As witnessed both by its place in etnographic museums and collections the world over and the extensive liturature which is devoted to it, the traditionally art of textiles is one of the world’s richest and most diverse.
The diversity of techniques and motifs can be explained in large measure by the archipelacis nature of the country, whose native barriers tend to autonomus local developments, such its own distinctive fatures.
The Batak region which, as already pointed out, constitutes a kind of land-locked “ island “ has given rise to a production of fabric with its own distinct characteristics.
Contrary to those of the other provinces of Indonesia, the Batak textile tradition is devoid of significant external influences such as Indian Chinese.
It appears that the Batak uses practically only cotton in the fabrication of their textiles. His cotton was traditionally produced locally and its spinning was- and sometimes still is- carried out in the families each one of which possessed one or more spinning-wheels.
The usage of milk or gold threards, common at Aceh in the North and in the beautiful Minang textiles South of Tapanuli region, is rare in the true Batak fabrics, ( they are nearly absent in the Toba region, but sometimes used in a limited fashion among the Karo, Simalungun or Mandailing ).
Dyes were also produced locally, but the natural ( eg. Indigo ) or mineral sources have gradually have replaced by less difficult to obtain and more brilliant synthetic ones, which retain their original colouring longer. It must be noted the softness and even the irregularity of the traditinal dyes generated a beauty which can not by matched by their replacements. The ritual importance of textile making among the Batak became manifest at this dying stage. Among the Toba this operation was accompiend by sacrifices and special prayers to the spirits of the ancestors to come and bless the work accomplished.
A widesspread characteristic of Batak textiles is the sobriety of their composition and colouring, often approaching austerity, the simplicity of the motifs, and the sombre hues, black, dark red brown and breish grey being predomiknant.
Nonetheless certain Batak ceremonial cloth ( Ulos Adat ) are rendered more striking as the Ulos called :” Ragi Idup or Ragidun “ ( Ragi – Motif – life ), a handspun cotton cloth with traditinal dyes of deep maroon and indigo colors. The finely detailed geometric motifs including rhomp and key-shapes and panels I red, black, and white continious supplementary cotton thread shows the Dong-Son influence.
Textile production among the Batak is a familu affair, the domain of the women-folk, athough the finishing of the borders is sometimes left to the men. Every house has 9 or had ) one or more looms and every girl learned to work them well before the age of marriage. It is still possible today to see Batak women weaving at their looms in front of the traditinally Batak houses byt the sight is becoming , alas, more and more rare.
Weaving among the Batak is done using a simple horizontal loom situated about 50 cm from the ground. The woof is formed by a single thread and the tension is regulated by a bacstrap upon which the wearer leans back. It should be noted that this type of loom is almost exactly the same as that used in other less developed regions of the archipelago such as the Dayak regionb and the isles East of Bali.
Technically the Batak fabrics are made using the “ Ikat “ process, consisting of dying of the threads before weaving using bindings to prevent the dye staining certain parts of the thread.
“Ikat” means “binding” or “ band “ in Malay and Indonesian and this “saving process, of Dong San origin, is to be found I more or less developed variations throughout the archipelago. The Batak uses one of the simpler, more widely-spread variations, the “ warp Ikan”, also practised by the Batak, the Toraja, in Sumba and in Eastern isles. This process makes possible by means of successive colorations of motif. Always gfeometrical among the Batak. which appear during the weaving.
Among the textiles most commonly I use it is necessary to mention first the famous “ ulos “, large rectangular pieces of ikat still worn frequently as much by men as by women, Black and purple- brown are the dominant colours of Ikat in the Toba region, claret and deep among the Karo, Simalungun and Mandailing. Although the colours produced a rather austere appearance the workmanship is generally very fine. The colours became more varied and more lively away from the Toba regoin, for example the “ulos Sadum “ of the Angola regions are often oa a striking blue with polychrome ornaments.
If one could say about the marga that they are the equivalent of Scottish clans, it has also been said that Ulos had function similar to those of the traditional Tartan, i.e. combining a clothing function, that of a social status indicator, that of marking the belonging to a specific group, and also a ritual or sacred role.
Among the batak the symbolic importance of textiles is particularly noticeable and , their use as ritual presents from the brie’s family to that of the groom is widespread.
In fact, all the presents from the the bride’s family are known as “ ulos “, even those other than textiles, while presents from the groom’s family are known as “ piso “, even those other than knives or other like weapons ( Piso- knives ).
Such presents are offered for the most on the occasion of “ Rites de Passage “, births, marriages and death.
For example, at batak marriages, the climax of the ceremony is “Mangulosi “ when the bride and the groom are both enveloped in the same piece of material. This type of ritual can of course be found in many other civilizations and religions, apart from their distinguishing particularities, A Jewish wedding, Javanese and a Batak wedding all make use of this same symbolism
Certain ritualistic Batak fabrics have today disappeared, such as the circular pieces, the “Hijo Marsitogutoguan “. ,which were used for birth-rites and the “ Ulos Lobu-Lobu “, which were used for weddings. On the other hand, other ritual or “ Adat “ textiles still survives and produced at the present, the “ Ulos Sibolang “ and the aferomentioned “ Ulos Ragi Idup “ or “ Ragidup” specialists enumerate more than a scope of different types of Batak textiles.
Among the Batak there is a established hierarchy among the different textiles which may be offered as gifts , depending on the status and age of the recipient and the nature of the occasion to be celebrated. The most prestigous are the splendid “Ragidup” made up of a central panel with two sides-pieces. The central panel is made up using the floating weft technique, combined wirh the warp-Ikat technique, enables the fabrication of very elaborate patterns which however are always geometric. The central panel consists of a sombre middle strip borded on each side by a predominantly white strip. Ragidup’s is offered at marriages by the father of the bride to the the groom’s mother but also used in many other occasions.
When a Batak waman is the the seventh month of her first pregnancy, her own family offers her an “Ulos Ni Tondi”, the purpose of which is to transmit to the new child the strength and the spirit of the maternal clan. This piece, endowed with a sacred force, is also a “ Ragidup “ and will be used in protective ritual when the mother of child is i’ll or threatened.
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