17 MHistory of Kere Alang
Sumbawa
Kere Alang, a cultural heritage of the Tau Tana Samawa, is a legacy of a long-standing civilization and an important part of traditions and customs. As we observe and understand the development of Kere Alang to the present day, many questions arise, one of which concerns the history of Kere Alang's birth and existence.Before we delve into the history, let's consolidate our understanding that the tradition of weaving has long been known among the Samawa ethnic group (Sumbawa). This is evidenced by the Tau Samawa's familiarity with the term "Kere Bara." Kere Te is a very coarse and thick weave that is undyed. Kere Bara, this ancient weave, serves various functions in meeting the clothing needs of the Tau Samawa. Returning to the historical issue, we must understand that discussing the history of Kere Alang cannot be separated from the historical periodization of Sumbawa. Therefore, we can organize the stages or periods of history as follows:1. Pre-Islamic and Pre-Sultanate Period2. Islamic and Sultanate Period3. Final Sultanate and Proclamation Period4. Present PeriodExplanation as follows:1. Pre-Islamic and Pre-Sultanate PeriodSince the 13th century AD, small kingdoms emerged on the western part of Sumbawa Island, later known as Tana Samawa.Among them are:· The Taliwang Kingdom· The Seran Kingdom· The Utan and Kadali Kingdoms· The Sampar Samulan Kingdom· The Gunung Galesa Kingdom· The Ngali Kingdom· The Tangko Kingdom, etc.In general, the inhabitants of each kingdom were land cultivators (rau, gempang, omal, keban, angkuk), whose rice fields, or uma in the Sumbawa language, were only introduced later. In addition to farming, they also raised horses and buffalo. These two large animals were superior commodities, sold even outside the region. Over time, the livestock trade, which reached ports and markets in the Strait of Malacca, brought new changes to the Tau Samawa weaving tradition.Around the late 14th and early 15th centuries CE, livestock traders from Sumbawa produced songket, a commodity they brought from Sumatra, for sale at markets and ports. The songket, sold at a high price and with its beautiful, sheen, attracted Sumbawa livestock traders. They subsequently purchased gold-threaded silk songket to take home to Sumbawa. The gold-thread souvenirs purchased from these Middle Eastern traders are now known as Kambaya (round gold thread). Spinning and weaving skills, the availability of gold thread, and the ability to create decorative motifs (kalingking and bakalingking) were the main factors in the birth of Kere Alang, although the initial application of motifs through the songket technique (Sumbawa: Songket) was done on the very crude "Kere Bara" weaving technique.Kere Alang songket cloth continues to undergo developments, including refining the thread and dyeing it with natural dyes, even soaking it in mud. Kere Alang, which later became preferred for the clothing of kings, nobles, and community leaders, quickly spread among the Tau Samawa in the centers of power mentioned above.2. The Islamic Period and the Sultanate PeriodIslam entered Sumbawa in the 15th century AD, further strengthened by the arrival of Islamic missionaries from Java (Giri Prapen) and Sulawesi. The establishment of the Sumbawa Sultanate in the mid-17th century (1648 AD) united all the kingdoms on the Tana Samawa mainland. They came under the banner of the Sumbawa Sultanate.The tradition of weaving Kere Alang continued to flourish, as the regalia (Pangkenang Kanadi) of the sultan and his officials were made of Kere Alang. Besides the traditional Tau Samawa clothing, one of the main materials is Kere Alang. Besides Kere Alang, Sapu Alang, or men's desta, and Pabasa Alang, or men's sashes, were also woven. This was during the reign of Dewa Mas Bantan Dewa dalam Dewa (1674-1702). In addition to the Kere Alang songket with round gold thread (Kambaya), a highly durable Kere Alang jit embroidered cloth was also developed, namely Kere Alang busulan with gepung metal thread (Sumbawa: "test-resistant thread"). This embroidery on songket also developed on the clothing of the sultans/queens and sultanate officials. Furthermore, to meet sharia requirements, the test-resistant thread was also embroidered on the cipo cila (women's head coverings), saris (women's scarves), leyang pabarat (women's shawls), sapu (sapu), pabasa (pabasa), and various puranti upalase (fabric) jewelry.During the sultanate's reign, which reached its peak during the reign of Dewa Masmawa Sultan Amarullah (1837-1883), Kere Alang became an exotic souvenir sought after by the Sultan during his visits to Makassar and Batavia. Although Kere Alang had become a political souvenir since the reign of Dewa Mas Bantan, it had been a popular political souvenir.3. The End of the Sultanate and the ProclamationBesides Kere Alang, the Sumbawa ethnic group also recognized other types of weaving, such as:· Kere Palekat· Kere Retik· Kere Polak Desa· Kere Ragi Bungkis (Kere Sabe)Towards the end of the Sumbawa Sultanate, both during the reigns of Dewa Masmawa Sultan Muhammad Djalaluddinsyah III (1883-1931) and Dewa Masmawa Sultan Muhammad Kharuddin III (1931-1958), the popularity of Kere Alang weaving waned. This decline in the weaving tradition was due to the introduction of industrially produced palekat sarongs and long cloth (batik) from Java. Women during the time of the last Sultan of Sumbawa began to get used to wearing kebayas and wearing palekat sarongs and kere sabe as headscarves (tedung tuntang | bakere dua) for ordinary or everyday events, while for official events they wore long kebayas and buns. Kere Alang was only used at major imperial events, the rest was mostly kept.During the proclamation period until the formation of Sumbawa Regency, Kere Alang was rarely used, so many owners sold it to collectors or collectors who came looking for it. This is a time when unexpected things happen, traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation are almost lost, even for the area of weavers who are still performing, there are only a few people in several villages such as Alas and Moyo Hilir. It was only in the 1980s, through the cool hands of the Sumbawa Regency PKK Mobilization Team, that the weaving tradition was revived. In line with the development of the trend for long kebayas and songket cloth throughout Indonesia.4. PresentSince its revival in the 1980s, Kere Alang has continued to develop. Young weavers are beginning to embrace the traditional heritage inherited from their elders. This development is also supported by government programs through cultural activities. The coronation of the Sultan of Sumbawa in 2011 served as a beacon for the revival of Sumbawanese customs and traditions, which of course also impacted the development of Kere Alang weaving centers.It is also encouraging that fashion designers are beginning to consider Kere Alang as a material for their designs. The decade leading up to today shows quite positive development. The role of the government, traditional institutions, universities, and observers has provided ample space for Kere Alang to continue developing.This is the history of Kere Alang as a typical Sumbawa songket weaving that has become a cultural heritage for the Tau Tana Samawa.Source: H. Hasanuddin, S.Pd (Deputy Chairperson of Pajatu Adat - Tana Samawa Traditional Institution)
