Siti Rahayu, Holding Mulang Tiyuh Tapis Cloths in High Esteem

Siti Rahayu’s concerted effort and love for mulang tiyuh tapis creations receive positive market response. Every mulang tiyuh tapis product is exclusively and distinctively crafted.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

Siti Rahayu

At age 65, Siti Rahayu’s creativity in making cantik mulang tiyuh tapis (embroidered woven cloths) is well known abroad. In addition to highly valuing the traditional fabrics of Lampung, Rahayu also contributes to community empowerment, particularly that of housewives and school dropouts.

Rahayu Gallery in Tanjung Senang district, Bandar Lampung city, is never quiet. Every day, eleven craftspeople are embroidering tapis woven cloths and making sulam usus (intestine-shaped embroideries). The combined beauty of gold threads and embroideries is turned into elegant garments such as kebaya (long-sleeved blouse), party gowns, party wraparound skirts, scarves and headdresses.

Among the hundreds of products displayed at the gallery, the most special one is mulang tiyuh tapis cloths. The special feature of the tapis cloths are the designs and patterns that tell the story of people returning to their native villages. Mulang tiyuh is “back to the village” in the Lampung language.

According to Rahayu, cantik mulang tiyuh tapis cloths were born around 2014. The idea to create tapiscloths first struck Rahayu when she longed for her village, Pagar Dewa, in the remote part of West Tulang Bawang regency. She has a lot of childhood memories in the village.

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“The idea to make cantik mulang tiyuh tapis was like an inspiration, coming spontaneously. At first, I was only drawing on pieces of paper and gathering them. These pictures later formed a story presented on the tapiscloths,” said Rahayu, when visited in her house-cum-gallery on Wednesday (22/2/2023).

The longing for her village was then portrayed on a sheet of tapis cloth. On this woven fabric, Rahayu drew patterns in the form of images of a family preparing to return to their native village.

The designs created by Rahayu pictured a man carrying a bag and a woman holding a child by the hand. On another sheet, Rahayu depicted children engrossed in playing in a stilted house and people gathering with their families in their village. The images were embroidered by applying the traditional tapis embroidery technique in various colors and motifs so as to produce beautiful and elegant tapis cloths.

Rahayu’s concerted effort and love for mulang tiyuh tapiscreations receive positive market response. Every mulang tiyuh tapis product is exclusively and distinctively crafted. No embroidered tapis cloths have precisely the same motifs and colors. This is how she puts a high value on the mulang tiyuh tapis. Therefore, Rahayu Gallery’s tapis cloths are sought out by collectors and traditional cloth lovers both at home and overseas.

I have once participated in an exhibition in Abu Dhabi and offered to export a container of headdresses. But I had to decline the offer because our production capacity was still limited.

Rahayu also created diverse tapis designs with certain tales and meanings. One of them is the letter tapis cloth bearing king and queen designs with Lampung characters. On the cloth, Rahayu puts Lampung language words and characters Tabik Pun, Ikam Ulun Lampung, meaning “Hello, I am a native of Lampung”.

Apart from tapis cloths, Rahayu also produces sulam usus handcrafted garments with satin fabrics designed like intestines in various motifs, such as flowers and leaves. Sulam usus patterns are crafted with threads by follow the motifs already made and applied to women’s dresses.

The prices of tapis and sulam usus garments range from Rp 1.5 million (US$98.62) to Rp 10 million, depending on design intricacies. So far, the gallery’s tapis products have been owned by a number of famous figures from officials to entrepreneurs in the country. Every time they are shown at exhibitions abroad, cantik mulang tiyuh tapis creations are always sold out.

“I have once participated in an exhibition in Abu Dhabi and offered to export a container of headdresses. But I had to decline the offer because our production capacity was still limited. I didn’t want to force it,” she said.

VINA OKTAVIA

Siti Rahayu

Since 1998

Rahayu is one of the figures who has been preserving and developing traditional cloths in Lampung. She has been in the tapis business since 1998.

Initially, she started her business to increase family income after the death of her husband. At the time, Rahayu had to support four small children on her own. Her main job was as an elementary school teacher.

With the sewing and embroidering capability inherited from her mother, Rahayu was bold enough to start her tapis cloth business amid the monetary crisis with capital derived from family savings.

She, indeed, devoted her entire life to developing Lampung’s tapis cloths, after her retirement as a civil servant in 2013. In her peaceful retirement, Rahayu designed tapis motifs and eventually produced cantik mulang tiyuh tapis, popular up to the present.

Her careful designing of unique tapis motifs has made her works recognizable by domestic and foreign buyers. The tapis business initiated by Rahayu made rapid progress. Her employees now total 60 people. Most of them are housewives and school dropouts.

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In the early days of her business, Rahayu sought workers in remote villages in Lampung. She recruited housewives skilled in tapis cloth crafting as employees. Rahayu’s intention to provide employment for women spread by word of mouth.

Today, many young women apply to the craftsperson’s job. Although they have no crafting skill yet, Rahayu is prepared to welcome them as employees.

At the gallery, new workers are taught to embroider tapis cloths and make sulam usus by senior employees. Rahayu directly controls their craftworks to monitor the improvement of their skill. “The crafting skill can be learned; the most important thing is they should have strong learning spirit,” she said.

Now Rahayu is still determined to create different tapis embroidery designs that can enrich the treasure of traditional cloths of Lampung. She hopes tapis handicrafts will attract the Lampung community even more. “I also hope a lot more people in Lampung will preserve the tapis handicrafts of Lampung,” she added.

Siti Rahayu

Born: Pagar Dewa, 10 October 1957

Education:

- State Elementary School 1 Pagar Dewa

- State Junior High School 1 Bandar Lampung

- Palapa Teachers’ Training School, Bandar Lampung

- Bachelor’s degree in Elementary School Teachers’ Education, PGRI College of Pedagogy and Educational Science, Bandar Lampung

- Master’s degree in Education, Lampung University.

This article was translated by Aris Prawira.