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For most Madurese women, being a part of the batik-making process is a matter of centuries of tradition. Thanks to the geography of the island, batik Madura, as it is popularly dubbed, is famous for its vibrant colors and various motifs, most representing the area’s plentiful flora and fauna. Some people say that the batik’s lively colors represent the nature of the Madurese people, who are said to be exuberant and direct.

Tiyema, 60, said she has been making batik pieces for nearly five decades.

“I make batik every day,” she said. “But I always do it after I finish with the house chores, like cooking, at around nine in the morning. When do I stop? It depends on how long I can endure sitting on the floor to do the work.”

While making the fabric provides Madurese women with a steady income, these batik-makers have had to abandon their dreams of ever being able to “do anything else,” in exchange for the little money they earn per each piece of the material.

“I admit that apart from preserving the tradition, I’m doing this work also because I have no other choice,” said Khatijah, from Paseseh Village in Bangkalan district. Khatijah started learning batik-making from her mother at the tender age of 11. “I don’t earn a lot of money, but I have to be able to earn enough to somehow make ends meet.

“If I had a choice to do something better than what I have been doing all this time, I would do it.”

Traditional batik is made by using wax and dye to create patterns on fabric. The creation of one piece of batik tulis (handmade batik) involves a long process that consists of at least seven stages. These stages are often undertaken by different people, depending on their expertise.

“I don’t think the tradition of batik-making will ever die out as a lot of young girls have started doing what the elder women do,” Khatijah said. “The girls understand that making batik is a woman’s job, not a man’s. Men belong to the sea, they go fishing.”

Fitasari is only 12-year-old but she already makes 15 pieces of batik every week, for which she earns Rp 4,000 ($0.50) a piece.

“I start the work at noon and usually stop in the evening,” she said. “I don’t usually play after school. I think it is better to do this work.”

Siti Maimona, better known as Mai, the owner of Pesona Batik Madura, a company that works with batik-makers from a number of villages in Madura, said she is aware of the meager wages earned by the women and is working on improving the situation. However, she also said a pay raise will only be possible once batik sales improve.

“There are stacks of items at the shop, and a lot more in the store room because we keep producing. Sales need to catch up with the production,” the 41-year-old said.

Putting the production on hold, she said, would affect the batik-maker’s ability to eke out a living. Sponsored by Attack Batik Cleaner, the Jakarta Globe toured some villages to meet the batik makers last week.

“A lot of people depend financially on making batik,” she said. “For many, it is the only thing they are skilled at and the only way they are able to make a living.”

Paying the batik-makers more money is not Mai’s only concern. “I also want to provide them with a large workshop, where they can work more comfortably, and afternoon snacks while they are working,” she said.

“But at the moment a lot of money goes to cover the production cost of the unsold items and so a pay raise does not seem feasible.”

This means that for now, Madurese batik-makers will have to make do with the meager wages they receive. However, there is a fine line between preserving tradition and being left with no choice.

“What is Jakarta like?” asked batik maker Rohma.

The 31-year-old said she had always dreamed of working in an office in the capital.

“But I know my limitation. Even if I could make it to Jakarta, with no other skills than making batik, I would probably end up working as a housemaid or selling satay.”
Alittle distance away from the crowd of women and young girls working on batik in Larangan Bedung village in Pamekasan, 16-year-old Mohamad Madi knelt on a two-meter piece of white cloth, drawing beautiful flowers and leaves.

Madi, as he is called, said he learned to draw batik motifs from his older brother.

“My brother told me to learn to draw so I could make money out of it,” he said. “I have been doing it for about two years now. This is the only stage of batik-making that I can do.”

It is quite unusual for young men his age to do this kind of work. “Most of my friends will just hang out. Batik is for girls, they say,” Madi said.

Madi studies at an Islamic school in the morning, and heads home during his lunch break to work on his batik motifs. When the break time is up, he runs back to school.

“The business owner gives me 15 sheets to draw and I usually finish the work within three to four weeks,” he said. “I get paid Rp 3,000 per sheet and I get the money when all the sheets are done.”

Asked if he ever thought of asking for a pay raise, Madi shook his head.

“No, I would never do that. I would be too embarrassed,” he said. “I think this is enough money for me.”

However, Madi admitted that he sometimes felt tired and bored with the job, but said he wouldn’t know what else to do if he quit.

“I’ve been saving some of the money I earn. I have collected over Rp 150,000 so far,” he said. “I have a dream to leave Madura and study in Malang [East Java].”