History of Batik

Indonesia is the country's most extensive archipelago in the world. Located in Southeast Asia and consists of various islands, and there are more than two hundred thousand. Its land is about five times double than Japan and its population of more than two hundred million people. 

Regarding the dyes and traditional weaving techniques, said the technique also reach as many number of islands or tribe. Motive or a different color based on each village. Therefore, Indonesia is the leading country in the field of dyes and traditional weaving. 

Besides batik is very loved by Japanese people with the name "Java Sarasa", in Indonesia there are techniques like ikat dyeing and weaving, simbut, tritik, rainbows, bulb, and others. Among them, batik, tie, rainbow, and tritik (it was all in Indonesian) has become an international word. Background penginternasionalan Indonesian words are based on results of operations of the Dutch science researchers such as Rouffaer Anthropology, Jasper, and so on. Since the late 19th century until the beginning of the 20th century, it was introduced by Rouffer in Europe.
 
Batik-producing area is about southern Sumatra (Palembang and Jambi), the island of Java, Madura Island, and part of the island of Bali. In the island of Java, the hinterland (located in Yogyakarta and Surakarta), and coastal areas are represented Pekalongan and Cirebon batik are the two largest producing region. About the history of batik, origin is not clear because there is no data, literature, and the real object fabrics. All that has been spoiled because the climate of Indonesia is the tropical climate of high temperature and high humidity.
Then, batik handicraft selected soft for women and women of the royal family and royal palace.  

Batik increasingly spread in the palace. However, ordinary people can not make batik as their raw materials are rare and too expensive. At the end of the 16th century in the coastal areas, the trade got very rapid progress, because it's trading business area develops. So the big sejemlah batik material (white cloth and candles) are imported from India, East or Sumatra, the price dropped on a large-Basaran. Thus, lay people can also make batik an emblem ruler of the kings and nobles. Then, at the beginning of the 17th century, dyes were called "Soga" was discovered, and at the end of the 17th century, began to make batik with a view to sales and profits. After that, under Dutch rule brought forward its manufacture. 

In the circumstances, the king and the sultan of Yogyakarta and Surakarta assign specific motive for the king, the royal family and nobility, namely the motive ban. They wear batik batik-patterned and differentiate ban lay people. When Japanese troops entered the military government, the palace was facing financial difficulties are abnormal, the result was forced to let go and sell batik and batik patterns ban valuable. Finally batik ban was abolished and ordinary people should wear them. 

Around the middle of the 19th century, after the "canting seal" (usually called just "cap" only) direkacipta, total production increases. As a result of being produced at the factory batik, batik number of factories and workshops to increase, as well as batik industry was born. 

After World War?, Batik industry retreat due to lack of raw materials, but to rebuild under the order of Sukarno who threw wisdom "Clothing Food People" who see batik as a general clothing. In 1955, GKBI (Joint Cooperative Batik Indonesia) which was formed in 1948 in Yogyakarta get protection like white cloth allowance prices and monopoly distribution rights. Government to target supply of cheap batik to the layperson. The batik in different regions produce many benefits under the policy.  

However, from 1956 until 1957 all kinds of low-cost clothing began to be imported along with the loosening of import restrictions, so the golden age of batik has been completed. Then, addressing the awareness of people's clothes change rapidly among city dwellers, children, and men. Therefore, people who wear Western clothes grew further. 

Under the order of Suharto, the wisdom of economic progress is run the policy for the protection of batik entrepreneurs abolished. Ironically Sukarno's policy target, realized by clothing and textile companies that thrive in the new economic environment. Then, most employers are becoming commonplace batik batik making cheap pressed by the above companies, forced to switch to other businesses or closing a business. 

In the early 1970's, batik print technologies emerge. Therefore, batik and batik increasingly displaced by batik print. Without the need to say, the market batik and batik batik print can not compete with that can be mass produced. In the circumstances, worried about the future of batik and the batik tradition. If face to face fabrics sold by the position of the consumer, what the difference between print batik and batik are made in traditional techniques? Basically batik print is not made as a high-quality goods, but made a low-quality goods.  

Conversely, Iwan Tirta, Josephine Komara, and so make "batik new generation" who have a sense of luxury and high-class example used gold and silver threads and silk are used instead of cotton. Batik that they became popular among women Indonesian cities and abroad. The new generation of batik is usually called "the creator of textile" or "textile creators". 

More and more light in the early 1990's, largely divided into three market demand for batik, namely high-class, middle class and low class. Inside the market, in terms of quantity of low grade market occupies an absolute comparison because most of the population lives in villages, then there are many women that a history of low education and income. Therefore, the lower the market became terbasar batik class. Demand high-grade batik is still strong because there is wear traditional batik motifs and traditional colored dress up time in Java. 

Neither of the above occurred with the commonplace in the modern economy of capital machinery and technology giants urged small-scale traditional industries that depend on the job at hand.
Batik is interesting world is not only a new generation of batik, batik and batik stamp only. Also, do not forget the clothes, kelongtong goods, and production of print interior like a flower motif, eagle, machetes, and others. These items have become popular among both Indonesian and foreigners as it can reaffirm its identity for Indonesia. For foreigners such as tourists, the goods mentioned above becomes a memento journey. 

Finally, the attraction of batik is not three markets and batik items scattered, but stimulate each other, increasing the value of the circumstances, and play the harmony, which coexist and prosper together.