Sasambo Batik, NTB Fabric with a Touch of the Legend of Princess Mandalika

Batik inspired by the legend of Princess Mandalika is a symbol of harmony and togetherness for the three ethnic groups inhabiting West Nusa Tenggara.

In ancient times, there lived a beautiful and noble princess named Princess Mandalika. Her beauty captivated many princes, so they wanted to marry her. To find clues about her soul mate, Princess Mandalika performed a purification ritual. After that, she invited all suitors to gather at Seger Beach, which is now better known as Kuta Beach, Lombok.

The day arrived. Wearing beautiful silk clothes, Princess Mandalika stood on Seger Hill accompanied by her guards. She made a difficult decision: to accept all proposals, in order to maintain the peace and tranquility of the island. Then, with a heavy heart, she threw herself into the sea and was swept away by the waves.

Although everyone was looking for her, no one managed to find the princess. Instead, they found colorful sea worms called nyale, which are believed to be the incarnation of Princess Mandalika.

Inspired by the legend, the local community holds the Nyale or Bau Nyale Ceremony once a year. Moreover, the story of Princess Mandalika is immortalized in a piece of cloth as a sasambo batik motif. This motif symbolizes a woman who is brave, intelligent, and principled.

Sasambo is an acronym for three ethnic groups inhabiting West Nusa Tenggara (NTB): Sasak in Lombok, Samawa in Sumbawa, and Mbojo in Bima. The three ethnic groups inhabiting the two large islands in NTB, namely Lombok and Sumbawa, have different customs and cultures. However, the people of the three ethnic groups agreed to work together to create beautiful traditional handicrafts called sasambo batik. Sasambo batik is expected to be a means to strengthen harmony and togetherness of the three ethnic groups.

The history of Sasambo batik is relatively young. UNESCO's recognition of batik cloth as a world cultural heritage has encouraged the regional government of West Nusa Tenggara to develop and produce its own regional batik, namely sasambo batik.

The first product of sasambo-patterned batik was introduced to the public in 2010. The policy of making sasambo batik a mandatory clothing for civil servants and school uniforms followed. Batik activities were also introduced in various schools, such as Mataram 5 State Vocational High School and Islamic Boarding Schools in West Lombok Regency.

The first product of sasambo-patterned batik was introduced to the public in 2010

The roots of sasambo batik culture are embedded in Java. It is believed that the culture of batik was transmitted by the Majapahit Kingdom during an expedition to the Selaparang Kingdom in the Nusa Tenggara region. However, batik activities did not develop rapidly because the community preferred making woven cloth. Remnants of batik culture can still be seen in the typical NTB headband called capuq.

The technique for making sasambo batik is basically no different from other regions. The main difference lies in the initial step, namely the cloth is first woven before being made into batik. This is natural because West Nusa Tenggara is famous for its rich weaving tradition.

Sasambo batik is still processed using traditional techniques. The craftsman's handicrafts are needed to create patterns, motifs, and colors on sasambo batik. There is something unique in the process of removing the color on sasambo batik. A piece of iron with a heated tip will be attached to the cloth to remove the wax material that functions as a color separator on sasambo batik.

Sasambo batik has four main motifs

For motifs, sasambo batik has four main motifs, namely the sasambo motif, the mada sahe motif (cow's eye), the kakando motif (bambo shoots), and the uma lengge (traditional house). The mada sahe motif displays a cow's eye decoration with a black base color and diamond and zig-zag motifs. The kakando motif combines line and flower decorations with a dominant maroon color. The uma lengge motif displays a variety of traditional house decorations with dominant black and orange colors.

These main motifs can be combined with filler motifs according to the characteristics of each ethnic group. For example, the uma legge motif can be filled with motifs in the form of rice strands and the traditional buja kadanda or mpa'a manca dance, which is a dance to ask for blessings and safety before fighting or going to war.

Although not as old as the batik tradition in Java, sasambo batik is developing rapidly. The craftsmen develop various distinctive patterns and motifs inspired by the cultural treasures and the surrounding nature. For example, the kelotok sapo motif (cow neck hanging), the stilt house motif, the Bima king's barn motif, shells, and bebele leaves.

Although not as old as the batik tradition in Java, sasambo batik is developing rapidly

The most famous sasambo batik motif is the kangkung motif with a charming combination of red and golden yellow. This motif is inspired by the kangkung creeping plant that is easily found in Lombok and is the main ingredient in the typical pelecing kangkung dish.

Batik from each ethnic group can be distinguished based on the patterns and colors produced. Lombok Island displays floral motifs, leaves, regional arts, and even monuments. On the other hand, Sumbawa Island prefers motifs that reflect their ethnicity and culture.

Sasambo batik is dominated by bright colors such as red, yellow, blue, and green. Red symbolizes energy, enthusiasm, and courage in living life. Yellow symbolizes happiness and attracts attention. Blue symbolizes good fortune, optimism, love, and peace. While green symbolizes fertility, endurance, balance, and friendship.

The smooth and artistically patterned fabric is one of the determinants of the selling price of Sasambo batik, which ranges from hundreds of thousands to millions of rupiah. The length of the manufacturing process also affects the high price of Sasambo batik. This is reasonable considering the quality of the fabric and the complicated manufacturing process.

Sasambo batik is not yet widely known in Indonesia. However, its existence has enriched the cultural heritage of Indonesia and the world's cultural heritage.