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Jakarta Post

'Ulos' textiles weave future for Sipirok communities

The handwoven Batak textile industry provides a livelihood for many weaving communities in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra.

Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post)
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Sipirok, North Sumatra
Fri, May 3, 2019

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'Ulos' textiles weave future for Sipirok communities Bold weave: The traditional Batak 'ulos' textile from Sipirok district in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra, are known for their bright colors and geometric motifs. (JP/Apriadi Gunawan)

T

he people of Sipirok district in North Sumatra rely heavily on the local traditional textile industry to support community welfare and improve lives.

Twenty-six-year-old Anwar Saleh Nasution, an estate worker turned craftsman, has made a fortune through his thriving ulos (handwoven Batak textile) business in Padang Bujur village, located in Sipirok district of South Tapanuli, North Sumatra.

Anwar says he enjoys running the business he set up six years ago, as well as his many customers, most of who purchase ulos and songket (brocaded textile) to wear in traditional attire. Anwar sells ulos for Rp 250,000 (US$17.5) per piece, and songket for Rp 500,000 to Rp 5.5 million per piece.

Quality tradition: A weaver uses a traditional floor loom to make  'ulos'.
Quality tradition: A weaver uses a traditional floor loom to make 'ulos'. (JP/Apriadi Gunawan)

The higher price for the songket derived from the complex craft of producing handwoven brocade, Anwar explained, whereas machine-woven songket carried a lower price tag.

"A piece of machine-made songket can be finished in three days," Anwar told The Jakarta Post during an interview. "It takes a month to produce one piece of handmade songket.”

He said that while machine-made and handmade songket were similar in terms of the finished product, they used different materials.

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