As Hanna Keraf strives to rejuvenate the ancient hand-weaving tradition to empower local women, the business is blooming once again, bringing fortune to local families.
By
KORNELIS KEWA AMA
·4 minutes read
The people of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara used to make their own furniture from lontar palm leaves. However, the ancient tradition has been neglected as factory-made products flood the local market. As Hanna Keraf strives to rejuvenate the ancient hand-weaving tradition to empower local women, the business is blooming once again, bringing fortune to local families.
The verandah of a house in Riang Pedang hamlet, Ile Padung village, Tanjung Bunga district, East Flores regency, East Nusa Tenggara, looked busy on Thursday (29/3/2018). Hanna Keraf was showing locally made woven lontar leaf crafts to her guests.
In the past few years, Ile Padung has been gaining fame as a center of East Flores’ woven lontar leaf craft. The woven products made in the village include rice winnowers, small receptacles, roofing material, hand fans, baskets, hats and wallets.
This is an exciting development. The ancient tradition of woven lontar leaf products was eroded when factory-made products flooded the local market. Hanna rejuvenated the tradition through the Du Anyam movement, which means “women who weave” in the local Sikka language.
Hanna initiated the village women’s empowerment program in Maumere in 2012. At the time, she was involved in a program managed by the Cipta Foundation and Swisscontact, a Swiss-based independent foundation that strives to reduce poverty in developing countries.
In her journey, she was inspired to empower locals through the weaving tradition. This was the idea behind the Du Anyam community. Weaving was chosen because Hanna was concerned the tradition would soon be relegated to history.
“We began as a small group in five villages. Then, we spread to 21 villages in 21 districts,” Hanna said in Larantuka on Thursday (29/3). Afterward, she focused on managing Du Anyam and left her work at Swisscontact.
Women’s empowerment
In Sikka, Hanna works with more than 100 women in the weaving program. Every month, they can produce around 300 types of woven products. These are sold at traditional markets in Sikka for Rp 50,000 (US$3.6) to Rp 200,000 per item.
Emboldened by the success in Sikka, Hanna set her eyes on Lembata and East Flores in 2014. In the two regencies, Hanna also used Du Anyam as her movement’s name. The daughter of former Environment Minister Sonny Keraf engaged not only housewives, but also teenage girls and elementary school students in her activities.
Currently, more than 450 women in seven villages in Lembata and East Flores are involved in Du Anyam. Generally, they inherited weaving skills from their mothers and grandmothers. Hanna’s job is to improve product quality. To achieve this, she invites trainers from Solor Island, some 40 kilometers from Ile Padung village.
To help the local women improve their skills, Hanna provides them with locally procured lontar shoots and allows them to weave at home. “We have quality control officers to maintain product quality,” Hanna said.
Every month, the local women produce 2,500 woven products, including sobe (oval bags), dese (wide bags), keleka (rice winnowers), lepa (shoulder bags), monga (plates), hand fans and wallets. These products are sent either to markets or directly to customers.
Asian Games
Apart from providing training and assistance, Hanna also strives to find markets for the woven products. She works with a number of designers and retail shops in Jakarta.
Hanna said an American businessman would soon buy 4,000 woven products, including sobe, made by women in East Flores and Lembata.
The woven lontar products from the two regencies have also been chosen as one of the official Asian Games Jakarta-Palembang 2018 souvenirs. The products to be sold at Asia’s largest sports event include hand fans, wallets, hats and name card holders.
With their weaving activities, the women of East Flores and Lembata not only preserve a tradition but also get additional income. Now, they earn their own money and are less dependent on their husbands.
In one month, a local weaver can get Rp 2.5 million. This is a fortune made in leisure time, as many of the women work at night or during holidays.
The money is used to send their children to universities, build permanent homes or pay for traditional wedding ceremonies or gatherings.
Hanna also strives to provide scholarships for the women of Du Anyam. Currently, 27 children of Du Anyam women, ranging from elementary school to high school students, have scholarships. “I also try to find donors to help provide solar cell lamps for children to study at night and for their mothers to weave at night,” Hanna said.
The ancient tradition of weaving lontar leaves has flourished once again in East Flores and Lembata. Weaving classes are now offered at local schools in the two regencies.