Batik Tanah Liek using local motif, local materials and local wisdom (Photo credit: Batik Tanah Liek)

Yofi Adha Rianto, is the successor of Batik Tanah Liek Hj. Wirda Hanim. Yofi came from Batusangkar, West Sumatra who came back to his hometown after pursuing studies and career in accounting in Jakarta to help his mother’s batik business. Batik tanah liek does not just feature a unique batik from Minangkabau but also uses a lot of local materials and wisdoms.

In this episode of aNERDspective (our NERD talk show where we converse with amazing friends about their textile adventure and perspectives), we talked to Yofi about what exactly is so special about batik tanah liek, what are the differences with other batik and how he develops it for the current market since he took charge.

Note: Full chat is in Bahasa Indonesia and this translation of the transcript has been edited for reading format.

Tony Sugiarta (TS): Welcome, Yofi, to today’s episode of aNERDspective. How are you?

Yofi (Y): Great.

You are in Minangkabau, West Sumatera, right?

Yes.

I heard about Batik Tanah Liek from one of my friends, Indira Cestra, whom we also featured in aNERDspective and she told me about a batik that uses clay for dyeing. It is a very interesting story and Yofi is the second generation, starting from your mother, who developed this batik, right?

Yes.

We will have a casual talk to know more about Batik Tanah Liek. Maybe we can start with an introduction, who Yofi is, your background, and your journey in taking over Batik Tanah Liek.

My name is Yofi. I was born in Jakarta, but originated from a village in Batusangkar, West Sumatra. I started my education from regular school and enrolled into UI (University of Indonesia), majoring in Accounting. Since young, we have lived in the fashion world. My father’s family is more in the modern fashion and my mother’s family is more into the classic fashion. My siblings also love art, but I got caught up in accounting.

We have been in the fashion industry for so long. (However,) we were idealists and we wanted to look for a job that is aligned to our field of study. (One day,) I think that this treasure will become extinct if there is no successor. So, I returned to my hometown in West Sumatra to help.

Under my parents, batik was only a make-buy-sell model. It is transactional, there was no marketing, promotion, or introduction to the outside world. Even though there are many people outside West Sumatra who know, it is possible that the Minang people who are in Jakarta or outside West Sumatra do not know batik Tanah Liek. In fact, the Javanese or Makassar people are those who know it. Therefore, I was moved to “membatik tanah liek-an” from Indonesia, abroad, and to the world (ed.: to globalise batik tanah liek).

You were born in Jakarta, then your parents move back to Sumatra or (do they) live there?

No, I was only born in Jakarta.

Your siblings also work in the fashion industry?

Yes.

Batik fashion or modern fashion?

All.

So, all your family is working in the fashion industry?

Not just my family, but the whole big family. There are those who work as a fashion office worker or (in) modern fashion. Most of my family work in fashion. There are also those who set-up distros (ed.: distribution stores or distribution outlet, often associated with selling fashion products in Indonesia).

It is a big range. With batik tanah liek itself, how is the journey? Perhaps starting from when your mother started it.

In the past, my mother was working with embroidery. When there was a traditional ritual event in the village of Nagari Sumanik, Batusangkar, Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra, there were ceremonies such as lifting stones or blessing the wedding altar. Most of Datuk and Bundo wear batik Tanah Liek. Bundo wears it like a sling and Datuk wears it wrapped around the neck.

My mother noticed that the cloth was worn and damaged. She then asked a senior in the village, “Why is the cloth still used?”. She said that the cloth is batik tanah liek and it was used by the respected elders. The reason why it is damaged is because no one is producing anymore, it is extinct. Many people here like to venture out and to trade. So, this kind of (handicraft) work is a little forgotten.

Finally, my mother learned batik at centres, such as Yogyakarta and Solo, but she did not find anything to her liking. It was not what she wanted. Finally, she studied again in West Sumatra from 1991-1994. We also received help from Pak Harto, Indonesia’s second president. At the end of 1994, we had a colour, we had a “formula” for getting that colour. Then she was assisted by the promotion by Pak Harto to North Africa, South Africa, and to the rest of the world. However, in the olden days, people did not care about documentation.

Slowly, she strived to collect old motifs mixed with modern, contemporary motifs. She added new motifs to show that Minang motifs are not always rangkiang and rumah gadang. Finally, she found these old motifs and finally, with help of Pak SBY (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesia’s sixth president), she received the Upakarti award (ed.: an award presented to entities who are active in developing Small-Medium Enterprises champions in their local areas).

When do you start to help your mother?

I have been helping since I was a child, while going to school, and all my families also helped, both in production and marketing.

One time, during college and work, my mother slowly lamented, “what should we do with this business?” Finally, I returned to Padang, I studied and dug deeper about batik tanah liek, in the sense that I have to understand everything when finally I take over everything.

Since, I planned the marketing. For production, we are stable and constant and we opened a gallery in Jakarta, at Grand Indonesia, as well as (here) at my grandma’s house. I contacted my mother’s acquaintances who were batik lovers and activists. Finally, we promote batik tanah liek through Indonesian Fashion Week in London, and other places. We are “re-promoting” it in a more modern way digitally.

The products are loose cloth or fashion products?

We make cloths at first. Since we are in a pandemic, we reduce the fashion products. We are focusing more on raw materials and motifs. Before COVID, there were many other products. People are not always looking for cloth, the younger people prefer being practical. So we make slim fit shirts, dresses but we do not remove our signature that is based on our belief, i.e. the clothes are not revealing and still observe cultural standards.

Could you share the history about batik tanah liek?

Batik Tanah Liek is actually an ancient cloth with acculturation from China. In the past, there was no chemical, so the process used clay. It is dipped in clay and the fixation used jengkol skin, rambutan skin, mahogany wood, gambier.

Do you use all these materials (at one go) or one-by-one to get a colour?

If we want a stronger brown colour, that is a little black, we use more jengkol skin. If you want a little red or slightly reddish brown, we use mangosteen peel. So, there are many more elements, such as galangal, etc.

It seems that you have already experimented with various plants?

Yes.

For the clay itself, is there any specific element you need or you can use all kinds of clay?

That is the right question.

At first, we tried to use clay from another area, but it turns out that there are elements that are not pH balanced, so the dyeing result is not what we want. We have a standardized measurement with specific weight of jengkol skin, mahogany wood, for how many meters of cloth. When we dip it in clay, the color is not as expected and is different from our initial visualization. Finally, we use clay from Tanah Datar area, in Batusangkar. The clay has a pH balancing element which could be sulphur. I have not really investigated it. But when I took clay from another area, the results were not the same, it was not what we wanted.

It is interesting how people first discovered clay as a natural dye. Maybe you can share a little bit about certain characteristics for batik tanah liek than another batik?

As for colour, we mostly use natural dyes. For the motif itself, for example shawl, it is always lined with fern motifs, kaluak paku in Minang. The fern itself grows from the inside before coming out and crawls. The philosophy of why we enclose the entire shawl is that we as humans must first do self-introspection before going outward (i.e. blaming the external elements).

There is also rangkiang in the shawl, which is used to keep the rice and we keep it in the front yard. This is to tell that we display it not to show off our wealth but to show that the first rangkiang is for our daily use, the second for savings, the third for investment and the fourth is for the community in the form of zakat or donation. This rangkiang is placed at the bottom of the shawl (not in the middle), it is not to show off but to serve as a stepping stone as life is not determined by wealth. Also, we can place it in the middle of the shawl to show that to live, money is needed although money is not everything.

Finally, we give itik pulang petang motif (the ducks that come home late in the evening), meaning that we go home together. So, from the beginning, we were together, to work together until the end, hand in hand.

There is also a burung hong, a symbol of beauty and majesty. So, even though the Minang people are beautiful and religious, they must still uphold their beauty, not to be old-fashioned.

Another motif is jalan setapak, a pathway. It means that the path we take must be slow. Minang people may have goals, but the journey must be slow and careful.

Pretty classical motifs. How long has the history of batik tanah liek been?

We have researched it since 1991. We can claim that we succeeded in rejuvenating batang kerandang (not inventing)  in 1994. Batang kerandang, means the stem that was submerged. We are resurrecting the buried treasure. According to historians and cultural experts in Minangkabau, batik tanah liek has existed since the 1800s and we claim that neither us nor our parents created it but we are the conservators. If we (claim that we) are the inventor, we are lying and in our custom, we upheld a high standard not to lie. We live by ethics, not by money.

Batik is mostly identified with the island of Java. How does it enter Sumatra, to the land of Minang, since what year approximately?

According to cultural experts, there used to be business / trade exchanges from Chinese businessmen, through the maritime silk route into West Sumatra. In the past, the exchange was through bartering, with gold and silver as the currency. They had silk fabrics indicated by Chinese motifs, such as burung hong, Chinese fan, etc. Gradually there is an acculturation, and we have an idea: why don’t we make it?

When we first started making it, we studied it. In the past, there were no chemical dyes, so we did a research, changing the motif to the Minang culture. (However,) Minang people are traders, businessmen, and migrants by nature, they leave it because it might be a slow process and they start looking for new ventures.

As for the fabrics mentioned earlier, are certain motifs used for certain rituals or can anyone use it at anytime?

In the past, only certain people used it, maybe those who had high levels, older or respected. For example, Datuk, Bundo, or people who hold the property and heirloom. They wear it when there is a death, Datuk inauguration, marriage, the first day of constructing Rumah Gadang, akikah, and other traditional events. Gradually, if we only focus on these ceremonies, this batik will become extinct because young people and millennials cannot wear it as they do not know where to wear it. Finally, we made a breakthrough, made it into shirts, apparels, scarves, which can be used everyday.

 I want to dig a little about how to make it. What is different from ordinary batik, in terms of colouring or is there a specific process for batik Tanah Liek?

The batik process remains the same. We use canting or cap. But for the first dyeing, we use clay and the fixers as I mentioned before. The differences are using natural dyes and motifs. The batik process is the same.

Are products from Batik Tanah Liek completely natural dyes?

Yes.

There are certain rituals when using natural dyes in Sumba with indigo, for example. Is there a specific ritual to dye with clay? 

We do not have any specific ritual, it is just the mechanism. We have problems in terms of production, from lighting and dyeing. If the sun is lacking, we have difficulties, but we do not have certain rituals.

Do you dig the clay yourself or is there a place which sells it? 

No, it is not sold. It is from our own village. Maybe because there is an element of the mountain that gives the colours that we want. Padang City is a coastal area and the clay is not what we wanted.

How is it different? Is it the colour or the texture?

The colour is not dark enough, it is a bit off from what we want. For example, if you want a slightly reddish or violet brown color or cream or gold, the clay might fail because the natural dye itself is different from chemical dyes which may only be finished once or twice, for natural dyes we need to dye it between 6-8 times for the colour to come out and it is unpredictable.

It means that it is very specific to the location of production and it cannot be copied in other areas. Do you have multiple locations for production?

Currently we only have one production site, at the Sawahan Dalam no. 33 Padang. We used to have a production in Nagari Sumanik village but they have water shortage and we migrated to the city area in Sawahan Dalam. The water shortages and lack of quality human resources, hampered our production.

So, everyone was brought there (ed.: into this new location), with the people?

Yes. We do not rule out hiring non-Minang workers. Some artisans are from Yogya, Solo, because the level of their accuracy, to be honest, is still the best. So, we hire 30% Javanese and 70% Minang people. In terms of work, Minang people are faster and more efficient, but Javanese people are more precise and their taste is also different. So, we presented the best for this batik with clay dyes.

Are they recruited from Java themselves or are they Javanese who move to Minangkabau and are looking for jobs?

We recruit them, we are pro-hire *laughter*

Nice. To combine the best of both worlds of nyanting workers and dyers.

There are many job openings, although not as many as in Java. We want the Javanese to spread their skills and knowledge in batik to the local Minang people so that the buried treasure can be revived.

We want the Javanese to spread their skills and knowledge in batik to the local Minang people so that the buried treasure can be revived.

How many people are recruited for the production of batik Tanah Liek? 

Due to COVID, there is a slight reduction. On average, we have more than 10 Javanese or Medanese and 20 Minang people. That fluctuates with sometimes 30-40 people or now decreases to 20. There is also pressure or needs when they need to move around. So it is dynamic. We accommodate and hire them as and when.

Is the term “Batik Tanah Liek”  a brand name (from your family) or is there another brand (selling Batik Tanah Liek)?

This batik Tanah Liek was originally started by my mother (since 1991), but there are some people who claim batik Tanah Liek too. There is no problem, but my mother’s message for the others, if they do not use natural dyes, do not call it batik tanah liek.

We have natural dyes called Batik Tanah Liek. For chemical dyes, we call it chemical dye batik by Batik Tanah Liek Hj. Wirda Hanim. Finally, I made a new brand, batik Tanah Liek Hj. Wirda Hanim, using my mother’s name. This is to let people know that what we produce and display is honesty, that our batik tanah liek uses natural dyes. We make a brand, so if someone comes, they need not worry if the batik we produce and display is of natural dyes (or not).

I had a chance to google Batik Tanah Liek and there were several names that came out.I did not understand that Tanah Liek Batik is a signature of Minangkabau (that is collectively owned by the people) or is it a brand that used clay dyes. So, I want to clarify it.

There are a few instances who used to be part of us and they want to be independent. They used our name although we have registered them with Menkumham (Kementrian Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia, Ministry of Law and Human Rights). To prevent worsening the situation and since they are one of us, we let it go. We have issued a legal warning but we let it go and we claim that batik tanah liek is made with natural dyes.

In the end, we created the brand Batik Tanah Liek by Hj. Wirda Hanim so that people who like (us and our batik) and who are our supporters need not worry. When they see our brand, it is guaranteed natural dyes. There are some people who claim Batik Tanah Liek but they sell synthetically dyed cloth or not even batik, but they use the term.

Besides Jakarta and Minangkabau, where else (do you sell)?

In Jakarta, there is only Grand Indonesia in Thamrin and Duren Tiga in Pancoran. In Padang in Sawahan Dalam. In Padang, we have a representative office at the side of the road, in a shophouse but they have not been published yet. The main operation is still in our factory in Sawahan Dalam. The road is big enough for a large car but it is not on the main road, so we make a showroom outside.

Are there any new breakthroughs that you have implemented in the production or marketing of Batik Tanah Liek?

For production, the plan is to collaborate with several educators and researchers to create a batik drying place without a sun. This is because current obstacles are during the rainy season, from September to December. The production in these months can be delayed. So the plan is to research those (to aid) production.

About motifs, there are ancient motifs. We will look for old motifs that may have been lost or extinct and then to be made (into something) more modern. For example, ancient motifs combined with rangkiang, kabau pedati, etc. Like paintings, there is a story about Minangkabau culture in it.

Third, motifs that do not have an old reference, such as tabuik. In Pariaman, West Sumatra, there is a ceremony called Tabuik, which is then reflected on the batik.

For marketing, we have tried marketing through websites, Instagram, Facebook, etc. However, the best is through batik lovers and enthusiasts. We approach them and their communities and they market it without any returns or endorsement (ed.: influencer marketing). They want to help because they see the historical and cultural values. Culture experts also help us to boost sales internationally, in the United States, France, Germany, Vietnam and Japan.

It all comes from existing friends.

My friends from UGM (Gajah Mada University) also do not know Batik Tanah Liek because they are not Minang people. However, they are curious and want to know so they came to the factory to research. They are curious as this is an old business but it is run by young people. They want to know what is unique from this business which leads them to appreciate and to help market (our products) in the United States of America. This is to strengthen the link. We also have some traction in social media and it helps to market to people who did not know about Batik Tanah Liek. We go hand-in-hand, strengthen our grip and walk together until the end.

There are many very interesting factors (about Batik Tanah Liek), starting from the history, motifs and philosophy, the colours and also the community.

Can you explain some of the challenges that you faced in preserving and producing Batik Tanah Liek?

Sales-wise, at the beginning of the pandemic (lockdown) in April, the sales dropped. When the government everywhere declared that this is a pandemic and activities need to be reduced, it affected productivity. We do not let go of our workers but we “house” them. They are allowed to come in and be paid per job, instead of monthly pay (while getting other opportunities). During these times, production dropped and sales went to zero.

Six months into the pandemic, sales rise perhaps due to the boredom and people want to shop. They want to reward themselves with plants, arts, etc. Batik is considered an art and they love it. In fact, sales are more than normal. Now comes the dilemma, when we want to continue our production, many have new jobs. If we were to hire new blood, they need to be taught and oriented.

Motif-wise, there are not a lot of cloths in Minangkabau (for reference) and mostly are sea animals, burung hong, or plants. Hence, we have to research ancestral houses, inscriptions, plants, ceremonies, folklores in Minangkabau. We then distill these into cloth. This is one difficulty to be applied on fabrics.

How do you solve it and transform the results of the research as a motif?

We must not be idealists. We cannot just rely on our own brains. Sometimes we make a contest about designing motifs, then we develop some from it. You can also research, learn and discuss with cultural experts\s, visit traditional houses and traditional or sacred places such as royal houses, or research cultural objects such as carano (a brass ornament which is used to display gifts during welcoming ceremonies in a wedding). We cannot focus on the motif (form) itself but to take the meaning and express it on to a cloth, like a painting.

Is the competition only for locals in Minang?

Yes, only for locals in Minang.

Has it been produced at this time?

Not yet, it is still in the research stage.

What is the process of making a new motif? How long does it take from research, development until it is drawn on the fabric?

For the research itself, it could take up to a year. When drawing or waxing the motif, it is not very long. The longest is to research and dyeing. What’s unique, in a rectangular cloth, the colour at one corner might be different from the other corners because we use natural dyes. There is a gradation from dark to light and back to dark. It is a natural process.

Similarly with the jengkol skins, the saps from skins harvested in wet or dry season yield different results. We might not get colours that our customers wanted but we get something better. For example, if he wants a solid brown but we get a reddish brown. The customers are happier when they receive it even though it is not their initial expectation.

The colours on the left and right side seem to have shadows and textures that are more interesting and dynamic. So it is not only the motif that is interesting, so are the colours.

So, Batik Tanah Liek does not accept pre-orders?

We do. We tried our best to match their expectation but it will always be off the mark. For example, if we have an order for 20 pax, they cannot all be the same. Drying times affect the outcome.

They seem to be very sensitive to every element, don’t they?

Yes, from lighting, dyes, the “chemical”. The chemical here, I am referring to the jengkol skin or mahogany barks, gambier, etc. They are all very influential. The clay from different locations, the time and the age when the materials are harvested, they all give different results.

Can you determine the colours when you first select the ingredients? Or you can only see it after you go through the whole process?

We can determine it from the start but our human knowledge always deviates from nature. There is a surprise to the customers or artisans when they see the colours are not as expected.

Perhaps, we can use baking a brownie as a metaphor. We ever made a batik and failed. The colours were not pleasant at the first look. When we sew it into a shirt, the colours are really unique like with cracklings and gradations. Like a brownie, although it fails – ugly colours and crumbles – it is still delicious and people like it.

It is similar to doing scientific research, by playing with different parameters to get different results. When your mother started doing the research, how was that? It must have been very difficult.

We even failed. In the past, we spent tens of millions and it was huge because the value was also different from today.

Many people took a pity that my mother gave up her hobby and her embroidery business. She was among the best in West Sumatra in the 90s. Because of her idealism and love for batik, she was afraid to lose this batik, so she put aside a promising business to pursue batik. She went into debt everywhere. This was all based on high desire and love for this heritage. She sacrificed time, money and her business to finally create this result.

Her research required four years of repeated failures. She went to Yogya and Solo but the result is different (not as she wanted). She further researched on her own. She used the knowledge from Yogya and Solo to create colours that are interesting, unique and authentic.

I salute her because she started from zero due to the lack of previous references. I cannot imagine how much time, effort and money that she spent and dedicated to research and to develop this heritage. 

Life revolves, we are not always on top, neither we are always at the bottom. That is her philosophy. Even though she was down, she felt that what she did would be very useful in the future. She did not think that she would fail as she knew that she is at the lowest point (and will rise back).

In addition, Minang people are always involved in ceremonies that celebrate cultures and respectable status but the textiles that they wear are always torn and tattered. That moved my mother to bring back this batik to shine and so that it can benefit many people.

Life revolves, we are not always on top, neither we are always at the bottom.

How old were you when your mother started this?

Maybe around 3 years old.

What is next for Batik Tanah Liek? What are you currently working on or what can we expect in the near future?

Before the pandemic, marketing through exhibitions was very difficult, we collaborated with several fabric enthusiasts and cultural experts to paint on our batik. Our batik is displayed and then painted on. There was a social cultural activist and a philanthropist group in Indonesia that picked up our cloth and created an event. They promoted it to Europe and displayed it in the embassies. That is one example of a promotion.

Secondly, I hope that not only Minang people will like (this) batik. Perhaps, Singaporean or Malaysian audiences will know that batik is not only from Java. I also hope that not only Indonesians will wear them, for example it is worn during UN Conventions by world leaders. These are moments that we should take the opportunities of. We want to dedicate ourselves to getting back into gears and not defeated by the pandemic. Perhaps, the pandemic prevents some activities but we should have a new energy to create new fashion, new motifs, new colours.

You have been productive in creating and digging deeper during the pandemic. What is the next plan in terms of regeneration or increasing production and preserving the culture?

In 2017 – 2018, we have a governmental initiative in the form of student exchange with Papua. We taught them batik. With that, they can create and develop Batik Papua, be it a new creation or develop from a previous motif.

My mother also taught in a vocational school in West Sumatra and also in UGM, Yogyakarta. We want to show that a business is not necessarily to be in front of the computer and degree holders need not work as an accountant. We can use our wits to create businesses with higher value. For example, we can think of how to transform jengkol skins worth 10,000 IDR (0.93 SGD, 0.70 USD) into a million-dollar product. Architect graduates can also help in terms of the motif design. Batik stands the test of time. Regardless how advanced technology will be, batik culture and heritage value is irreplaceable.

In addition to drying batik without the sun, are there any other technological developments?

That machine is also still in the planning stage. It is a little disrupted by the pandemic.

So Batik Tanah Liek followed the advancement of times, trying to incorporate technological development into the production of Batik Tanah Liek.

But we will never eliminate the natural component and the authenticity of the batik itself, the waxing or the stamping itself can never be replaced by a computer. Computers will never be able to write as beautifully because computers are fixed while hands have their natural (curves).

Computers will never be able to write as beautifully because computers are fixed while hands have their natural (curves).

Does Batik Tanah Liek have a Geographical Indicator (recognition) or is it patented as a Minang (heritage)?

From a cultural standpoint, it has been explained that Batik Tanah Liek originates from Minangkabau. So it already belongs to all Minangkabau people. It needs to be emphasized that my mother does not own Batik Tanah Liek, but she preserves and develops it.

What are the hopes for Batik Tanah Liek in the future?

When my mother was down in 2016, when people disallow my mother to claim “Batik Tanah Liek” as hers even though she started to revive it, I promised to prove that Batik Tanah Liek would go global. Everyone will wear it, not just the enthusiasts.

We are doing our research to make production costs lower and to make it more accessible to more communities who will help with the marketing.

The hope is also to enable Minang people to show that they have batik that can compete in the national and international stage. That there are more batik beyond Javanese batik that are beautiful.

Indeed, there are more to Indonesia beyond Java. Once again, thank you for your sharing and hope the audience has gotten new information or got to rekindle their knowledge about Batik Tanah Liek.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of aNERDspective. Check out the previous episode on IGTV and our gallery and store if you would like a piece of Indonesia for your home or wardrobe. You may also check out  Batik Tanah Liek’s website and Instagram for the latest collection.

Photo credit: Batik Tanah Liek Hj. Wirda Hanim, unless stated otherwise.