Social Status of Malay Woman Viewed from Malay Traditional

Clothing

Mardiah Mawar Kembaren

, Rozanna Mulyani

, and Husnan Lubis

Department of Malay Literature, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Jl. Universitas no. 19,

Medan, Indonesia

Department of Arabic Literature, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Jl. Universitas no. 19,

Medan, Indonesia

Keywords: Songket, Malay Women, Social Status.

Abstract: This article examines the social status of Malay women when using their traditional Malay clothes

espescially ‘songket’. The objective is to explore the social meaning of traditional ‘songket’ as a part of the

most important clothes of Malay society especially for malay women. As a part of traditional clothing,

songketh as a special meaning to the user especially for woman. The result show that every way of using

songket by Malay women have some social meaning then we will be able to know the status of a Malay

woman among others whether the woman is still virgin, already have husband, widow, or wife of officials.

1 INTRODUCTION

Every human being has information conveyed

through verbal or non-verbal language, the process

of delivering this information is called

communication, Communication is a process of

delivering information (messages, ideas, ideas) from

one party to another (Ilteljhhon and Foss, 2009:

740). Both types of communication have the same

role that is to convey a message, idea, or a specific

idea for people to know and understand. Verbal

communication is usually done through oral or

written. Verbal communication is the most widely

used communication community in communicating

between humans. Through words, language users

express their feelings, emotions, thoughts, ideas, or

intentions, convey facts, data, and information and

explain it, exchange feelings and thoughts, debate,

and quarrel. In verbal communication that language

plays an important role, this communication tends to

use words - words, both orally and in writing

(Hardjana, 2003: 22).

Non-verbal communication is usually done

outside of oral and written like gestures, postures,

facial expressions, symbolic outfits, similar cues,

and symptoms Non-verbal communication is a

communication activity that using sign language or

silent language (Arni, 2001: 139), from both types of

communications then the message is communicated

by colors in songket is a non-verbal language.

According to Larry A. Samovar and Richard E.

Porter in Mulyana (2012: 343) non-verbal

communication includes all stimuli (except verbal

stimuli) in a communication setting produced by

individuals and the use of the environment by

individuals who have a potential message value for

the sender or recipients, so this definition includes

intentional, unintentional behavior as part of the

whole communication event, we send a lot of non-

verbal messages without realizing that those

messages are meaningful to others.

In Malay culture it turns out that non-verbal

language is also used that is by looking at the clothes

worn by women. Then we will know the meaning of

women status in their society through how they wear

the clothes especially using songket. Then, the

manisfestation of that is classified with an artifactual

message, this message is usually expressed through

the appearance-body, clothing, and cosmetics.

The Malay community is known as a rich society

by cultural treasures (Effendi, 2004: 3). One of the

element of Malay culture is the Malay Songket. The

color on the songket cloth has its own meaning on

the wearer by looking at the color then we will know

what the social status of the wearer. But in addition

to the color it turns out how to wear songket also has

a meaning to the wearer specially for woman.

1286

Kembaren, M., Mulyani, R. and Lubis, H.

Social Status of Malay Woman Viewed from Malay Traditional Clothing.

DOI: 10.5220/0010071812861289

In Proceedings of the International Conference of Science, Technology, Engineering, Environmental and Ramiﬁcation Researches (ICOSTEERR 2018) - Research in Industry 4.0, pages

1286-1289

ISBN: 978-989-758-449-7

As a woman, not separated in the name of

beauty, this is what makes men become fascinated

with women, not infrequently the men often seduce,

glance and even trying to have a woman who has not

been recognized because it was already fascinated

by the beauty of a woman, then for it through the

way a woman put her clothes on implied the

meaning of social status a woman in Malay society.

2 METHODS

In this article, a qualitative approach with

descriptive analysis method (Miles & Huberman,

1994, Moleong, 2014) will be used. In order to

perform the study, the research sites has been done

in North Sumatera especially in Dei Malay Kingdom

and Serdang Malay Kingdom society. This area was

chosen because there are still many Malay people

who wear songketMalay especially during custom

ceremonies.

As a field research, this article have some

resources as a key informant and we choose the

expert source and the society of the Malay culture

especially women for the data and the men for the

interpretationtoward the women. The data in the

form of interviews, observations, and documentation

during the field research. The data in the form of

notes, recordings, and photos that will then be

analyzed in order to answer the problem.

3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The results will be discussed in 3 subsections, they

are songket as Malay Society fabrics, Malay woman

wearing a songket, and social interaction of Malay

woman.

3.1 Songket as Malay Society Fabrics

Malay songket cloth is a woven fabric produced and

bolted by the Malay community. The word ‘songket’

derived from the term ‘sungkit’ in Malay and

Indonesian, which means "hook" or "gouge". This is

related to the way of making songket, hook and take

a dash of woven cloth, and then tuck a gold thread

(Marianti and Istiharini, 2013: 17).

One of the areas that produce songket is Padang

Genting Village in Batubara Regency of North

Sumatra, Indonesia, although actually in Batubara

Regency there are some points producing songket.

But in Padang Genting Village, thea ctivity of

weaving Malay songket is every day running active.

Songket fabric is indigineous knowledge or local

intelligence (local genius) that has local wisdom,

Sibarani (2012: 122) states that Local Wisdom is a

Local Intelligence or indigenous knowledge derived

from the noble values of cultural traditions to

regulate the order of society life in order to achieve

social progress both in the creation of peace and

improving the welfare of the community.

Songket is one of the hallmark of Malay culture

so that songket cloth is so famous among the Malay

people, besides having a high quality it turns out that

the Malay songket fabric has a very high price so

that the songket fabric becomes a very prestige cloth

and symbolizes the luxury for the wearer. It also

often referred to as beauty queen songket for the

beauty and luxury that emanated from the songket.

Besides the cultural identity and luxury

embedded in songket, it has a high sacredness in the

Malay culture. Songket usually used on traditional

occasions, such as at the circumcision, the ceremony

for-took off and welcomed-the hajj, traditional

ceremonies such as ceremony for feting the sea

(menjamu laut), children's giving name event

(menabalkan nama bayi), and events related to

culture. Songket play as an important role in the

customary event in the Malay community.

The use of songket in cultural activities is

regarded as an obligation although there is no

written rule. People usually wearing songket must

also wear Malay other main clothes such as china

scissors cloth (baju gunting cina) or teluk belanga.

The colour of the clothes must be adjusted with the

colour of the songket.

Basically, wearing songket depending on the

wearer in Malay society. This proves that the Malay

songket indeed can not be separated from Malay

culture so it has a special position for the Malay

community. In the past,songket has a color that was

not too varied as it is today because in the first

songket usually woven specifically for the Malay

royal family or the noble family. This because the

price of songket was so expensive. The color of

songket has a strong meaning for Malay society

especially in the District of Batubara at this time.

Even the color of yellow, blue, green and black

should not be used by indiscriminate people because

it has its own meaning of the color. Besides that, the

color of the songket has its own authority that can

not be contested by society because it into an

unwritten, yet traditionally entrenched and become

cultural.

Social Status of Malay Woman Viewed from Malay Traditional Clothing

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Furthermore, to be used as a fashion or clothing,

songket has a beautiful motive with many variety of

shapes. It also has a color that has implied meaning

for the wearer. Each color gives separate message to

other people. Thus, by seeing its color alone it will

be caught the social class of the wearer, then when

viewed from the way of wearing songket clothing in

women, it also has an implied meaning that show the

wearer status. In addition to beautiful songket also

has several components or structures that make it

into one unity as for the songket fabric structure that

are:

- Body cloth

- Head cloth

- Foot cloth

- Head clamps

- Soil fabrics

- Peak cloth

- Clamp body fabric

- Peak legs

- Kendik

From those structure of the songket cloth that

needs to be considered in analyzing the meaning of

songket wearer by women is the head cloth that

worn by woman. The head cloth is a part of the

songket motif that is the distinctive mark of the

songket itself. If we pay attention with the head on

the songket when a woman wear it, then we know

about social status of the woman.

3.2 Malay Woman Wearing a Songket

How to use songket by women can not be done

haphazardly because it implies the status of women

who wear the songket. Status of the Malay woman

can be determined by looking at the way she put the

songket on her body. We must pay attention to the

head cloth of the songket then we know the status of

the woman. The ways of using the songket also

determined by the position of the head cloth. There

are four positions of the head cloth when Malay

woman wear a songket. In the front, in the back, in

the right and in the left. Each position indicates

meaning for the woman who wear it.

First, position of the head cloth at the back or

behind the waist of the woman. In this position, the

women who use the head cloth at behind are

ordinary women who wear it at traditional

ceremonies. In this condition, the woman usually

bring her child orholding a child and some are not

carrying children but using a songket clothing with

head position songket in behind. If she doesn’t bring

her child and come to ceremony alone it doenst

mean that she is a single woman. It means that he

woman who use the songket with position of the

head cloth at behind, is a married woman. This

illustrates that there is no limit must have a child or

not but the very important is the status of the woman

has shown no longer single or she already has a

husband.

Beside that, when Malay woman use head cloth

at behind shows that he already gave a sign he

already has a husband, bring a child, this proves that

the woman already has a husband while who has not

brought a child but to dress with head songket

position in the back is still a wife, this may still

newly married or still have not in gifted children but

by wearing clothing like that then indirectly the

woman gives a message to people not to disturb him

especially to young singles who are looking for a

partner.

Second,position of the head cloth in the front. In

this position, the woman who use songket with the

head cloth in front of her belly is ordinary women

who wear songket usually woman around the age of

a dozen years. Most of these women are young and

tend to wear still under the age of 20 years and not

carrying or carrying a child. As we can see from the

fabric motif that indicates the color of songket so

varied. On this position symbolizing the openness of

receiving and welcoming that any man who will

approach will be welcome because they have no one

to have. Therefore, it shows that the woman status is

a girl or have not a husband yet. The position in the

front shows openness in welcoming men who want

to apply.

Third, position of the head cloth in the left. A

woman who wears a songket at a traditional

ceremony with variations which carrying a small

child or some are not bringing the child but using the

songket with the head cloth position songketin the

left illustrates that there is no limit should have a

child and it is not important the status of the woman

was married. This means that the woman had been

married and has become a widow of the message

conveyed through this symbol hinted to the men

who want to propose her and so that the man doesn’t

have the wrong choice dan thingking because she

was a widow.

The position on the left shows that she was alone

and already widowed, so for the man who wanted to

applying for the woman no longer need to ask the

status of the woman because it has been given

through the position of the head cloth of the songket.

Fourth, position of the head cloth in the right.

The woman who wears it at traditional ceremonies

are usually always in the forefront than others

because women who use clothing head position

ICOSTEERR 2018 - International Conference of Science, Technology, Engineering, Environmental and Ramiﬁcation Researches

1288

songket in the right very rarely in use by society,

only certain people. This indicates the social status

of the woman is not seen from the status she is

married or not but the title that he embodies as the

distinction in general public. The songket usually

have various patterns of motifs and colors, not

infrequently,the motifs are in full motive so it looks

luxurious and is certainly expensive. This means that

the woman is a woman who is not arbitrary woman

officer may be the wife of the sub-district head or

the wife of the regent or nobleman. With this social

status, the woman have power, awareness, and glory

so that a proper wife of an official.

3.3 Social Interaction of Malay Woman

Based on wearing of head cloth of songket by Malay

women, shows that the power of Malay culture still

have an effect espescially with social interaction

between Malay own society ang the outsider.

According to the position of head cloth of songket

weared by Malay woman shows all the meaning of

Malay women interaction to social and their

environment. It will be easy to distinguish which

woman is still girl and where woman already have

husband so that no mistake in doing social

interaction in Malay culture.

Nowadays, there are many Malay people do not

know about the function of songket position weared

by woman. Hence, many Malay people especially

men misrecognize and misunderstanding about

women’s social status from their own society.

Therefore, it disturb the social interaction between

man and woman in Malay culture. Yet, it stil not too

late to reintroduce the information of social

interaction between man and woman in Malay

society viewed from songket usage by Malay

women.

4 CONCLUSION

The Malay people used to use songket as a clothing

material. In the Malay society, clothing does not

merely serve to protect the body from heat and cold,

but also has a function as an indicator of identity,

cultural beauty, social strata, indigenous sign and

ideology with the function, songket is not only worth

pragmatic, but also worth of custom, culture, and

aesthetics.

This is a part of the local wisdom that must be

maintained so that it continues to survive and

become a cultural imperative of value. Similarly, the

meaning contained in songket wich used by Malay

women shows that there is wisdom in it, so that there

is a limit always in social interaction between man

and women and it is appropriate with the Islam

precept. This condition is never set in written rules

but has become something that is agreed and

understood by the Malay community in general, but

in the middle of the increasingly advanced

globalization and the influence of technology that

increasingly dragging humans towards

postmodernism, finally culture like the meaning of

songket usageby Malay women is not too late in the

attention and should be preserve from now. This

become a challenge of the era in preserving the

Malay cultureso that the Malay words "The Malay

will not disappear on the earth" is not just a merely

a jargon.

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