General Understanding of Kebaya

A Kebaya is a traditional blouse-dress combination worn by women in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Burma, Singapore, southern Thailand and some parts of Cambodia. It sometimes made from sheer material and usually worn with a sarong or batik kain panjang, or other traditional woven garment such as ikat, songket with a colorful motif.

The kebaya is the national costume of Indonesia, although it is more accurately endemic to Java and mojokerto.

First, the deeper explanation of the kebaya must be clarified by its design. Basically, the general understanding of the kebaya is a woman’s loose blouse made from cloth or silk (sheer materials) with sleeves. It tapers at the wrist and is fastened in front by a set of brooches or buttons along to the hip. It covers most of the upper which suits the eastern culture that holds respect in dressing. It is also gently shaped to flatter the figure. It is always matched with a batik sarong as it is used to cover the lower part of the body.

The Arrival of Kebaya’s Theories

According to the historical background of Malacca (the central port for many traders) the argument about the kebaya’s origin itself has so many theories. There is a big possibility that the kebaya might be the result of a European woman’s blouse adaptation. This argument is supported by the historical fact that during the colonization era in Indonesia, it is believed that the Portuguese brought the modern blouse to Indonesia which formed into the kebaya. Portugal was the first nation that invaded Indonesia before Dutch colonization (From the 16th to 17th century). The Portuguese arrived by the end of the 14th century and expanded its authority from Malacca to the Moluccas. The expansion of authority also can be considered as the way the western (Portuguese) blouse was introduced to the local people. After examining the Portuguese blouse, it can be seen that the blouse is not fastened in the chest with set of brooches, but the sheer material and drapery along the blouse can be categorized as the basic design of the kebaya. This could also inspire the local people to produce clothing that adjusted to the Indonesian custom, which is developed into the kebaya.

The theory that states that the kebaya came from china can also be considered logical. During the 13th to 16th century, China had massive immigrants move to South-East Asia. In the early 15th century, the emperor Zhenghe visited Samudra (Aceh, Sumatra Island) in order to persuade Samudra to start growing peppers because pepper was the most important product of export at that time. Pepper could give a big chance for people to have a good life (Bangko). This also can be the reason why the Chinese started to move to Sumatra Island, and brought their custom in dressing which formed into the kebaya. In fact, the Chinese costume, cheongsam, has a similarity with the kebaya’s design. Both of them are fastened in the chest with a set of brooches and cover most of the upper body part. The basic material for the cheongsam is satin, but now it also has been modified to be silk or cotton (sheer materials) (Lucia). These materials are the same as the kebaya. Similar to the kebaya, the cheongsam has many drapery ornaments to decorate the design.

Islamic and Arabian Cultural Values Influence

There are many types of the kebaya depending on the region where it developed. The Sundanese kebaya, with a hexagonal neck and the kebaya labuh, worn by the Malayan (Indonesian and Malaysian people) which ended at the knee, are all examples of the different forms. The last one closely resembles the Arabic habaya, a form of sailing dress originating in Saudi Arabia. The similarity of the kebaya labuh with the habaya strongly supports the idea that the kebaya originated in Arabia, which is the centre of Islamic culture. The kebaya is often said as the decorous dress because it does not expose the woman’s body and Islam teaches the women to always cover their body except their face and palm (Azhar). Even though the kebaya does not cover the hair, it supposes to have those Islamic values which already adapted for the local customs and tropical climate in Indonesia. The historian Denys Lombard also supported this argument based on discovering the linguistic analogy of the name kebaya which is similar with the name of the habaya itself (Bangko). One more important thing to realize is that the Arabian word for cloth is kaba, which obviously describes that the word kebaya comes from the combination of the Arabian words kaba and habaya (Bangko). Thus the name of the kebaya can be referred as ‘the daily wearable sailing costume’ for the society which adapting the habaya at its developing time.

If it is seen from the fact that Indonesia used to be the harbor of passing traders from the Middle East and China, the conclusion that the kebaya started at where most of those traders stopped is logical. The Malacca strait was the central harbor in Indonesia at the same time when the kebaya started to develop, approximately between 13th to 16th centuries. In the early 13th century, Islamic traders started to see Indonesia as a good target in spreading the new belief. Indonesia was also very rich with various spices so it easily attracted the foreign traders.

There is also a big possibility that the spreading of the kebaya in many regions of Indonesia was influenced by the Islamic traders that wanted to persuade local people to hold Islam as their belief. Since the changing political and cultural centre in South and North Sumatra in the 1300’s, Islam started to attach their belief to the big kingdoms so they could have ‘fast access’ in declaring Islam as the new belief to the local people (Islamic Trading). In 1323, Ibn Battuta as an Arabic traveler visited Samudra (a part of Aceh region, a province in the most northern part of Sumatra). It was documented at that time that there was a developed Islamic harbor kingdom or sultanate which strongly believed that it had a connection in trading with far countries such as Southern India and China (Islamic Trading). There were many Indian Islamic traders who gave the city of sultanate the name Pasai, derived from the word Parsi-Indian (a member of the close-knit Zoroastrian community based primarily in India) (Parsi). Under this name, the Pasai political systems began to be introduced to many regions. The most important thing was the language development system, which was a form of Malay written in Jawi (an adapted Arabian alphabet word) that being used in many Indonesian islands to communicate (Kerajaan Samudra). It was really helpful for many traders realizing the diversities in Indonesia and lots of traditional languages in every small region which made many people hardly connected in communication.

Pasai was known as a centre of science, and the sultanate developed a big kingdom named Samudra Pasai. It became the first Islamic kingdom in Indonesia which has the function as the harbor and centre of trading because it was placed in the edge of the Malacca strait. From the documentation, it says that Samudra Pasai ruled the area from the early 13th century to 16th century (Kerajaan Samudra). The connection between foreign traders, especially Islam, with Samudra Pasai made it easier to travel along to many places in Sumatra, even to Java and Bali. Besides the purpose of spreading Islam, the traders were also attracted by the various spices in Indonesia so they tried to find it in many places. From here, the Islamic traders which mostly Arabian could be considered brought their customs of dressing such as the kebaya to many parts in Indonesia. This is one fact that indicates the history of why the kebaya being spread in many places in Indonesia. As explained above, kebaya is a form of adapted culture so the local people in the area that was stopped by the Arabian traders adapted the costume into their own customs. This is also the reason why the modern kebaya has different designs depending on the place where they were introduced (Kerajaan Samudra).

The different kind of kebaya basically has two types, the first one is very elaborate and covers most of the body. The second one is more open and exposes the beauty of a woman’s body. Again both depend on the place where they were introduced. For example, the Javanese kebaya usually uses cloth shawls to cover their chest to look more polite because the major religion in Java is Islam. While the Balinese kebaya looks more ‘open’ and its materials are quiet similar with the modern kebaya, which is made by lace. It also has one accessory which is the waist band that is really tight and exposes the shape of women’s body. The majority of the Balinese religion is Hindu, and Balinese kebaya is usually worn for Hindu occasions. Hindu is a belief which has no obligation or rules for the woman’s to cover their body. Yet both examples in today’s society strongly support the idea that the kebaya was spread all over the region and developed based on where they were introduced.

The Approximate Time of Kebaya’s Arrival; Theories and Analysis

Datin Seri Endon Mahmood as a kebaya collector and the wife of the former Malaysia’s Minister in her book, The Nyonya Kebaya, believed that the kebaya started to be worn by the 20th century, or about the year 1920. The argument was supported by her research from the picture and photographs that show women in kebaya, and she found out that the oldest picture of a woman with kebaya was produced in the year 1920 (47). Still this is not reliable enough because the fact that the camera was still newly introduced (Kodak, a big camera company, was purchased in 1912 in America) (Bellis), but the Javanese local people have another fact that says the kebaya is the 20th century invention. In Mojokerto, a region in East Java, there is steps in the wedding ceremony of the dressing process. Those steps are traditional dressing process and modified dressing process, and this was clarified by Mbah Tun, wedding make up artist in Watesnegoro village in the 1960’s (Bab II). She said that at that time the women refused to wear the traditional costume because it was old-fashioned and preferred to wear the modified one. The traditional one was kemben (tube top) or the simple kebaya, and the modified one was a velvet black blouse (with similar design of the kebaya) which looks more elegant. The traditional one has already known for many decades, and started to be transformed since the era of 1950’s (Bab II). The traditional one had already worn the kebaya in simple concept, and the word ‘traditional’ itself means for long time. It gives sort of explanation that the people in Mojokerto itself already familiar with kebaya since the early 20th century.

On the other hand, historian Denys Lombard says the kebaya is the Indonesian woman’s blouse that was first-introduced during the era of 15th or 16th century (Bangko). Perhaps at that time it was not kebaya that being introduced, but more likely to the sailing costume or the habaya that used by the Middle-East traders to Indonesia. This theory is supported by the first arrival of Islam as a religion in Indonesia. By the 13th century, the political and cultural centre moved from southern Sumatra to northern region. The situation was about to change because Islam started to be the new belief among the society (Islamic Trading). It was easier to spread Islam from the upper class such as the kings that ruled most of the Sumatran region at that time by their strong access and the big kingdoms at that time were placed in Palembang (South Sumatra) and Jambi. From the northern part, the religion started to spread to the southern area by targeting those big kingdoms and began to reach Java. The problem is spreading and persuading people from the very old tradition to the new belief would take very long time and this was what happened at that time (Jide). It is not impossible it takes long time for the kebaya to begin adapted from those trading costumes that used by the Islamic traders. The adapting garments itself has been adjusted to the local condition, such as hot weather and material availability. This clearly gives the taste of Indonesia so it becomes the national blouse of the country. Denys Lombard did not write the exact place of where the kebaya started to be worn during the 15th to 16th century.

Plenty of Indonesian articles inform that before the 16th century, the kebaya was sacred and only to be worn by Javanese monarchy. It started to be worn as a blouse by European women when the Dutch took control of Indonesia (Metamorfosis, Hadi). This indicates that the kebaya already existed before the 20th century. Therefore from those two theories, the background and supporting arguments really have the insignificant difference because both of them have the same convincing level. It is hard to decide the approximate time of when the kebaya started to be worn in Indonesia by the blurry origin but both of them could be concluded that the kebaya is a form of invention that has developed since the 16th century. The kebaya continues to develop this day.

Conclusion

The many theories about the kebaya’s origin make it confusing because many countries besides Indonesia (Malaysia, Japan and South Africa) struggle to claim the kebaya belongs to them. In this case, Indonesia has won the competition by its fast movement in patenting the kebaya as their official traditional costume on November 2006 by an Indonesian designer, Adjie Notonegoro (Eri). But still, Indonesia should be aware whether there will be another country who can not accept the declaration of the kebaya belonging to Indonesia. In order to avoid any national heritage loss, the analysis of the kebaya can be really helpful to solve what country has the most-right to the kebaya. This analysis started from the many theories behind the kebaya’s origin and the result of acculturation and adaptation of another culture’s dressing custom by the local people.

Tracing the track of historical conditions in Indonesia, it is more reliable to say that the Islamic traders were the most influential traders in spreading their culture and customs in Indonesia. Besides the many of Islamic artifacts in most of the Indonesian islands, Indonesia also has become the largest Islamic country in the world. The truth that the kebaya must be influenced by Islamic values is undeniable. From this, the consideration of the kebaya was a form of acculturation from the Islamic Middle East traders is more valid rather than the other theories that say the kebaya came from the acculturation of Portuguese or Chinese customs. If one of the other theories was true, than perhaps their customs would be the major custom in Indonesia, such as their beliefs (Catholic from Portuguese or Confucianism from China). The truth is their beliefs became the minority in Indonesia, so it has proven that the Islamic traders were the one who brought many influences in Indonesia realizing that most of the Indonesian kingdoms before the arrival of Islam were Hindu or Buddhist. This argument is also supported by the origin of the kebaya’s name. The Arabian word for cloth is kaba, and during the trading era, their sailing costume was named habaya. From this linguistic analysis, the kebaya clearly indicates that the name was the combination of the words kaba and habaya (Bangko). The Islamic traders who brought their dressing customs were the Arabians. They inspired Indonesian dress. Therefore the kebaya is a form of acculturation that has been adapted by the Indonesians from the Arabian culture. The Arabians were the ones who brought the costume that became the kebaya. This proves that the kebaya already existed for long time in Indonesian is also supported by Denys Lombard and the consideration is that the kebaya is a form of invention that has been developed since the 16th century until the 20th century and still modified now.
The reason why the kebaya can be found in Malacca which is apart of Malaysian region must be from the fact that it was the location of where the Arabian started to expand their culture in South-East Asia. The Arabian traders used the Malacca strait to setup harbor, and they must be separated between the Pasai harbor and Malacca harbor. Also, Malaysia and Indonesia during the trading era were considered as one region (The Hindia archipelago). Thus this became the root of why the kebaya also developed there. The Indonesians have always believed that the kebaya is their national costume.
From discovering the analysis of historical background, Indonesia and the kebaya already became something inseparable, so the consideration of the kebaya belonging to Indonesia is valid based on the society and historical background perspectives. The kebaya is a form of adaptation of Arabian Islamic culture and has been customized by the local people. The traders went to Indonesia seeking spices and spreading Islam using the Malacca route and used Pasai harbor whenever they arrived. Even though the kebaya does not originate authentically in Indonesia, the fact that it already belongs to the nation means it must be protected by the people themselves. The kebaya is a precious heritage that should be persevered and never removed. It is important to Indonesians to understand the real history of the kebaya so they can truly preserve their heritage.