Background Batak, what does Batak mean?
The word Batak is used to identify people that are closely related to Austronesian ethnic groups, mainly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The people also speak Batak languages. They are divided into six groups, the Toba, Pak Pak/Dairi, Karo, Angkola, Mandailing, and Simalungun, and have an estimated total population of 3 million.
The three levels of the traditional communal houses of the Batak, are called worlds instead of levels. You have the upper world, middle world and the lower world. The upper world is the high roof and means the realm of gods. The middle world is the living area, this is built above the ground on pillars. This is symbolic for where humans dwell. And the lower world is where the animals live. the houses are decorated with carved animal heads. They are placed at the ends of the side beams and function as protective devices that have the ability to releasee positive energy as well as protect the inhabitants from disease or evil.
Toba Batak fabric
The Toba Batak is located in the center of the region. They are known for their handwoven textiles. This textile is made by women exclusively, the fabric is used for traditional clothing and ritual gifts of exchange, it symbols status and serves as a precious heirloom. The woven textile is called “ulos”. Because this textile is only made during leisure time, it can take months to finish it. Traditionally, weaving was a task for the women. And there is a reason for this, women add a symbolic value of their caring role for the people around them. If a men would do the weaving, they would add symbol of protection to the textile since that is their role.
The Toba Batak textile is mostly made from cotton yarn, that are very colorful. These yarns are colored by being dyed in plant dye. the blue color is made from the indigo plant, red is made from the sappanwood and morinda which grows in the tropics. Morinda citrifolia is a fruit-bearing tree in the coffee family. It makes a red and yellow dye. yellow dye is also done with turmeric, black dye is a mix of morinda with indigo and green is a mix of indigo and turmeric.
There are many different kinds of ulos. The ulos sibolang is the one that is used the most. This textile has blue with light blue patterns combined with arrowhead patterns. This is used for a sarong or a shoulder shawl, that is known as a selendang.
The ulos ragi hotang is used for weddings. It’s draped around the shoulders of the bride and the groom. This means that the marriage will be long lasting. It’s also used when a baby boy is born.
The ulos ragi hidup can only be worn by men or by their widows in special ceremonies. This ulos exists out of red colors with two white stripes.
The women would normally weave infront of their house, but now a days it’s more difficult to find a woman weaving infront of her house.
It’s also difficult to keep the tradition Toba Batak weaving alive. “From generation to generation, there is a myth that a woman whose spirit is not strong enough can get sick or die young while learning ulos weaving. Of course, no parents want their daughters to experience that. Many weavers believe that myth,”
Parents want their kids to get better jobs for their future. With the knowledge that is left with the few people that still do it in the traditional way, it can be difficult for a young person to learn the weaving techniques. There goes real passion and believe into this. There are families that are trying to learn it, so they can pass it down to their children that are interested in learning the techniques. It’s important to keep talking about the historic background of the Batak weaving and keep the spirit alive for the younger generations to keep them interested.
