Cempaka Culture and Tourism: Handicrafts: Batik takes on a new shape

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Friday, January 16, 2009

Handicrafts: Batik takes on a new shape

Nurni Sulaiman, THE JAKARTA POST, BALIKPAPAN | Fri, 01/16/2009 1:06 PM

Housewife Budi Hariyati had never imagined she would work in the batik industry. After all, batik is a Javanese tradition, and she lives in Kalimantan.

But an offer to join a batik training program changed her life.

New twist: Wooden batik handicraft with Dayak motifs are proving very popular. JP/NURNI SULAIMAN

She recalled how she and about 20 other women joined the workshop organized by the Industry and Trade Agency in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, back in 1991.

Before long, batik and batik-making had become a central part of her life, as she bought the materials and avidly practiced at home

Of those 20 women, she is the only one still working with batik – with stunning success, in the form of a small business.

Her business, Shaho Handy Craft – which claims to be the first batik maker in Balikpapan – puts a fresh twist on batik by using Dayak designs for the motifs.

Hariyati started by using silk-screen techniques, but later moved onto printed and fine batik.

“At first, my dream was only to improve and develop batik in Kalimantan so that local people who wanted to learn about it did not have to travel far away to Java,” Hariyati said.

Now she employs 10 workers, mostly women from her own neighborhood. Each receives a monthly salary of at least Rp 900,000 (US$80), while others are paid at a daily rate of Rp 30,000.

She also provides training to anyone who wants to learn about Kalimantan’s batik handicrafts – and many people do.

Every year about 500 to 1,000 students – including students from international schools, such as Bugis International School and Prabu International School – study batik in her workshop, she said.

“School students usually bring their own designs and make batik here [on a piece of cloth].

“Later they can make various items from their batik, depending on what they want – a bag, clothing or something else,” she said.

A number of local and foreign employees have also studied in Hariyati’s studio.

All in all, she said, the batik industry is proving quite promising.

“The income is enough to cover the cost of living in Balikpapan. I’ve even been able to send my three children to university.”

Hariyati’s children and husband fully support her flourishing business.

The name of her company, Shaho, is formed from the initials of her family’s first names – Supratono (Hariyati’s husband), Hariyati and her children Ardi, Hendri Astuti and Oki Hendro Julianto.

What distinguishes fabric from Shaho Handy Craft is its use of unique and abstract Dayak designs.

Products made from the fabric include bags, sarongs, sleepwear, and clothes.

Prices for Hariyati’s printed batik fabric begin at Rp 20,000 per meter while prices for fine batik start at Rp 150,000.

Her workshop can produce at least 200 meters of printed fabric per day or 12,000 meters per year, although production output also depends on the season.

Output drops during the rainy season, because the cloth cannot be spread out in the sun to dry.

Now, in yet another twist on the classic, Hariyati is developing batik based on Kalimantan designs using wood, not cloth.

For this, she uses local woods such as lime. She is also developing natural coloring.

“Wooden batik with Dayak designs is extremely popular. We are also developing it to support the ‘Visit Indonesia Year 2008/2009’ initiative,” Oki said.

Despite the popularity – and uniqueness – of her products, Hariyati has no plans to expand her business to Jakarta, Java or anywhere else because of the extremely high operational costs, which would make it difficult for her products to compete with Javanese batik in term of retail prices.

“We have no branches outside of Kalimantan,” she said.

“However Shaho batik can be found overseas in places such as Australia, the US, France, Mexico, Canada and Nigeria. The buyers come directly to this showroom.”