Ainur Rohmah – It is early morning in Giriloyo, Yogyakarta, and a group of women are busy drawing motifs on white cloth in an open gazebo. Next to them are buckets of liquid wax that they will melt on a small stove and use to draw intricately detailed patterns filled with flowers and birds.
These artisans are making batik, cloth for which Indonesia is famous, using a wax-resist dyeing technique known as batik tulis.
Batik is made in various parts of Indonesia, each of which uses unique motifs, but the artisans in Giriloyo are among a minority that produce the cloth entirely by hand, using the same techniques and motifs as their forebears.
The area in central Java has developed not only as a centre for batik making, but for teaching the art of batik to tourists.
One of the women at work in Giriloyo is Imaroh, 51, who has been making batik since she was 10 years old. Like her, most women in her village learn how to make the cloth in childhood and continue making it into old age, she says. "I am the third generation of my family to make batik. My daughter is now also making batik," Imaroh says.
Only one or two men are involved in batik making here, and their roles are limited. "Men usually only play a role in the colouring and marketing process," Imaroh says. "Making batik requires much patience, so maybe it fits with the female character here."
The village, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the centre of Yogyakarta, is the largest centre of hand-drawn batik manufacturing in the Yogyakarta region. It is in Imogiri district, close to the complex that houses the graves of the Mataram kings of Yogyakarta Palace. The region is the only one in democratic Indonesia to have retained a monarchy; its king serves as the regional governor.
The women use a spouted bowl, called canting in the local language, to paint in liquid wax motifs that were first drawn centuries ago by palace artists.
Indonesian batik was inscribed on the Unesco list of the world's intangible cultural heritage in 2009. To produce a single sheet of batik tulis takes 12 stages and involves three to four artisans. Because the process is complex and time-consuming, batik costs more than other fabrics. It is sought after by collectors.
Imaroh, who owns a batik showroom, says in the 17th century the king of Yogyakarta had the royal grave complex built in Imogiri, which meant hundreds of palace servants and their families moved there to guard the complex.
"At the time, the husbands worked as palace employees, while wives learned how to make batik," she says. To this day women are happy to do the work of making batik, she says. "I was able to send my child to school to graduate from university, thanks to batik."
There are about 900 batik makers spread across three hamlets in Giriloyo, who range in age from 20 to 80. They make up almost a third of the local population.
Imaroh heads a group of batik makers 20 strong. She sells lengths of batik for between 250,000 rupiah (US$18) and 3 million rupiah apiece. The price varies according to the motif and materials used to make it, the complexity of its manufacture, and the quality of the batik. Batik cloth can be used to make various items of clothing, including skirts, and sarongs for official occasions such as weddings.
Giriloyo was designated a tourism village in 2010. Another group leader, Martini, 39, says that since its designation, women have taken an active part in organisations to promote tourism.
Martini says local and foreign tourists come to the village not only to shop, but also to learn to make batik. Some 2,500 visitors attend workshops each year, mostly students from the region.
"This is not only a way to revive the tourist village here, but also our efforts to preserve batik itself," she says.
"We want to have a regeneration of batik makers. We also try to maintain classic motifs that are very distinctive and may not exist in other areas," says Martini.
Tourist Raras Fitri, 25, says visiting Giriloyo has broadened her knowledge of traditional batik. Besides being able to shop, she has learned some of the craft, as well as witnessing several stages of the creation process.
"It is interesting," she says. "I learned a lot, from the history of the development of batik here to the philosophical meanings contained in every batik motif. This is new to me."