Authors:
Nita Trismaya
1
;
A. Cahyo Nugroho
2
and
Semiarto Purwanto
3
Affiliations:
1
Sekolah Tinggi Desain Interstudi, Indonesia
;
2
Semarak Cerlang Nusa Consultancy, Research and Education for Social Transformation, Indonesia
;
3
Department of Anthropology, University of Indonesia, Indonesia
Keyword(s):
color, selection, composition, pua kumbu, traditional weaving, Iban, West Kalimantan, Indonesia
Abstract:
Color is a cultural expression derived from the culturalknowledge of particular social groups. Culture in the form of local tradition determine the color composition and selection can be seen in tenun or traditional weaving. Almost every tenun uses natural dyes will come-up with soft, darker, and other low intensity of colors. It is considered that local technology gives a limitationto the crafters to produce brighter colors. The changes brought by modernization today has, however, enabled them to have more choices in colors since the use of colorful thread is commonly found now. Our short ethnographic observation, conducting intensively for one month in some Iban communities in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan has shown us that color composition and selection is in fact not a simple matter. Research notice that color selection is in most cases very impersonal and sacred, and is made based on dreams, symbols, and the experience of respective crafters who mostly women. When an empowerment
program for women introduced by a national NGO, which encourages peoples to produce more pua kumbu or Ibanese tenun, the color selection was done by also considering the market demands. Eventually, this market-driven production produces a new cultural problem for the Iban crafters.
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