batik indonesia

Batik (pronunciation: [ˈba.teʔ], but often, in English, is [ˈbæ.tɪk] or [bəˈtiːk]) is a wax-resist dyeingtechnique used on textile. Batik is considered as national art in Indonesia. However, similar patterns like Batik is also found in several countries of West Africa, such as Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Mali, and in Asia, such as India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Iran, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Burma.

Batik has been both an art and a craft for centuries. In Java, Indonesia, batik is part of an ancient tradition, and some of the finest batik cloth in the world is still made there.

Contemporary batik, while owing much to the past, is markedly different from the more traditional and formal styles. For example, the artist may use etching, discharge dyeing, stencils, different tools for waxing and dyeing, wax recipes with different resist values and work with silk, cotton, wool, leather, paper or even wood and ceramics.

Melted wax (Japanese: malam) is applied to cloth before being dipped in dye. It is common for people to use a mixture of beeswax and paraffin wax. The beeswax will hold to the fabric and the paraffin wax will allow cracking, which is a characteristic of batik. Wherever the wax has seeped through the fabric, the dye will not penetrate. Sometimes several colours are used, with a series of dyeing, drying and waxing steps.

Thin wax lines are made with a canting needle (or a tjanting tool), a wooden handled tool with a tiny metal cup with a tiny spout, out of which the wax seeps. Other methods of applying the wax onto the fabric include pouring the liquid wax, painting the wax on with a brush, and applying the hot wax to pre-carved wooden or metal wire block and stamping the fabric.

culture indonesia

Sport in Indonesia

The ball used in Sepak Takraw.

Many traditional games are still 

preserved and popular in Indonesia, a

lthough western culture has influenced some parts of them. Among three 

hundred officially recognized Indonesian cultures, there are many kind

s of traditional gam

es: cockfighting in Bali, annual bull races in Madura, and stone jum

ping in Nias. Stone jumping involves leaping over a stone wall about up to 1.5 m high and was originally use

d to train warriors.Pencak Silat is another popular form of sport, which was influenced by Asian culture as a wh

ole. Another form of national sport is sepak takraw, which is originated fro

m Melaka.^[2] The rules are similar to volleyball: to keep the rattan ball in the air wi

th the players' feet.

Popular modern sports in Indonesia played at the int

ernational level include association football andbadminton. Ind

onesian badminton athletes have played in Indonesia Open Ba

dminton Championship, All England Open Badminton Championships and many inte

rnational events, including the Summer Olympicssince badminton was made an Olympic sport in 1992. 

Rudy Hartono is a legendary Indonesian 

badminton player, who won All England titles seven times in a row (1968 through 1974). I

ndonesian teams have won the Thomas Cup (men's world team cham

pionship) thirteen of the twenty-two times that it has been contested since the

y entered the series in 1957. ^[3] In the hugely internationally popular spo

rt of soccer (football), Indonesian teams have been active in the Asian Foot

ball Confederation (AFC).

Sporting events in Indonesia are organised by th

e Indonesian National Sport Committee (KONI). The Committee, along with th

e government of Indonesia, have set a National Sports Day on ev

ery September 9 with "Sports for All" as the motto. Jakarta has hosted the Sou

theast Asian Games three t

imes, in 1979, 1987 and 1997, and won gold medals in each of these years.^[4] Indonesia has won gold medal

s at nine of the fifteen games it has attended.

 

   Indonesian culture has been shaped by long interaction between original indigenous customs and multiple foreign influences. Indonesia is central along ancient trading routes between the Far East and the Middle East, resulting in many cultural practices being strongly influenced by a multitude of religions, including Hinduism,Buddhism, Confucianism and Islam, all strong in the major trading cities. The result is a complex cultural mixture very different from the original indigenous cultures.

Examples of cultural fusion include the fusion of Islam with Hindu in Javanese Abangan belief, the fusion of Hinduism, Buddhism and animism in Bodha, and the fusion of Hinduism and animism in Kaharingan; others could be cited.

Indonesian art-forms express this cultural mix. Wayang, traditional theater-performed puppet shows, were a medium in the spread of Hinduism and Islam amongst Javan villagers. Both Javanese and Balinese dances have stories about ancient Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms, while Islamic art forms and architecture are present in Sumatra, especially in the Minangkabau and Aceh regions. Traditional art, music and sport are combined in a martial art form called Pencak Silat.

Western culture has influenced Indonesia most in modern entertainment such as television shows, movies and songs. India has notably influenced Indonesian songs and movies. A popular type of song is the Indian-rhythmicaldangdut, which is often mixed with Arab and Malay folk music.

Despite the influences of foreign culture, some remote Indonesian regions still preserve uniquely indigenous culture. Indigenous ethnic groups of Mentawai, Asmat, Dani, Dayak, Toraja and many others are still practising their ethnic rituals, customs and wearing traditional clothes.