People Resources and Conservation Foundation (PRCF)

The PRCF Indonesia program pays particular attention to the revitalization of indigenous cultural practices, focusing on the weaving arts.

The value of Dayak weaving arts is not limited to the quality of the thread, clarity of color, or tightness of the weaving, but is reflected in the melding of designs, symbols, and life experiences within the pieces.  Dayak weavings depict an assemblage of abstract concepts and patterns of human relationships.  These are represented by utilitarian artifacts that once played significant parts in everyday life in the Dayak village.  However, many younger Dayak weavers have never been properly exposed to the cultural significance of the symbols and design in Dayak ancestral weavings. In addition, older weavers are not transferring their artistry, symbolism, and technologies to the newer generations.  Oral traditions are gradually being lost with the older generations and with them the traditional Ikat culture.

This continuous loss represents an eminent danger to the Dayak weaving arts and culture, which we are trying to address through the Dayak Cultural Arts Revitalization Program.  This program, one of our most important cultural and socioeconomic endeavors, aims to revitalize the Dayak Ikat arts.  The program helps local Dayak women to revive their ancestral weaving culture while securing income to sustain their livelihoods.

Our strategy is to show villagers the value of their cultural heritage by encouraging them to restore traditional weaving techniques, and by fostering the production of items holding vanishing Dayak symbols and artistry.  We have included a conservation aspect into the program by promoting the protection of remnant forests and encouraging their enrichment with plant-producing natural dyestuffs used in traditional Dayak Ikats.