As a nation of diversity, there are a lot of different things in every area of Indonesia which resemble the identity of a certain community. One example of the difference is traditional costumes.
Traditional costumes usually represent each province’s culture. Accordingly, each province in Indonesia has its own traditional costume, including West Papua. West Papua’s traditional costume is called Baju Ewer.
Baju Ewer and Its Origin
Koteka or Rumbai might be the first names to come to your mind when it comes to Papua’s traditional costumes. While they both are surely Papua’s iconic costumes, there is a specific traditional costume for the people in West Papua namely Baju Ewer.
Baju Ewer has its uniqueness. While most traditional costumes use fabric as the material, Baju Ewer was made using a whole different material which makes it stand out.
Baju Ewer has a tassel look-alike design that uses natural resources as the material. The primary material used in making the costume is either sago leaves or dried hay.
Since the costume is made with 100% natural resources, it is considered environmentally friendly. This is because dried hay material can be decomposed easily.
In addition, there is a specific philosophy behind Baju Ewer and its material used. Since they are using only natural resources, it symbolizes the West Papuans who coexist with nature in their daily lives.
Baju Ewer in the Making
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This traditional costume is relatively complicated to make if you are a beginner. First, you have to string up the dried hay using a rope or a square-patterned, tree-bark-based belt with a geometrical arrangement on the upper side.
There are two layers of the bottom part: the inside and the outside layer. While the inside layer is long, the external layer must be shorter than the inside part.
The Closer Details of Baju Ewer
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In general, Papua’s traditional costumes are divided into two kinds, which are for men and for women. Not only for the design, the usage for both kinds is also different.
Usually, men only wear the bottom part of the costume at their waist without any top. But, don’t worry because the length of the bottom is approximately knee-length, so it is still considered modest clothing.
On the other hand, there are a complete set of top and bottom parts of the costume for women. Similar to the previous one, it is also knee-length and worn at the waist.
In addition, the top is also made from dried hay to cover the upper body of the person using it. Of course, it is more modest than the one for the men.
Another exciting part about Baju Ewer is that it comes with optional accessories to complete the whole look. Some of the accessories are a colorful headcover, beads, and even Cassowary feathers.
Like how modernization slowly approaches local cultures, Baju Ewer is apparently also affected. Nowadays, people use fabric as the primary material for the top part of Baju Ewer.
This new material is used because it is simpler to make and has a more modern look to it. Also, you can customize it to fit different sizes more easily.
West Papuans often use Baju Ewer as the dress code for special occasions. The events that usually use Baju Ewer are traditional ceremonies, official ceremonies, and some regional or national events where they have to showcase their local conventional costume.
In conclusion, Baju Ewer is a unique gem of clothing that can only be found in West Papua. It is a beautifully designed costume with a special philosophical meaning.
