The batik business continues to grow. Siti Hajir hope the pandemic will end soon so the Sekoja area, which is the center for Jambi batik, can be more lively.
By
IRMA TAMBUNAN
·6 minutes read
KOMPAS/IRMA TAMBUNAN
Siti Hajir
Nearly a year since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Siti Hajir, 48, is a little relieved that business is gradually picking up. One by one, orders for batik cloth arrive. Likewise, tourists have begun to stop by.
Batik-making activities are returning to life on the lower floor of Siti Hajir\'s Batik house in Jelmu village, Jambi city. There was an order for 50 sets of batik cloths from the wife of the deputy Mayor of Jambi, Dr. Nadia Maulana. The previous week, there were also orders for 30 pieces of cloth from the representative office of Bank Indonesia in Jambi and 50 pieces of batik cloth from Jambi University. "We are starting to be relieved that the batik business can survive," she said on Wednesday (4/11/2020).
To reduce the risk of contracting the coronavirus, craftspeople work from their respective homes. A number of interns who usually help with production also come in turns. Meanwhile, Siti Hajir and Junaidi, her husband, regularly make batik at the house.
The batik fabrics produced in the early days of the pandemic used to pile up for months. There were about 500 batik fabrics awaiting buyers. Due to the drastic drop in sales, Siti needed to cut costs. She also took advantage of that quiet period to improve the coloring of the finished batik cloths. She calls it the recycling of batik coloring, although what that really means is not coloring on old cloths, but enriching the coloring of the finished batik. The long series of processes produced more stunning color gradations. The motif also became embossed.
It was surprising that customers were interested in these processed fabrics. Most of them had been ordered directly by relatives who found out about them from the photos Junaidi uploaded via social media.
Slowly, the business is returning to normal. Last year, an average of 200 pieces of batik cloths were sold each month. When the pandemic hit, the economy tumbled. Batik sales in the area fell to their lowest point. Without buyers, batik houses were deserted. "During the period of social distancing, not a single buyer came to the house. It was so tough," she said.
The ancient Angso Duo batik motif is still preserved and is a characteristic of Jambi batik by Siti Hajir, a batik business conservationist in Jelmu Village, Jambi City, Wednesday (4/11/2020)
The tourist area of Seberang in Jambi city, including the batik craft center, which is often visited by tourists, was abandoned by tourists. This was a stark contrast from normal times, when many people stop by to learn how to make batik or hunt for batik. When hotel occupancy increase, batik sales usually increase as well. Many tourists who stay at nearby hotels stop by the batik center. However, all came to a halt during the pandemic.
The strategy of recycling the dyes has finally revived the market, which had been fading. Sales are gradually increasing. Siti and Junaidi are optimistic that the batik business will survive the storm.
Siti Hajir is part of the third generation of batik makers in Seberang, an old town tourist area across the Batanghari River, which maintains its old motifs, such as angso duo, the Batanghari River, broken durian and Sanggat Ship (stranded boats). Later, new motifs emerged, but they still represent local identities, such as the kuaw bird and siginjai kris. These motifs differentiate Jambi batik from other regions.
She also still emphasizes the use of Jambi\'s distinctive colors which are synonymous with red hearts, ripe areca nuts and green leaves. The colors have only recently begun to blend in with other colors.
Siti also still maintains the coloring with natural ingredients, starting from boiled jengkol, guava leaves and tall wood. It could be said that she is part of a handful of descendants of batik makers who are still struggling in the use of natural dyes. For example, jengkol beans and bulian sawdust are used to give brown color to the batik cloths.
Apart from natural materials, Siti also still exists behind the scratches of the motifs. "There are many stories that can be written on a piece of batik cloth," she said.
On one occasion a guest sat beside her when she was etching a boat motif. The cloth depicted a ship surrounded by fish, shells and other aquatic animals. While etching a motif, the story flowed from her mouth. An old story about a ship that ran aground downstream of the Batanghari River. The story then ended with a saying. "Sailing to the island, walking to the destination," she said. The saying is meaningful. Whenever anyone does a job, it must be fully finished, do not ever break up in the middle of the road.
One of the batik Siti Hajir, a batik business conservationist in Jelmu Village, Jambi City, Wednesday (4/11/2020)
For her, motifs are not just motifs. Siti wants to produce narrative fabrics. That is why she still maintains the tradition of making written batik amidst the massive production of printed batik in Jambi.
The world of batik has been embedded in Siti\'s life since her childhood. These skills are passed on from her grandmother to her mother, then to herself. "Since the age of seven, we have been able to make batik," she recalled.
Whenever making batik, Siti often scratched her name on one edge of the fabric. Her mother caught the name which was scratched on the edge of the cloth. Finally, the name Siti Hajir was used as the family batik business brand.
When the batik business continued to grow, her mother died. The somewhat sudden departure in 2000 rocked the whole family. Siti, who is the eldest of the four children, remembered her mother\'s message before she died to become a substitute as the backbone of the family.
In the early days of her mother\'s departure, economic difficulties hit the family. However, just as the Sanggat Ship which sailed to its destination, Siti remembered to fight until she was saved. It was surprising that her three younger siblings managed to survive the threat of dropping out of school. The three of them even graduated as bachelors from the sweat of making batik.
From there, Siti became increasingly aware that her world, which was close to batik, would become increasingly sticky. Her marriage to Junaidi in 2007 paved the way. The husband who was originally a teacher at a junior high school decided to retire earlier. Together they developed the batik business. Siti focuses on production, while Junaidi focuses on marketing and development of appropriate technology.
The batik business continues to grow. They hope the pandemic will end soon so the Sekoja area, which is the center for Jambi batik, can be more lively.
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