Muscat - Indonesia, the world`s largest Muslim country and an amalgam of thousands of islands, showcases the diversity of its cultural heritage in the form of traditional art and handicrafts at the Crafts Village in Qurum Natural Park.
Batik, Arabic calligraphy on wood, special antique textiles, fine gold jewellery, ornaments and carvings are some of the priceless artefacts on display at the Indonesian pavilion.
One of the highly developed art forms, batik, thought to have originated in Indonesia, strikingly adorns the walls of the stalls in the pavilion.
Ade Kresna Suwandi, a specialist in batik production, says the whole batik process is a tedious one.
“It needs one year to create a complete batik print. It requires natural dye. It takes three months to extract dye from trees, roots and leaves. Another seven months are necessary for the application of colours to the cloth. The cloth is dipped and soaked in the dye bath several times over a period of seven months,” Suwandi adds.
Batik attires are worn as formal and informal dresses. On special occasions like the wedding, the bride and the bridegroom wear dresses with the same batik design as it symbolises happiness and prosperity.
In the next stall, among a variety of antique textiles on display, is a 200-year-old cloth that have designs of sheep, believed to have been gifted by the King of Bander Lampung to the queen.
“The king believed that the sheep on the cloth were from Noah`s Arc,” says the woman at the counter. The cost of the cloth is a whopping RO13,000, while a cloth called cukcukanda costs RO1,600.
These antique textiles have special significance and play a vital role in the lives of Indonesians. Some of these special textiles are worn only during traditional events. Certain dresses with highly distinctive designs are reserved to be worn only by the royal family members, she adds.
Exhibition of antique jewellery is another attraction in the stall. Gold necklaces, pendants and other exquisite ornamental jewellery add glitter to the entire pavilion.
Ranging from 14 karats to 18 karats, this antique collection is priced three times the market price of gold in the international market.
Soel Djang Rono, who owns this private collection, proudly shows a special necklace of Tanimbar gold named after the Tanimbar island. She says nobles used these ornamentations.
Pointing to a small gold pendant, Rono says: “It is a wedding present for the bride. High status women are presented with gold pendants, whereas others are given pendants of silver or brass.” In some parts of Indonesia, Rono adds, this piece of gold jewellery is used to decorate water buffaloes during ceremonies.
The art of Islamic calligraphy also occupies an important place in Indonesian history. In one of the stalls, Arabic calligraphy carved out of wood, exhibits craftsmanship at its best.
“First the design is drawn on a piece of paper, which is then placed onto the wood. It is traced with a pencil and then chiselled out accordingly, “ says Abdul Haris Noor, craftsman at the stall. Abdul says it takes three weeks to prepare calligraphy on wood and the price is anything above RO100.
To sum up, the art and craft of the Indonesian archipelago, finely ingrained in their cultural life, speaks volumes for the country`s vibrant history. It`s certainly a tribute to the artisans who have passed on the skills from one generation to another.
Source: timesofoman.com (11 Februari 2008)
