manually dipping textile into wax and dying it in an authentic Indonesian blue dye.
A Trusmi batik artisan and an elder of the local batik makers' association, Katura, said on Wednesday the recognition should serve as a momentum to further protect and promote batik internationally.
"This is the best way to protect the nation's culture. The UNESCO's recognition should also serve as an opportunity to promote batik around the world," said Katura.
He added that the recognition should also motivate the government to take the fate of batik makers, artists and artisans more seriously.
"The government should at least protect their work from being claimed by other parties, including foreign countries, as this issue is related to intellectual rights that are part of the nation's dignity."
Cirebon Regent Dedi Supardi has asked 16,000 civil servants, including teachers and students in the regency, to wear batik on Oct. 2.
"We are asking that people wear batik to celebrate the UNESCO granting batik protected cultural status, and also to respond to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's call for Indonesian citizens to wear batik on Oct. 2," said Dedi.
Dedi added the recognition was also a proud moment for the people of Cirebon who had preserved the Cirebon batik for centuries.
"This is also a recognition for the art of traditional Cirebon batik, which is part of the national culture.
"In Cirebon, the art of batik has developed extensively from generation to generation over hundreds of years," said Katura.
He added that the Cirebon batik was also known as the Trusmi batik, named after the Trusmi village, Plered district, Cirebon, the biggest batik production center in West Java.
"Around 700 batik makers are operating there," said Katura, who is an eighth-generation Trusmi batik maker.
He added that batik making in Trusmi was believed to date back to the 14th century, along with the establishment of the Cirebon Kasepuhan sultanate. Batik making later developed among palace circles and spread to communities up the coastal areas.
"The Trusmi batik is famous for its two main patterns, the keratonan and coastal patterns," said Katura.
The keratonan pattern was developed in the two main sultanates in Cirebon. It usually has wadasan (rocks) ornaments and various sultanate heritage objects, such as the Singa Barong (lion) carriage.
The patterns tend to be darker with dominants of black and brown. Classical Trusmi batik patterns include the Panji Sumirang, Naga Seba, Sawunggaling and Mega Mendung.
"The patterns were only used by nobility," said Katura.
