Day 11- Indigo Production in the East Indies

 

Map: culturalimperialism.pbworks.com

As the competition intensified to control the indigo production and profits, the East Indies also fell prey to European colonization. These countries forced slavery on the native population and occupied  their land to gain wealth. The Dutch first invaded the area in 1602 and still controlled parts of Java well after World War II. 

 

      "Batik pattern - kawung" by Alteaven                                            "Batik Indonesia" by MartijnL

The Indonesian people had their own version of decorative textile production skills known as batik. Patterns were drawn on the cotton cloth with hot wax, then dyed. The wax was boiled or scraped off and another layer of wax designs was applied before dying the fabric again. This process would be repeated several times with some patterns taking up to a year to complete. Traditional batik symbols and patterns were used to celebrate their ceremonial practices and everyday rituals. For example women were wrapped in seven layers of batik during childbirth and a new baby was carried in a sling patterned with designs for good luck. Evidence of batik techniques were also found in Egypt, China, and India as early as the 4th century BC, but the Indonesian  examples of batik were prized for their designs. In 2009 UNESCO designated Indonesian batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.