Page 32 - JaKita 10th Edition 2021

32 ART & CULTURE

Wastra,

Betawi Craft Art

Besides batik, tenun and etawi is full of crafts. One of which is the Betawi
Wastra that is usually made by the skilled Betawi
songket are also the featured Bcraftsmen since the 19 century. Back then, Batik
th
products of Betawi Wastra. was the type of Betawi Wastra that stood out the
most. However, today, tenun and songket are getting
its popularity. Wastra is the fabric made traditionally
by knitting or weaving, and oftentimes being made
with certain motifs and patterns.

Although the fabric is often made by preserving
its original patterns like nusa kelapa, ciliwung and
pucuk rebung, the tenun and songket fabric are often
enriched with the pattern of Betawi arts or icons of
transport mode in Jakarta, such as delman, bemo,
becak or TransJakarta bus.

Unique elements are always included during the
making of Wastra: the main ornaments including
meru, plants, animals, and buildings. The filling
ornaments in the forms of lines or dots, and the field
filler ornaments in the forms of patterns.

The most important thing in the making of Wastra is
the coloring. Back in the past, people used natural
ingredients for the coloring of Wastra, like leaves,
tubers, roots, mahogany barks, secang, jackfruit
wood and ingredients for jamu. The coloring of
Wastra nowadays is often done with artificial coloring
material that is easy to find. Since the making of
Betawi tenun and songket fabric have different level
of difficulty, so is the coloring process standard.

The Innovation of Betawi Wastra

Member of Betawi Culture Institution (LKB) Anna
Mariana introduced the Betawi songket and tenun
to enrich the Wastra. Along with Anna, there is Lily
Marliasari who also introduces the Betawi Wastra by

10th EDITION 2021
Sarana Informasi Pemerintah Provinsi DKI Jakarta