Chapter 7: Bali, Indonesia: Sari and the Bali Weavers in Nusa Penida

Sari is the owner of a small weaving business. She is the organizer of a group of traditional weavers on Nusa Penida, a small remote island off Bali’s eastern coast. The island is known for its traditional textile patterns but the cultural challenges and socioeconomic conditions for women on this island are rapidly changing. The challenge for the traditional weavers is how to make a living through weaving while maintaining their cultural heritage. The natural coloring of thread is becoming increasingly expensive, and the original handcrafted textiles and patterns are threatened by new and modern industrial methods.

Sari and her group of women weavers at Nusa Penida are split between maintaining the old traditions and using new machinery and artificial coloring. The network of weavers has received several funds to support their traditional handcrafts that are known all over Indonesia. Weaving has been a community effort and the main source of income. Recently, there are many conflicting trends and attitudes, from protecting the handicraft traditions at one end of the spectrum to making business at the other end, often using artificial colors that are less expensive (but whose chemical processing is polluting).

The protection or purist approach toward the traditional ways of weaving is under pressure. And, while Sari and her network of weavers are skeptical of the modifications, she is eager to leverage their knowledge of artisan textile traditions to innovate and offer new services, boosting their income by catering to tourists.