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Balinese
Cloth Existed Since Prehistoric Periods
Balinese fabric is
estimated to have existed since the Carpenter
period (prehistory, 600 BC-800 AD). It was
proved by the finding of fabric remains
on the human skeleton in the sarcophagus
(stone coffin). Sarcophagi are discovered
at Central Marga (Tabanan) and Payangan
Village (Gianyar).
 Further,
in the 10th AD century, was discovered effigy
as manifestation of King Udayana and his
consort Gunapriadharmapatni or Mahendradatta
who wore a cloth of lotus motif. Such effigy
is now retained at Penulisan Temple, Kintamani.
While, in the sixteenth century, centre
for textile industry in Bali located at
Gelgel Village (Klungkung) which at that
time became the civic centre of Bali Kingdom.
A sort of woven songket fabric for royal
costume was developed there. In the same
age, Tenganan Village (Karangasem) developed
distinctive woven fabric that popularly
known as gringsing.
Such traditional fabrics can be fond at
Bali Museum on Jalan Letkol Wisnu, Denpasar.
This museum displays the collection of development
of Balinese traditional fabrics that are
beautifully set up in such a way, ranging
from the simplest to the most sophisticated.
Those fabrics are classified in accordance
with its motif design into plain, checkered,
endek, cepuk, songket, prada (gold leaf)
and geringsing cloth.
A number of weaving tools are also exhibited
at Bali Museum such as pemipisan (tool used
to separete fibrous substance of cotton
from its seeds), jantra (spinning wheel),
leting (to roll the thread), pro (to stretch
the thread lungsi) and cagcag (to stretch
the lungsi thread that ready to weave).
Plain
Cloth
This fabric comprises one colour, e.g. white,
black, red, blue, green and so forth. It’s
woven by means of traditional weaving tool
(cagcag) in very simple technique. Two threads,
namely lungsi and pakan with one single
colour are designed in compliance with the
favour and function of such fabric.
Checkered
Cloth
It is a fabric that consists of two or more
colours. Each colour shapes square, like
black and white, red and white, blue, yellow,
brown and goes on. Colours that are considered
to have religious meaning are black and
white as symbol of ‘rwabhineda’
signifying virtue and wickedness. Checkered
fabric of black-white is used as saput (large
skirt) for guardian shrine, guardian effigy
or other wayang figures like Hanoman and
Bima.
Endek
Cloth
Endek is woven cloth that usually worn by
common people on the manusa yajna or rites
of passage (like tooth-filing, wedding and
so forth) and dewa yajna (temple festival,
galungan celebration) and the like, Made
by single woven and adorned with floral,
faunal and mixed motif on its pakan thread.
Cepuk
Cloth
It is a fabric that customarily worn on
manusa and dewa yajna ceremonies, especially
in Nusa Penida and Tenganan Village. This
fabric is made of Balinese thread and natural
colours. Its making employs single weaving
and applies geometrical motif.
Songket
Cloth
Songket is a kind of fabric that is made
by technique of hooking or embroidering
with bits of coloured thread to make certain
motif, generally floral one. Originally,
this fabric by and large used by royal family
on the occasion of ritual activities (manusa
and dewa yajna).
Geringsing
Cloth
It is a cloth that is made at Tenganan Pegeringsingan
Village and functions as protective cloth
and used on religious ceremonies (manusa
and dewa yajna). This cloth is reduced by
means of double weaving and decorated with
floral, faunal and wayang motif. The latter
consists of pepare, cemplong, female wayang
figure and so forth.
Double weaving technique is both thread
groups (pakan and lungsi) are fastened to
design motif, then dyed with natural colours
like black-blue that made of the sunti root
bark (Morinda citrifolia), red eggshell
and taum or indigo. Considering the making
process employs natural ingredients, consequently
it takes too long time. A piece of fine
quality geringsing cloth takes up to eight
years starting from the process of spinning
the thread, preparing design, colouring
then weaving.
Prada
Cloth
Prada cloth is a plain one that embellished
with gold leaf. It is commonly used for
decoration on holy shrines on the occasion
of holding ritual activities in the mode
of ider-ider, pedapa, tabing, langse (curtain)
and so forth.(BTN/des/*)
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