The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Provincial Government succeeded in exporting 37,944 thousand ketak bags to Saudi Arabia. This achievement further strengthens the existence of ketak bags in the international world, after previously also successfully entering the Southeast Asian and European markets.
Quoting the NTB Tourism Office, the ketak bag itself is an original Lombok craft art product made from the ketak plant which grows abundantly in NTB. By local people, this plant is often called ‘Ketaq’ or Lygodium Circinatum from the family of ferns that spread on parent plants or tree trunks in the forest.
There are at least three regencies, namely West Lombok, Central Lombok and East Lombok which are the central locations for making ketak bags. It is recorded that there are no less than 25 thousand workers spread across 15 thousand business units and 62 centers spread across the three districts. This note makes ketak bags the MSME product in Lombok that absorbs the most local workers.
Tracing its history, ketak bags began to develop in 1986 in Nyurbaya Gawah Village, Narmada District, West Lombok because this is the location where the Ketak plant thrives. Having the characteristics of a rattan-like stem shape and the elastic character of the stem makes the Ketak plant very easy to shape according to the wishes of the craftsmen.
At first, people wove ketak bags only for household needs to carry their belongings when gardening or doing activities. Seeing this potential, in 1988 the government carried out intensive guidance to the community by providing skills training, developing designs, and holding exhibitions so that Ketak bags could be known to the wider community.
Slowly but surely, through exhibitions, Ketak bags are becoming known to the people of West Lombok and East Lombok. Also, the name ketak bag is becoming increasingly popular as tourists, both local and international, come to NTB Island to travel. They often bring ketak bags to be used as typical NTB souvenirs in addition to the previously well-known knitted cloth.
Nowadays, despite the increasingly modern era, the existence of ketak bags has not faded away. Looking at the manufacturing process, people still use traditional methods to maintain traditions passed down from generation to generation. This method was chosen to preserve the teachings of parents in future generations.
The first process carried out is that the craftsmen will look for raw materials in the forest and then dry them in the sun for three days to produce the natural color they have. If so, the ketak will be dried for three days and three nights to avoid fungus and termites.
If so, a new weaving process will begin. The most important thing that must not be violated is that in the process of making ketak bags you must not use chemical dyes. The bag material was accidentally left natural to make it look more exotic and bring out the tree’s original character.
Currently, ketak bags have oval, rectangular and round designs in various sizes. Nowadays, people even use ketak bags as tissue containers, food baskets or fruit baskets.
source: https://validnews.id/kultura/tas-ketak-seni-kriya-lombok-yang-mendunia