Sabu Traditional Clothes, President Jokowi and Loving Indonesia

BPMI SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN

President Joko Widodo wears traditional Sabu clothing from East Nusa Tenggara at the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Annual Session and Joint Session of the House of Representatives (DPR) and Regional Representatives Council (DPD) at the Nusantara building of the legislative complex, Jakarta, Friday (14/8/2020).

President Jokowi wore Sabu traditional clothes from East Nusa Tenggara at the annual session of the MPR. The choice of Sabu clothes was special because Sabu Island is one of the outer islands in the southern part of Indonesia’s territory.

President Joko Widodo has shown his keen interest in wearing traditional clothes at state events. During the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Annual Session and the Joint Session of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) on Friday (14/8/2020), President Jokowi picked traditional Sabu clothes from East Nusa Tenggara.

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This traditional attire consists of hi\'i or frayed rectangular cloth draped over the shoulder. In addition, he also wore a headband with the same woven motif.

According to Akiko Kagiya\'s research in his book, Female Culture in Raijua (2010), one of the men\'s clothes in Sabu was named luhi with floral patterns on yellow base color and woven in cotton or silk. Luhi is also used as an ornament on the shoulders for Ledo Hawu dancers.

Traditionally, according to Genevieve Duggan, who has been researching Sabu since 1990, the motif of the Sabu weaving follows the shape of a palm flower or lontar. As for the color, it uses traditional dye.

As published on genevieveduggan.com, the traditional dye used includes yellow from turmeric, green from the leaves of the Areca tree (Areca catechu) and the Dadap tree (Erythrina varigata), light blue from the Nila leaves (Indigoferra areca) and red from the root of the Mengkudu tree (Morinda citrifolia). However, nowadays chemical dyes and manufacturing threads are also used and the motifs have become increasingly varied.

President Joko Widodo himself always asks the public to appreciate Indonesian products and culture. Every 17 Aug. commemoration and state address, he always wears traditional clothes from a number of regions.

Kompas

President Joko Widodo (second left) welcomes Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, who was accompanied by his wife, Anissa Pohan (far right, foreground), to the Commemoration of the Moments of the Proclamation at Merdeka Palace, Saturday (17/8/2019). The President was accompanied by his eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka (second right), and his first grandson, Jan Ethes.

Last year, President Jokowi wore traditional Sasak clothes from West Nusa Tenggara in his state address and he wore the traditional Klungkung clothes from Bali during the commemoration of the Proclamation of Independence. The President has also appeared in traditional South Kalimantan clothes and Acehnese traditional clothes during the commemoration of Proclamation of Independence in 2017 and 2018.

"By wearing this traditional outfit, President Joko Widodo asks people to love Indonesian products known to be rich in handicrafts and weaving as well as love the culture," head of Presidential Secretariat, Heru Budi Hartono, said in a press statement received by Kompas daily.

The choice of Sabu traditional clothes is special because Sabu Island is one of the outer islands in the southern part of Indonesia. As a small and outer island, Sabu cannot be accessed every day given the limited transportation. Ships from Kupang are only available every few days. In addition, travel to Sabu can use small planes that are also not available every day.

The Sabu people have extraordinary characters. Apart from being very friendly, honesty is common.

Doansi Tarihoran, a lecturer at the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia, who mentored teachers and children on Sabu Island from 2012 to 2018, appreciated President Jokowi for wearing traditional Sabu clothes. According to him, the Sabu people have extraordinary characters. Apart from being very friendly, honesty is common.

“There, people usually leave their cars or motorcycle with the ignition key still attached," he said.

The problem on the outer island is the availability of goods. Distance makes the price of goods high and, even, the goods are not always available. Petroleum at certain times, said Doansi, can be sold for Rp 30,000 to Rp 50,000 per 1.5-liters bottle. To buy a laptop, for example, local people must seek help from newcomers or relatives who go outside the region.

Kompas

Ina Nahere performs the ritual of burning limestone on the hills of Kampung Namata, Sabu Island, Sabu Raijua, East Nusa Tenggara, Saturday (13/9/2018). The ceremony was held just after the moon appeared from behind the hill.

According to a Kompas report published on 28 Sept. 2014, people have to go to Kupang to purchase chemical yarn and dyes to produce the weaving. This yarn and dye generally come from Surabaya, East Java. However, sometimes the quality is not always good.

Akiko Kagiya in his book also mentions Sabu and Raijua Islands as a harsh area. Subtropical savanna region with low rain makes this area difficult to cultivate. Therefore, the staple food of local people is Sabu sugar, which is made from palm tree juice. However, Akiko said, local people have never complained about the difficult condition.

Vegetable and fruit farmlands started to look green.

These conditions, however, have started to change. Since this area officially became Sabu Raijua regency, as written by Kompas daily in 2014, the efforts to improve food self-sufficiency have begun by developing water infrastructure and irrigation pipes. Vegetable and fruit farmlands started to look green.

In his state address at the MPR Annual Session and the Joint Session of the DPR and DPD, President Joko Widodo, wearing a traditional Sabu cloth, conveyed his messages to use the Covid-19 pandemic to prepare, get up and jump forward.

The MPR Annual Session and the Joint Session of the DPR and DPD at the same time was part of a series of commemorations ahead of the 75th anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence. Of course, the nation should not just jump, but also carry out development on the outer islands, such as Sabu Island.

We must not only make staple foods and other necessary materials available on outer islands but so should education and other various items that make life easier. Hopefully…