Batik a Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity

Batik is one way of making fabric. Besides batik can refer to two things. The first is the technique of coloring cloth using the wax to prevent staining part of the fabric. In the international literature, this technique is known as a wax-resist dyeing. The second notion is a fabric or clothing made ​​with these techniques, including the use of certain motifs that its uniqueness. Batik Indonesia, as the overall engineering, technology, and development-related motives and culture, UNESCO has been designated a Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity since October 2, 2009.

The word "batik" comes from the combination of two Javanese word "amba", meaning "writing" and "titik" which means "point".

Batik is a craft that has high artistic value and has become part of the culture of Indonesia (particularly Java) since long. Javanese women in the past made their skills in batik for a living, so that in the past, batik work is exclusively women's work to finding "Batik Cap" which allows the entry of men into the field. There are some exceptions to this phenomenon, namely the coastal batik has the masculine lines as can be seen in shades of "Mega Clouds", which in some coastal areas batik work is common for men.


Tradition of batik was originally a tradition for generations, so that sometimes a recognizable motif batik originated from a particular family. Some batik motif could indicate a person's status. Even today, some batik motif tadisional only used by the family palace of Yogyakarta and Surakarta.

A variety of shades and colors of Batik is influenced by various foreign influences. Initially, batik has a variety of shades and colors are limited, and some patterns may only be used by certain circles. But batik coastal absorb various external influences, such as foreign traders, and also in the end, the invaders. 

Bright colors like red popularized by the Chinese, who also popularized the phoenix pattern. European colonial nations also took an interest in batik, and the result is a style unknown before flowers (like tulips) as well as objects brought by the colonizers (buildings or horse-drawn carriage), as well as their favorite colors such as blue. Retain traditional batik coraknya and is still used in traditional ceremonies because each style usually has a representation of each.

Batik was originally made ​​on material with a white cotton cloth called. Today batik is also made on other materials such as silk, polyester, rayon and other synthetic materials. Motif formed by a liquid wax using a tool called a canting for subtle motif, or a brush to a large motif, so that the liquid wax to seep into the fabric fibers. Fabrics that have been painted with wax and then dyed with the desired color, usually starting from the light colors. Immersion and then taken to another motif with color or black older. After some time the coloring process, which has dibatik cloth dipped in chemicals to dissolve the wax.