PROYEK PULANG KAMPUNG

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PROYEK PULANG KAMPUNG
S.A. NIESSEN & MJA NASHIR J
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2009
PRELUDE
March
Legacy in cloth, Batak textiles of Indonesia
This book – 568 full-colour pages about Batak textiles:
design, techniques, history and catalogue raisonné – was
launched on 15 May, 2009. To all appearances, after 30
years on the drawing board, the book was finally finished.
For its author, anthropologist Sandra Niessen, however,
it had to be brought back to the villages in North Sumatra
and given to the women who had helped her during the
research phase. Only then would the book truly be done.
To acknowledge the importance of their work,
during the launch of the book the first copy was
given to Threads of Life, the Bali-based fair trade
business that encourages weaving communities to
revive techniques of weaving and natural dyeing
that are in danger of disappearing.
http://www.threadsoflife.com/revitalizing.asp
June
2010
Pulang Kampung
The distribution of Legacy in
cloth in North Sumatra was
dubbed Proyek Pulang Kampung/
Back to the Villages Project and
it took place in June 2010.
It constituted the return of Batak
textile heritage in book form.
Forty books were distributed in
the villages around Lake Toba
and as far south as the Silindung Valley. During the journey, it became clear that the Batak
weaving arts were in a state of drastic decline.
http://bataktextiles.blogspot.com/p/back-to-villages.html
At the end of June
Sandra Niessen returned to The Netherlands wondering what the impact of her unusual
expedition would be.
July – November
Documentation
2
MJA Nashir, writer, photographer and filmmaker from
Java, accompanied Niessen to document the journey
visually.
2010
After Sandra’s departure, he felt compelled to write down what he had seen and experienced
during the Pulang Kampung project. He published chapter after chapter on Facebook to
gauge the reactions of his friends and acquaintances. His prose was so detailed and he
was so lavish with his photographic illustrations that most readers felt as though they had
joined Niessen and Nashir on their journey. Nashir decided on the basis of the reactions that
his travelogue would be worth publishing as a book.
September - OCTOBER
Lectures
Sandra presented a lecture in the residence of the
honourable Asianto Sinambela, Consul General of
Indonesia (San Francisco, California) in September
and Legacy in cloth was highlighted during the
accompanying exhibition.
She presented another lecture to the Oxford Asian Textile Group (Oxford, England) in October
about the Pulang Kampung/Back to the Villages journey.
Exhibition
Sandra Niessen installed an exhibition about the journey in
a local bookstore in her town of Oosterbeek. It included MJA
Nashir’s photodocumentation and textiles from her own
collection.
November
Sandra Niessen returned to Indonesia for for several reasons:
Preparations for Fiber Face 3
Fiber Face 3, an international fiber art exhibition, would take
place in February 2011 in Yogyakarta and feature juried and
selected works by fiber artists in Germany, the United States,
Australia, The Netherlands, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The exhibition series, of which Fiber Face 3, as its name
suggests, was the third, was the brainchild and the product
of the batik artists Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam of Babaran
Segaragunung.
http://babaransegaragunung.org/index.html
This one was guided professionally by Joanna Barrkman, Curator of Southeast Asian Art and
Material Culture at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT). It was
to be held in the beautiful and majestic Taman Budaya, the cultural centre of Yogyakarta.
3
To mark the publication of Legacy in cloth, Sandra Niessen was asked by the organizers to
curate the “spotlight” component. The exhibition “spotlight” always focuses on an indigenous
tradition, in this case the Batak weaving arts.
Erasmus Huis
On 6 November, before departing for North Sumatra,
Sandra Niessen and MJA Nashir took in the opening
of Facing Fools, an art exhibition by Neel Korteweg
in Erasmus Huis, Jakarta, the cultural arm of the
Embassy of the Netherlands. There they met Jeroen
Gankema, acting head. He was open to them
putting on an exhibition about Batak textiles in
Erasmus Huis in the fall of 2011 based on the
materials (phtoographs, film, writings, textiles)
that they had produced and collected since June
2010. The opportunity held tremendous promise
for sharing the Pulang Kampung story.
http://www.ru.nl/io/internationale/nederlandse/erasmus-huis-jakarta/
2010
Rangsa ni Tonun
Sandra decided to use the opportunity of
participating in Fiber Face 3 to make a film about
Batak weaving techniques. She knew that MJA
Nashir had the talent and skills to direct and make
the film. She had found an ancient Batak text,
Rangsa ni Tonun, many years prior in the archives
of the great 19th century missionary to the Batak
area, I.L. Nommensen, and knew that the only
way to present this text was in visual form. It
became the basis of the film.
http://bataktextiles.blogspot.com/2010/12/reviving-text.html
The film project turned out to be so much more. The process of making the film confronted
Nashir and Niessen again and again with not only the disappearance of indigenous weaving
techniques and equipment, but also the loss of knowledge about how to make the
equipment or revive the techniques. Sometimes the search was like looking for a needle
in a haystack. In many cases, they had to admit that further searching would be fruitless.
http://bataktextiles.blogspot.com/2010/12/sorha-1-december.html
There were also surprising moments when the process dusted off old memories and brought
them once again to life. The filming relied heavily on the expertise and goodwill of Ompu Okta
boru (weaver) and doli (film narrator) who became two stars of the film. The wonderful weavers
in Muara, under the supervision of Restuala Namora Pakpahan, were also extremely helpful.
Workshop Ulos
4
Before her return to North Sumatra, Sandra
Niessen received an email from Restuala Namora
Pakpahan, a man in Huta na Godang, Muara,
asking for permission to develop a weaving
workshop based on her book.
Sandra was thrilled at the prospect and anxious to
witness this event that was one of the results of
the Pulang Kampung journey the previous June.
The workshop turned out to be a celebration of
Legacy and was called “Workshop Ulos bersama
Sandra Niessen”. On 23 November the entire
village came out to show off their weaving skills
(even if they had stopped weaving for commercial
purposes) and their best stored textiles. It was
a remarkable festival with an excited ambiance.
The workshop was also a plea for assistance in
the revival of textiles in Muara.
http://bataktextiles.blogspot.com/2010/12/muarao-muara.html
Restuala invited Nashir and Niessen to work with
him to set up a Weaving Centre, Sopo Sorha
Harungguan. Sandra was asked to be the
“International Ambassador” for the centre and
MJA Nashir’s artistic skills were deemed
indispensable for many of the future plans.
Threads of Life/YPBB
Another goal of the journey was to guide staff
from Threads of Life, the Bali-based business
specialized in the revival of indigenous textile
traditions in Indonesia, through the Batak area
at the end of November.
2010
They wanted to find a place with potential to
revive the production of high-quality, natural-dyed
Batak textiles. Niessen guided them to various
regions and villages that seemed to hold promise
and Nashir photodocumented the journey. One
of the destinations was Muara. A strong rapport
grew between Restuala and the Bali team.
http://www.threadsoflife.com/latestnews.
asp?id=FN-SUMATRA-FEB11
5
Nashir and Niessen made good use of this return
to Muara to work on the use of natural dyes for
their Rangsa ni Tonun film. Restuala Namora
Pakpahan and his operations manager, Goodman
Ompusunggu, assisted by providing information,
materials, connections and general support.
2010
December 5 - 8
Local Wisdom Inspiring Global Solutions
Another reason for Sandra to return to Indonesia was to participate in “Wisdom”, the pilot
project for the World Cultural Forum scheduled for 2012 in Bali. Once again, on the
strength of the publication of Legacy, Sandra Niessen was one of four speakers invited to
discuss the work of Dr. Ann Dunham Soetoro, anthropologist, and mother of US President
Obama during the Colloquium in Honour of Dr. Ann Dunham
Soetoro preceding the conference. She visited one of Ann
Soetoro’s fieldwork sites and delivered a copy of Dr. Soetoro’s
book to one of Soetoro’s hosts in the village. In her address
entitled, “Surviving Against the Odds”, she discussed the
importance of returning fieldwork findings to indigenous
communities. Originally scheduled for November 8 – 11,
the event was pushed back to December 5 -8 because of
the eruption of Gunung Marapi. The conference took place
at Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta.
http://www.tourjogja.com/agenda-90-wisdom-2010.html
http://www.indonesia.travel/en/event/detail/197/the-university-of-gajah-mada-yogyakarta-hosts-wisdom-2010
December 2010 - January 2011
After the conference, Niessen returned once more to The Netherlands, her focus now centred
on developing the Erasmus Huis exhibition and an article for the Fiber Face 3 catalogue.
January - March
2011
Rangsa ni Tonun continued
6
Sandra returned to Indonesia half way through January. This
was in advance of her planning but the haste was precipitated
by the realization that the Rangsa ni Tonun film would never
be finished by the deadline unless it was tackled energetically
and quickly. The first showing would be on 12 February in
Yogyakarta. Much time was spent travelling about looking for
equipment and materials once used in the yarn-making
process. Niessen and Nashir came to the conclusion that in
order to perfect the film, the ancient, forgotten weaving skills
would have to be reintroduced to the region. It would be
tantamount to kick-starting a revival of the Batak weaving
arts. This was not possible in the time available, so the film
was cobbled together using what was available.
http://bataktextiles.blogspot.com/2011/01/rainbow-in-pothole.html
http://bataktextiles.blogspot.com/2011/01/trouble-shooting-sorha-or-spinning-our.html
http://bataktextiles.blogspot.com/2011/01/blue-and-black-and-mud-all-over.html
In another heroic effort, this time assisted by his friend Atek in Jakarta, Nashir edited a
version of the film in time to present it in February.
FIBER FACE 3
Exhibition: Sandra Niessen selected 20 Batak textiles, mostly
old but some new, to illustrate the theme of Fiber Face 3,
“Transformation”.
These beautiful textiles held their own in the exhibit
environment of modern fiber art by contemporary artists,
demonstrating the importance of linking traditional village
textile producers and contemporary fiber artists.
2011
Weaver Demonstration: Ompu Okta (Tihar br. Sitorus, Ny.
Tambun) came from North Sumatra to demonstrate her
superb skills during the exhibition. Hundreds of school
children had the opportunity to see the art of
weaving, at one time so strong in Indonesia.
Opening Ceremony: MJA Nashir developed and
co-ordinated the opening of the exhibition. One
of the highlights was the first screening of the film,
Rangsa ni Tonun. Ompu Okta doli performed his
film narration on stage, and Ompu Okta boru
demonstrated her weaving skills beside him on
stage. Top Batak musicians, Marsius Sitohang and Sarikawan Sitohang also came from North
Sumatra to play their haunting and virtuoso indigenous music to the accompaniment
of a local Batak music group.
http://www.jogjatrip.com/id/news/detail/1526/rangsa-ni-tonunsajak-pembuka-pameran-seni-serat-international-fiber-face-3transformation
http://fiber-face.blogspot.com/
Award: Mr. Patuan Simatupang had the honour of presenting
a special award offered by Babaran Segaragunung Culture
House to recognize the skills of two top indigenous fiber artist;
Ompu Okta (Batak weaver, North Sumatra) and Ibu Hartinah
(batik producer from Giriloyo, Java).
Catalogue: The exhibition catalogue, available on-line,
presents a good overview of the exhibition. “Tension in the
Batak Warp” (Tegangan di lungsin Batak), Sandra Niessen’s
article, explores transformation as an ever-present theme in
the Batak weaving arts, but points out that modern
transformation has entailed significant decline.
http://www.babaransegaragunung.org/Katalog%20Fiber%20F
ace%203.pdf
7
Seminar: On February 13, a day-long seminar was packed
with information for a full audience of academics, aficionados,
textile producers, artists and children. Sandra Niessen presented a talk about the Pulang
Kampung project in the context of the history of Batak textiles. She was able to introduce
the weaver, Ompu Okta, who was also in attendance. One young textile student came up
to Sandra afterwards and said that, on the basis of the talk, she had decided to return
to her South Sumatran home and perpetuate her indigenous textile tradition.
Film Showings: MJA Nashir showed his film twice
more, on different occasions, during the course of
the exhibition. He received many requests to screen
it in different cities in Indonesia.
At the end of it all, Nashir and Niessen escorted
Ompu Okta (husband and wife) back to the bosom
of their family in Jakarta. Then Sandra returned to
The Netherlands and Nashir returned to his writing
table in Pekalongan.
March - AUGUST
Exhibition Pameran Warisan Tekstil Batak Textile Heritage
This became the focus and title of the exhibition in Erasmus
Huis, Jakarta. Eventually the dates were finalized:
22 September – 1 November.
Separately, but synergized, MJA Nashir continued to work in
Indonesia and Sandra Niessen in The Netherlands to meet
the demands of the exhibition.
2011
Berkelana dengan Sandra, Menyusuri Ulos Batak: Nashir kept
up a blistering pace to finish his book about the Pulang Kampung
expedition. The goal was to present it at the opening of the
Erasmus Huis exhibition on 22 September. In the end, MJA
Nashir met his goal in an extraodinary feat of endurance.
8
The contents of the book are as follows (with the recipients
of Legacy given between brackets):
Chapter 1: Samosir (Sidauruk family in Huta Bolon,
Simanindo, also Lemar Sidauruk, museum
caretake)
Chapter 2: Heading towards the Beginning (family in
Lumban Suhisuhi)
Chapter 3: Harian Boho (Ompu ni Sihol’s family)
Chapter 4: What unfolded in Sihotang (a farmer)
Chapter 5: Rice cakes, Toba mountain and a grandchild’s
inheritance (Ompu Borsak’s son in Pangururan,
and Ompu Nerta, br. Marbun in Palipi)
Chapter 6: Nainggolan – Muara, Sadness and Suffering (family of Amang Parhusip in
Nainggolan)
Chapter 7: Extraordinary meetings in Muara (Ompu Josua and her son Maruahal, SMK
School of Tourism in Muara)
Chapter 8: The Pearls of Muara bay (Ibu Mutiara, Simatalo village, Restuala Namora)
Chapter 9: Silindung Valley, Tarutung (Linda and Jonny Hutagalung, Ompu Lambok,
twiners in Sait ni Huta)
Chapter 10: What is, What is not, What is Left over (Nai Ratna, Nai Arta and Nai Ganda
in Hutagalung, Universitas Si Singamangaraja and Ibu Nuria Gultom in
SiBorongborong)
2011
Chapter
Chapter
Chapter
Chapter
Chapter
11:
12:
13:
14:
15:
Your Mourning Song My Mourning Song
Lonely Road Guarding Tradition (Ompu Okta)
Cup for Bonar (Napitupulu family in Parparean)
Travels to find an old friend (Ompu Masta in Laguboti)
Flowing like Water (Sebastian Hutabarat, his mother Mutiara Napitupulu and
his sister, Peiza)
Chapter 16: Rethinking the Batak Textile Tradition (HKBP Nursing Residence in Balige and
Sister Merly)
Chapter 17: The Blue Tradition giving the Blues (Nande Indra, Nande Peringitten, Nande
Eka and Nande Pulung in Kaban Jahe, Pertenunan Trias Tambun in Kaban Jahe)
Chapter 18: Returning to the ulos that never wore out
Catalogue: Sandra wrote a small-format (15 x 21 cm) catalogue to accompany the objects
in the exhibition. While Legacy in cloth had been given away more than forty times during
the Pulang Kampung expedition, selections had to be made and the photodocumentation
of only nine presentations were chosen for the exhibition:
1. Twiners in Kaban Jahe
2. Ompu Sihol in Harian Boho
3. Weavers in Muara
4. Ompu Lambok in Tarutung
5. Nai Ganda in Hutagalung
6. Nai Arta in Hutagalung
7. Ompu Masta in Laguboti
8. Ompu Okta in Lombu Bagasan
9. Nande Pringetten, Nande Indra and
Nande Pulung in Kaban Jahe
Textiles in the exhibit: There are too many Batak textile types to be able to exhibit them all
in a limited space, so a selection was made based on the 9 presentations listed above.
Where possible, textiles made by the weavers were shown. Where these were not available,
textiles were selected to provide a sense of the regional tradition. Restuala Namora
Pakpahan offered to bring natural-dyed textiles to represent developments in Muara since
the presentation of Legacy in cloth. The textiles in the exhibition included:
tutur2
from twiners,
Kaban Jahe
9
surisuri
Samosir tradition
sibolang
Samosir tradition
ragi singkam
by Ompu Sihol
jungjung
Si 3 Huta tradition
bolean
Muara revival
ragidup sisabulung
by Nai Arta
harungguan
from Muara
gipul
design by Nai Ganda
gundung pahu
design by Nai Ganda
2011
ulos bunga ros
from Ompu Lambok
tumtuman
by br. Panjaitan
jobit
from Ompu Masta
10
ragi harangan
by Ompu Marisi
ulos pinarlobuan
by Ompu Marisi
batu jala
by Nande Peringitten
julu
Karo tradition
PR Materials: Between writing his chapters and the festivities
surrounding the Islamic holiday month, Ramadhan, MJA Nashir
found time to make a poster for the exhibition. His design
represented the contents of the exhibition perfectly. He used a
photograph of Ompu Nerta, a ninety year old Batak woman who had
ceased to weave. She was an animated speaker. Nashir’s photograph
captured her pointing at him at the bottom of the steps to her home. Used in the context
of the poster, it is as though she is pointing to the audience, thus engaging them in
the theme of the exhibit. The same image was used for the invitations. MJA Nashir also
made a colourful computerized “painting” (in the so-called WPAP tradition) that combined
WPAP portraits that he had made of himself, Sandra Niessen, and Ompu Nerta.
http://wpapcommunity.com/wpap/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=5&i
d=9003&Itemid=46#axzz1hkkvbIUF
Nashir gave his design to Christian Gultom, a young and enthusiastic Batak who used it as
a T-shirt design. He presented Niessen and Nashir with the extraordinary gift of 100 T-shirts
during the opening of the exhibition.
2011
The meeting with Christian Gultom was a highlight of the opening night. He had sought
contact with both MJA Nashir and Sandra Niessen through Facebook, but they had never
met. Christian Gultom lives and works in Bandung and in his free time he initiates and
works on development projects to alleviate poverty and suffering in Indonesia.
11
Sandra Niessen composed an announcement for advertising purposes. Variants of it ended
up in many media announcements of the exhibition. The following are a sampling:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/09/05/to-jakarta-project-pulang-kampung.html
http://erasmushuis.nlvertegenwoordiging.org/Programma/Tentoonstellingen/Warisan_Textil_Batak_Textile_Legacy_Project_Pulang_Kampung.html
http://www.tribaltextiles.info/community/viewtopic.php?p=6109&sid=b6
eb6ff097502bbbc2ee1ed63f25e0c1
http://www.fotografer.net/isi/forum/topik.php?id=3194497085
http://klikheadline.com/in/berita/berita.asp?id=news9232011213637lzdu
607wmua4sd2601051478
http://beatmag.com/jak/art/from-batak-with-batik.html
http://www.belibu.com/site/eventdescription/id/57
http://iphone.kapanlagi.com/woman/fashion/berita/10329-proyek-pulang-kampung-bukti-kegigihan-mengangkat-tradisi-tekstil-batak.html
September 13-29
2011
Preparations
12
MJA Nashir and Sandra Niessen made their way to Jakarta on
September 11 to give themselves 10 days to prepare for the exhibition.
They reviewed the photographs to be exhibited and Nashir’s
brother, photographer Imang Jasmine, provided professional
advice
With the assistance of Pak Tony, the photographs were framed
the poster was printed and the banner hung up on the street
sleeves were sewn onto the selected textiles so that they could
be hung from wooden bars of narrow diameter
Ibu Regina Ariati designed the catalogue and it was printed just
in time for the opening
the map of the Pulang Kampung expedition was blown up and
a photograph of each of the recipients pasted on it to show the
“who” and “where” of the Legacy presentations
the exhibition was installed
additional photographs by MJA Nashir were displayed outside
the exhibit space to provide local colour and create the
ambiance of the exhibition.
September 22
OPENING NIGHT
The Program: Words of welcome were
spoken by the MC of the evening, Mr. Ton
van Zeeland, the new director of Erasmus
Huis. Sandra Niessen gave some
background about the Pulang Kampung
project and introduced Restuala Namora
Pakpahan, the director of Sopo Sorha
Harungguan, the weaver, Mutiara
br. Pandiangan who would later
demonstrate her craft in the exhibit area,
and others in the audience who were
related to the forty recipients of Legacy
in cloth. After MJA Nashir launched his book, Berkelana dengan Sandra, the audience filed
outside where Restuala presented Ton van Zeeland with a gift, in the Batak tradition,
of a handwoven harungguan textile from Muara. Together Nashir and Niessen hit the gong
signalling the opening of the exhibition.
Music: The unique Batak ambiance at Erasmus Huis was enhanced by the strains of
authentic Batak music. It began at five thirty in the evening at the entrance of Erasmus
Huis inviting all to come in. The music was supplied by Boni Gorga, a group built upon
the enthusiasm and expertise of Robin Sitanggang. There was very little budget to pay
him so the music was provided mostly from the goodness of his heart and his desire to
support his culture. Irwansyah Harahap and Rithaony Hutajulu, the founders of the
well-known music group Suarasama from Medan, flew to Jakarta to take part in the
opening. http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4478
2011
A strong synergy immediately developed as Boni Gorga accompanied Suarasama.
Suarasama sang and played on the indoor stage. Their presence during the exhibition
opening was the fruit of long-term, mutually respectful collaboration between them and
MJA Nashir. They also composed and performed the music for the Rangsa ni Tonun film.
Launch of Berkelana dengan Sandra - Menyusuri ulos Batak: The launch of MJA Nashir’s
book about the Pulang Kampung expedition in June 2010 was a highlight of the exhibition
opening. Nashir was dressed in a black sarong and wore a surisuri textile over his shoulder
and a tumtuman textile around his head. He climbed onto the stage and under a single
spotlight read from the last, summary chapter. The closing with his theatrical reading of
his poem “Bumi, Bunyi, Sunyi” mesmerized the audience. That last chapter of his book
was not finished until August, just a month before the opening. The cover designer, Pang
Warman, and DS Priyadi, the book designer, worked feverishly to prepare the publication
on time. Priyadi also guided the book through the printing phase. Nashir was able to
bring some copies with him when he came to Jakarta, and DS Priyadi brought more when
he came to attend the opening. The appearance of the book on time was an enormous
credit to Nashir’s stamina, efficiency and strong, trusting friendships. The first three
copies of the book were ceremonially presented to: Ton van Zeeland in thanks for the
opportunity to stage an exhibition in Erasmus Huis, and to Irwansyah Harahap and Robin
Sitanggang in honour of their efforts to maintain and stimulate Batak culture.
Weaving Demonstration: Immediately after
the exhibition was declared open, Ompu Ruth,
br. Pandiangan took up her station in the
exhibition area, just under the photographs
of Muara and delighted the visitors with her
prowess at the loom. She was one of the few
recipients of Legacy in cloth in 2010 who had
continued to weave.
After the visitors had visited the exhibition space, there was food and drink in abundance
for them all.
Erasmus Huis photodocumentation of Opening Night on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/
?set=a.10150397752503745.408279.85142268744&type=3
13
The event was amply covered by the Indonesian media, eg:
http://beatmag.com/jak/?s=pulang+kampung
http://www.vemale.com/fashion/berita/10329-proyek-pulang-kampung-bukti-kegigihanmengangkat-tradisi-tekstil-batak.html
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/10/09/traces-batak-textiles.html
AFTER THE OPENING
Niessen and Nashir stayed on in Jakarta for one week to sell
and sign books, tidy loose ends, and meet with the media and
exhibition visitors. Hendrik Tarigan, a Karo friend of the Karo
dyers depicted in the exhibition, assisted with the sales of
Berkelana dengan Sandra at the entrance to the exhibition.
A top German batik artist, Joachim Blank, in Jakarta for the
Indonesia World Batik Summit (28 September – 2 October
http://indonesia.worldbatiksummit.com/)
paid a visit to the exhibition and decided
to work towards bringing parts of it to
the Berlin textile festival (TAB – Textile
Art Berlin) in June 2012. Joachim had
participated in the Fiber Face 3
exhibition in Yogyakarta and asked for
the Rangsa ni Tonun film to be
screened in Germany as well.
October
2011
PULANG KAMPUNG II or MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR WITH BERKELANA
14
The original Pulang Kampung expedition drew attention to the fact that while much has
been written about the indigenous peoples of Indonesia, they have received very little
in the way of research results and publications which are, in fact, their due. It was only right,
therefore, that Berkelana dengan Sandra - Menyusuri Ulos Batak would hit the road after
publication and be given to key
people written about in the book
and others as dictated by
circumstance. The unique quality
of Pulang Kampung II developed
on the road. MJA Nashir, ever the
faithful photodocumentalist, took
pictures of the book in various
settings during the journey.
Posted on facebook, these
images were also a useful
promotional strategy.
http://www.facebook.
com/photo.php?fbid=101
50356085289712&set=a.
10150356082639712.373
442.565934711&type=3
The book is self-published and without an official distributor, so Nashir and Niessen rely on
their personal networks.
Adding to the delight, Niessen and Nashir requested
the signature of each person to whom they showed
the book. This occurred in every possible setting
from a rice field to a drink stand on the corner of
the road, to a hotel lobby, a market and a ship’s
bridge. That one book, filled with signatures, is the
supreme memento of the journey.
This journey was sponsored by Pamela Cross
(www.tribaltextiles.info) a friend whose generosity
saved the day as personal resources ebbed to
dangerously low levels.
The driver on the journey was Pak Jerry Hermansyah. He completed the team, just as he
had during Pulang Kampung I. He had become a friend.
2011
Seminars and Launches in North Sumatra
15
Universitas Sumatera Utara (3 October):
At the instigation of Professor Irwansyah
Harahap, MJA Nashir and Sandra Niessen
were invited to speak to the Faculty of
Culture, Sandra about her study of Batak
textiles, and Nashir to launch his book,
Berkelana dengan Sandra - Menyusuri Ulos
Batak. Academics, students, artists and
culture aficionados attended.
Universitas HKBP Nommensen (24 October):
Professor Manguji Nababan invited Nashir
and Niessen to present the same program
at the neighbouring university in Medan.
This time the presentation had a panel
format with HS Thompson.
2011
November 7
Meeting with Indonesia’s Minister of Women’s Empowerment
At the urging of the honourable Asianto Sinambela, Consul
General of Indonesia stationed in San Francisco, California,
Indonesia’s Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the
Protection of Children (Pemberdayaan Perempuan dan
Perlindungan Anak (KPP PA)), Ibu Linda Gumelar, invited
Sandra Niessen to come to her office on 2 November to
talk about Legacy in cloth and current circumstances
related to weaving in North
Sumatra. This meeting,
attended by Ibu Linda’s staff,
was repeated on 7 November.
MJA Nashir and Restuala
Pakpahan were also invited
to make presentations during
this second meeting. Women
from Rumah Pesona Kain,
in key positions to influence
the future of Indonesian textiles, were in attendance. Plans were made to involve Restuala
further in a pilot study to encourage Batak children to weave. The urgency of this cultural
crisis had been made evident and the Minister was taking remedial steps immediately.
http://www.rumahpesonakain.org/
www.horasbatakcommunity.co.cc/2011/11/perempuan-penenun-ulos-makin-langka.html
November 8
Festival of Indonesian Textiles 2011 (8 – 15 November)
On 8 November Sandra Niessen, the first speaker in
the seminar, discussed the crisis in the Batak textile
arts based on her Pulang Kampung experiences in
a slide talk using MJA Nashir’s photographs entitled
“Pride, Will and Education: sustaining the Batak
textile tradition”. The Festival of Indonesian Textiles
was sponsored by the Department of Tourism and
Culture Festival and the City of Jakarta. It was held
in Jakarta’s Textile Museum with the goal of
exploring the importance of indigenous textiles in
society.
16
“The age-old Batak textile weaving tradition is in crisis. Young people are not learning the
craft and older people do not have the oppportunity to do their best work. While weavers
will be the ones to perpetuate the art, the responsibility for ensuring that they have the
right conditions for passing down their textile legacy rests with us all. I would like to use
the opportunity of this seminar to explore concrete steps that can be taken in the urban
setting to support weavers. Backstrap weaving techniques must be acknowledged as a valid
focus of study in educational establishments.”
http://www.indotextiles.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1911&Item
id=72
http://travel.kompas.com/read/2011/11/08/12482558/Menikmati.Kain.Tradisional.
di.Festival.Tekstil.2011
http://m.tribunnews.com/2011/11/08/ada-aneka-batik-dan-ulos-di-festival-tekstil-indonesia
http://id.berita.yahoo.com/anak-muda-diharapkan-mengenal-tekstil-indonesia060312318.html
November 9
2011
A TEG Talk
On November 9, Sandra Niessen began her journey back
to The Netherlands. En route, she stopped for a day in
Singapore to speak with TEG (Textile Enthusiasts Group
of the Friends of Singapore Museums) in the Peranakan
Museum http://www.fom.sg/activity_textile.html about
the Pulang Kampung expedition in 2010 and the fruits
of that initiative. The generous audience donated more
than two hundred euro to help Sopo Sorha Harungguan,
Restuala Pakpahan’s initiative, on the long road to
producing top Batak textiles again. Genevieve Duggan
was a kind and generous host and Shook Fong Tan and
Digna Ryan coordinated the event.
http://yvkoh.com/blog/?cat=69
December
Niessen and Nashir developed a kaleidoscope of their
activities since June 2010 when the Pulang Kampung
adventure began.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR
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