around AD 1000 the Chinese were obtaining
supplies of the timber from Java. By the fourteenth century Sumatra
was also participating in this trade, and by the sixteenth century
the Portuguese were purchasing sappan in Malacca. The Dutch in their
mercantile capital in Batavia (now Jakarta) were also involved in
the dye trade; during the early nineteenth century they obtained sappan
from Sumbawa Island for use in the Javanese batik industry. Sappan
wood from the Philippine island of Luzon was also highly regarded.
Dye is made by boiling shavings of the heartwood of sappan, a low
bush with yellow flowers. When first cut the wood is pale red, but
it turns a darker shade as it is exposed to air. The dye is not long-lasting
but can be used to impart a bright-red hue on a mordanted fabric.
Alum may be used as a fixative, as well as Baccaurea. The introduction
of aniline dyes brought about the sappan trade in the archipelago.
MORINDA Red, purple and brown dyes can be extracted from the root
bark of morinda trees. These dyes are known by various names, including
Turkey red, and are thought to have been introduced to South-East
Asia from the Middle East via India. The Javanese cultivate Morinda
citrifolia (- M. affine?) for their batik industry. After collection
the morinda root bark is crushed, mixed with water and then boiled.
Mordants made from the powdered leaves of alumina bearing plants
are added, and the yams are usually treated with oils mixed with
water to dyeing. The yams are soaked overnight, then dried during
the day. Approximately ten immersions are required to produce a
basic red, although darker hues can be achieved with additional
immersions; in Tenganan in Bali it can take up to six years to make
one especially prized kind of red. Dyers in the more and islands
of Nusa Tenggara may experience difficulties in obtaining sufficient
quantities of morinda. A yellow rather than red dye can be obtained
from the roots of M. umbellata.
ANATTO (BIXA ORELLANA) This tree, a native of South America, was
historically significant in South-East Asia. Its use is recorded
in Penang in 1800, and anatto became popular with dyers along the
west coast of the Malay peninsula. During the early nineteenth century
anatto was planted along roadsides in Java to provide dyestuffs
for the European market, but this trade declined as a result of
competition from aniline dyes after 1884. The dye is obtained mainly
from the coloured coats of anatto seeds. After drying in |
