National costume of Indonesia

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Formal family portrait of former Indonesian's President B.J. Habibie. Women wear kain batik and kebaya with selendang (sash), while men wear jas and dasi (western suit with tie) with peci cap. Habibie family portrait.jpg
Formal family portrait of former Indonesian's President B.J. Habibie. Women wear kain batik and kebaya with selendang (sash), while men wear jas and dasi (western suit with tie) with peci cap.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspects guard of honor wearing traditional clothing of Indonesia at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives a guard of honor during a state visit to Indonesia, 2018.jpg
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspects guard of honor wearing traditional clothing of Indonesia at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta

The national costume of Indonesia (Indonesian : Pakaian Nasional Indonesia) is the national attire that represents the Republic of Indonesia. It is derived from Indonesian culture and Indonesian traditional textile traditions. Today the most widely recognized Indonesian national attires include batik [1] and kebaya, although originally those attires mainly belong within the island of Java and Bali, most prominently within Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese culture. [2] Since Java has been the political and population center of Indonesia, folk attire from the island has become elevated into national status.

Contents

Indonesia Museum depicting traditional dresses of Indonesia. The picture shows the traditional wedding dress of Bali (left) and East Java (right) with other dresses from other provinces depicted in the background Indonesia Museum Traditional Dress 01.jpg
Indonesia Museum depicting traditional dresses of Indonesia. The picture shows the traditional wedding dress of Bali (left) and East Java (right) with other dresses from other provinces depicted in the background

As a multi-diverse country, Indonesia having more than 30 provinces, each has its own representation of traditional attire and dress from each province with its own unique and distinguished designs.

National attires are worn during official occasions as well as traditional ceremonies. The most obvious display of Indonesian national attires can be seen by the type of attires worn by the President of Indonesia and the Indonesian first lady in many and different types of occasions and settings, and also worn by Indonesian diplomatic officials during gala dinners. Traditional weddings and formal ceremonies in Indonesia are important occasions in the country where the wear of Indonesia national attires are absolutely visible ranging from traditional to modern attires different from each region they are representing.

National attires

Batik

The batik shirt for men is often considered as an Indonesian national attire, as worn here by Indonesian President Joko Widodo (left) and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Jokowi and Sundar Pichai Googleplex.jpg
The batik shirt for men is often considered as an Indonesian national attire, as worn here by Indonesian President Joko Widodo (left) and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

Batik is a cloth that is traditionally made using a manual wax-resist dyeing technique to form intricate patterns. Traditionally batik cloth is a large piece of intricately decorated cloth used by Javanese women as kemben or torso wrap. Batik cloth were wrapped around the hips with multiple folds in front called wiron, while the upper torso wear kebaya fitted dress. Traditionally for men, the edge of batik cloth also can be sewn together to make a tubular cloth as sarong, or wrapped around hips as kain in fashion similar to women's. Later for men, the batik cloth also sewn and made into contemporary batik men's shirt.

Batik is recognized as one of the important identity of Indonesian culture. UNESCO designated Indonesian batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on October 2, 2009. As part of the acknowledgment, UNESCO insisted that Indonesia preserve their heritage. [3]

Batik shirts, which are commonly worn by men in Indonesia (especially in Java), are usually worn during formal occasions; such as attending weddings, traditional ceremonies, formal meetings, communal gatherings, etc. Sometimes men who wear batik shirt usually also wearing a songkok or peci cap to make it more formal in a traditional way. Batik shirts have two types of cuts: long sleeves for formal occasions, and short sleeves for casual to semi-formal occasions. Batik shirt or blouse are also available for women. Batik pattern differs from region to region, especially across Java and other islands, and have their own motifs or patterns unique to respective local tradition and culture.

Kebaya

Balinese girls wearing kebaya Three Balinese girls wearing kebaya.jpg
Balinese girls wearing kebaya

The kebaya is the national attire of women from Indonesia, although it is more accurately endemic to the Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese peoples. [2] It is sometimes made from sheer material such as silk, thin cotton or semi-transparent nylon or polyester, adorned with brocade or floral pattern embroidery. Kebaya is usually worn with a sarong or batik kain panjang, or other traditional woven garment such as ikat , songket with a colorful motif.

The earliest form of kebaya originates in the court of the Javanese Majapahit Kingdom as a means to blend the existing female Kemban, torso wrap of the aristocratic women to be more modest and acceptable to the newly adopted Islam religion. Aceh, Riau and Johor kingdoms and Northern Sumatra adopted the Javanese style kebaya as a means of social expression of status with the more alus or refined Javanese overlords. [4]

Kebaya is usually worn during official national events by the Indonesian first lady, wives of Indonesian diplomats, and Indonesian women in general. It also worn by Indonesian women attending traditional ceremonies and weddings. In Kartini day on 21 April Indonesian women usually wear kebaya to celebrate and honor the Indonesian women emancipation heroine. During Balinese traditional ceremonies, Balinese women wore colorful Balinese style kebaya with songket Bali.

Peci

Sukarno wearing black velvet peci Presiden Sukarno dyk.jpg
Sukarno wearing black velvet peci

The Peci , also known as songkok or kopiah, is a cap traditionally worn by male Muslims in the Indonesian archipelago. It is quite similar to the Turkish-Egyptian fez . In Indonesia, the black velvet peci has become the national headdress with secular nationalist connotations made popular by Sukarno. [5] A number of Indonesian nationalist movement activists in the early 20th century, such as Sukarno, Muhammad Hatta and Agus Salim, wore a peci to convey their nationalistic sentiments and to demonstrate their Indonesian identity. Indonesian male presidents always wear a peci as part of their official presidential attire.

Since then, the black velvet peci is approved to be the national head-dress for Indonesian men. It is worn all over Indonesia, especially by government officials and men (usually Muslim men) throughout the country. The peci is usually worn with batik shirt or western-style suits by men in Indonesia for those attending formal occasions. It is also commonly worn during Islamic religious occasions. Senior citizen Muslim men across Indonesia — usually in Jakarta who identify themselves as native Betawi people, also use this peci on an everyday basis. It is also a traditional head-dress of the Betawi people and also other ethnic groups, especially in the western parts of Indonesia which are mainly Muslims.

Regional attires

Other than the national attires, each of the provinces of Indonesia — more precisely every ethnic group of Indonesia, have their own regional traditional attires. These regional attires in Indonesian is called baju adat or pakaian adat, and derived from traditional Indonesian textile traditions and crafts. The best chance to see an example of Indonesian traditional attires is by attending a traditional wedding ceremony. The traditional attires differs according to its function and occasion; the most elaborate and extravagant ones usually reserved for bride and groom only, while a more common traditional attires are worn by local people during traditional ceremonies. Some examples of Indonesian regional attires (baju adat) are:

Textiles

A Palembang lady clad in songket Aesan Gede attire Aesan Gede Songket Palembang.jpg
A Palembang lady clad in songket Aesan Gede attire

Stamped batik, the design of which takes months to create; double weave ikat from the islands of Nusa Tenggara, silk Bugis sarong from Sulawesi, gold-painted Balinese prada fabric; shimmering kain songket from Palembang utilizing silver and gold metallic threads weft in woven cotton or silk ikat; and tapis weavings from Lampung. Weavings from the 34 provinces utilize different materials, methods, colors and designs. Primarily formed on back looms, weeks or months are spent creating intricate designs for everyday use or ceremonial wear. These weavings are primarily known by the different techniques that are used to create the distinctive designs.

The symbolism of the various ethnic groups is evident in the variety of textiles. Color, shapes and their arrangements all have special meanings. Certain designs can only be worn by women or men, or only by the members of the royal family or nobility. Special textiles are worn or exchanged in life cycle or rights of passage ceremonies celebrating birth, circumcision, puberty, marriage, childbearing and death. Textiles play an important role in many traditional events and ceremonies.

Written records dating to the fourteenth century document the importance of textiles in the social and religious lives of Indonesians. The highly distinctive traditional dress, or pakaian adat, best shows the diversity of uses of textiles throughout the archipelago. The even more elaborate bridal dress displays the best of each province's textile and ornamental jewelry traditions.

Javanese men often wear sarong with baju koko (koko shirt) or batik shirt and peci during religious or casual occasions. Sarungan.jpg
Javanese men often wear sarong with baju koko (koko shirt) or batik shirt and peci during religious or casual occasions.

Clothing

Pakaian adat jawa1.jpg
Front view.
Pakaian adat jawa 2.jpg
Rear view.
Javanese beskap traditional attire for men usually worn during wedding ceremonies by the family with a kris and blangkon

In the Indonesian archipelago, the most basic and traditional way to wear a traditional garments, is just by wrapping the traditional fabrics around the hips as kain or sarong and secure it; and for women, wrapping the torso with kemben (torso wrap). This practice can still be found in Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara. Nevertheless, the development and the expansion of sewing and clothing techniques has creates tailored shirts for men and women. Tight fitting women's kebaya and tailored batik shirt for men is the example of traditional clothing that today transcends ethnic boundaries in Indonesia and has become a national attire. Other than those two, there are a number of tailored shirts or clothing developed in Indonesia.

Men

  • Baju koko also known as baju takwa, a traditional Indonesian men Muslim shirt, worn usually during religious occasions, such as shalat jumat or during lebaran (Eid al-Fitr) festival. It is usually worn with the sarong and peci .
  • Beskap, Javanese traditional clothing worn usually by men for formal traditional attire

Women

  • Kemben , is a classic Javanese female torso wrap historically common in Java and Bali, commonly uses batik cloth.
  • Baju kurung , Malay women's blouse.
  • Baju bodo , Bugis-Makassar women's loose and rather transparent blouse, from South Sulawesi.
  • Daster is a women's informal home-dress made of thin fabric and is a full body dress. It usually has the motives of batik patterns and is widely worn by women inside the home in Indonesia.

Headgear

Each different region, island, tribe, and culture in Indonesia has its own head-dress/head-gear worn traditionally by the particular people of the area. The peci or songkok is the national formal head-dress worn by men all over Indonesia, usually worn by government officials. Men's head-dress are usually made of traditional fabrics, while women's head-dress often consists of metal jewelries sometimes decorated with floral arrangements. Examples of different head-dress across the country are:

Men

Women

  • Konde or sanggul, originally referred to a type of hairdo. Today, it refers to a hairbun extension, attached to the back of the head. Commonly worn by women in Java and Bali as a part of their kain kebaya attire. The hairbuns are usually made from natural human hair. Konde is usually secured with a tusuk konde hairpin, and adorned with a jasmine flower garland or other hair ornaments.
  • Kembang goyang (lit.: "trembling flower") or cunduk mentul, a golden flower ornament attached to the hairbun. Similar metallic floral hair ornaments can be found throughout Indonesia, however it is more prevalent in Java and Bali.
  • Jamang, a gilded tiara-like crown, worn around the forehead to the side of the head. It was derived from Hindu-Buddhist heritage, now still worn in Javanese and Balinese wayang orang performance, Javanese srimpi dancers, and Sundanese bride headgear.
  • Siger, a large horned and gilded Lampung women's headgear. Today, usually made of brass. In Palembang, a smaller similar version is known as singkar.
  • Suntiang, a tall, large and rather heavy Minang gilded crown for the bride. Traditionally made from gold, today however, usually made from brass.
  • Tengkuluk tanduk, a horned head-dress made from folded traditional fabrics (usually songket), unique to Minang culture, especially Bundo Kanduang attire.
  • Kerudung, a traditional Muslim women's veil of loosely worn cloth over the head. Unlike completely covered jilbab, parts of hairs and neck are still visible.
  • Jilbab , a more conservative generic Muslim women's veil, adopted from Middle Eastern style. Usually worn by more conservative Muslim women. Unlike kerudung, hair and neck are completely covered.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batik</span> Cloth dyeing technique

Batik is a dyeing technique using wax resist. The term is also used to describe patterned textiles created with that technique. Batik is made by drawing or stamping wax on a cloth to prevent colour absorption during the dyeing process. This creates a patterned negative when the wax is removed from the dyed cloth. Artisans may create intricate coloured patterns with multiple cycles of wax application and dyeing. Patterns and motifs vary widely even within countries. Some pattern hold deep symbolic significance and used only in certain occasions, while some were created to satisfy market demand and fashion trends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folk costume</span> Expression of identity through clothing, usually associated with a geographic area

A folk costume expresses a national identity through clothing or costume, which is associated with a specific region and period of time in history. Furthermore it can indicate social, marital, or religious status. If the costume is used to represent the culture or identity of a specific ethnic group, it is usually known as ethnic costume. Folk costumes often come in two forms: one for everyday occasions, the other for traditional festivals and formal wear. The word "costume" in this context is sometimes considered pejorative due to the multiple senses of the word, and in such cases "clothing", "garments" or "regalia" can be substituted without offense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarong</span> Traditional garment of the Malay Archipelago and the Pacific Islands

A sarong or a sarung is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often employs woven plaid or checkered patterns or may be brightly colored by means of batik or ikat dyeing. Many modern sarongs have printed designs, often depicting animals or plants. Different types of sarongs are worn in different places in the world, notably the lungi in the Indian subcontinent and the izaar in the Arabian Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Indonesia</span>

The culture of Indonesia has been shaped by the interplay of indigenous customs and diverse foreign influences. With over 1,300 distinct ethnic groups, including significant Austronesian and Melanesian cultures, contributing to its rich traditions, languages, and customs, Indonesia is a melting pot of diversity. Positioned along ancient trade routes between the Far East, South Asia, and the Middle East, the country has absorbed cultural practices influenced by Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Islam, and Christianity. These influences have created a complex cultural tapestry that often differs from the original indigenous cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kebaya</span> Southeast Asian traditional clothing

A kebaya is an upper garment traditionally worn by women in Southeast Asia, notably in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Southern Thailand. It is also worn in parts of southern Philippines and Cambodia.

<i>Songket</i> Traditional Maritime Southeast Asian woven fabric

Songket or sungkit is a tenun fabric that belongs to the brocade family of textiles of Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia. It is hand-woven in silk or cotton, and intricately patterned with gold or silver threads. The metallic threads stand out against the background cloth to create a shimmering effect. In the weaving process the metallic threads are inserted in between the silk or cotton weft (latitudinal) threads in a technique called supplementary weft weaving technique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baju Melayu</span> Malay traditional clothing

Baju Melayu is a traditional Malay costume for men, originated from the court of Malacca Sultanate and is traditionally worn by men in Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, parts of Indonesia, southern Philippines, and southern Thailand. In its formal form, Baju Melayu is the national dress of Malaysia and Brunei, typically worn during official events and functions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Songkok</span> Traditional Southeast Asian cap

The songkok or peci or kopiah is a cap widely worn in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines, and southern Thailand, most commonly among Muslim males. It has the shape of a truncated cone, usually made of black or embroidered felt, cotton or velvet. It is also worn by males in formal occasions such as weddings and funerals or festive occasions such as the Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays. In Indonesia, the peci is also associated with the nationalist movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian cultural outfits</span> Malaysian clothing

Pakaian is the term for clothing in Malaysia's national language. It is referring to things to wear such as shirts, pants, shoes etc. Since Malaysia is a multicultural nation: Malay, Chinese, Indian and hundreds of other indigenous groups of Malay Peninsula and Borneo, each has its own traditional and religious articles of clothing all of which are gender-specific and may be adapted to local influences and conditions. Previously, traditional clothes were worn daily. However, by excluding Baju Melayu, Baju Kurung many are now only worn on special occasions such as marriage ceremonies and cultural events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tapis (Indonesian weaving style)</span> Native Indonesian weaving style of Lampungese

Tapis is a traditional Tenun style and also refers to resulting cloth that originated from Lampung, Indonesia. It consists of a striped, naturally-coloured cloth embroidered with warped and couched gold thread. Traditionally using floral motifs, it has numerous variations. It is generally worn ceremonially, although it can be used as a decoration. It is considered one of the symbols of Lampung and Lampungese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baju Kurung</span> Indonesian and Malaysian traditional clothing

Baju Kurung is a traditional attire of Malays and traditionally worn by women in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and southern Thailand. This type of traditional attire is the national dress of Brunei and Malaysia. In Indonesia, this dress is also worn as a regional attire, commonly observed on the island of Sumatra, particularly by the ethnic Malay and Minangkabau women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulos</span> Traditional Batak draped cloth garment of North Sumatra, Indonesia

Ulos is the traditional Tenun fabric of the Batak people of North Sumatra in Indonesia. Different kinds of Ulos have different ceremonial significance. The ulos is normally worn draped over the shoulder or shoulders, or in weddings to ceremonially bind the bride and groom together. Ulos are traditionally hand-woven and in the case of higher-quality examples are significant family heirlooms, to be worn at important events, such as funerals and weddings.

<i>Lebaran</i> Indonesian term for Islamic holidays

Lebaran is the Indonesian popular name for two Islamic official holidays, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in Indonesia, and is one of the major national holidays in the country. Lebaran holiday officially lasts for two days in the Indonesian calendar, although the government usually declares a few days before and after the Lebaran as a bank holiday. Many individuals or families, especially Muslims take paid time off from their workplace during these days.

Obin, real name Josephine Komara, is a textile designer from Indonesia. She is sometimes called a "national treasure" due to her passion for and promotion of traditional Indonesian batik techniques. Her work has achieved worldwide recognition, with fellow Indonesian designers such as Edward Hutabarat and Ghea Panggabean describing her as the real authority and leader of the mid-2000s movement to update and modernise batik. Despite this, Obin describes herself as simply a tukang kain, or vendor of cloth, stating that the genuine artists and designers are the craftsmen who make the textiles retailed through Bin House, her business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balinese textiles</span> Native Indonesian weaving style of Balinese

Balinese textiles are reflective of the historical traditions of Bali, Indonesia. Bali has been historically linked to the major courts of Java before the 10th century; and following the defeat of the Majapahit kingdom, many of the Javanese aristocracy fled to Bali and the traditions were continued. Bali therefore may be seen as a repository not only of its own arts but those of Java in the pre-Islamic 15th century. Any attempt to definitively describe Balinese textiles and their use is doomed to be incomplete. The use of textile is a living tradition and so is in constant change. It will also vary from one district to another. For the most part old cloth are not venerated for their age. New is much better. In the tropics cloth rapidly deteriorates and so virtue is generated by replacing them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indonesian art</span>

It is quite difficult to define Indonesian art, since the country is immensely diverse. The sprawling archipelago nation consists of 17,000 islands. Around 922 of those permanently inhabited, by over 1,300 ethnic groups, which speak more than 700 living languages.

<i>Kemben</i> Indonesian traditional female clothing

Kemben is an Indonesian female torso wrap historically common in Java, Bali, and other parts of the Indonesian archipelago. It is made by wrapping a piece of kain (clothes), either plain, batik printed, velvet, or any type of fabrics, covering the chest wrapped around the woman's torso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodo blouse</span> Sheer and transparent women blouse of South Sulawesi, Indonesia

The bodo blouse, locally known as baju bodo, is a sheer and transparent short-sleeved loose blouse, a traditional attire for women of the Bugis and Makassar peoples of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. A bodo blouse is traditionally combined with a matching woven sarong that covered the waist below the body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batik in Indonesia</span> Cultural tradition

Batik plays multiple roles in the culture of Indonesia. The wax resist-dyeing technique has been used for centuries in Java, and has been adopted in varying forms in other parts of the country. Java is home to several batik museums.

References

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