National Batik Day on October 2nd commemorates the recognition by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) of Batik cloth as a masterpiece of intangible human heritage. To celebrate, SMKN 4 Palangkaraya hosted an online Batik Day called “Bridging Cultures Through Cloth: Exploring Indonesian Batik Motifs & American Fashion Styles.” The goal of this Batik Day was to engage students in making connections between Indonesian and American textile culture. In addition, the event was focused on lifting students’ spirits during the ongoing forest fires in Kalimantan that has shifted schooling online.

English teacher Bu Christy brought in a local expert from Palangkaraya’s Institut Agama Hindu Negeri (IAHN) Tampung Penyang, a public Hindu university, to explain how handmade Batik cloth designs are made. Student presenters from the textile craft division shared in English about their Batik sketches, as well as hand-painted Batik. Other students shared the meaning of common Batik motifs such as Batang Garing, the tree of life, which is a design from the indigenous Dayak people of Kalimantan.

As part of this cultural exchange, ETA Charissa Zeigler presented about the history of style in America, explaining the history of zoot suits, Chicano style, Native American ceremonial clothing, preppy and hippie styles as well as regional variations in what people in America wear today. To close the celebration, Charissa judged the winners of the Batik Day’s social media contest, where students posted to Instagram what they had learned and pictures of them in traditional Batik.

Charissa Zeigler is currently teaching at SMKN 4 Palangkaraya, Kalimantan Tengah.