Study of Lombok songket weaving: sasak ethnicity in socio-cultural context / Lalu Rizkyan Hakiky

Songket of Lombok is also known as songket Subahnale, derived from the Arabic word, “Subhanallah”, which means “Glory be to Allah”. The motifs on songket Subahnale are unique and heavily influenced by local culture, social life, religious values, nature and the environment, and other factors related to Sasak’s socio-culture. The lack of indepth research and the lack of interest of young people in preserving this Subahnale songket motivated the researcher to study this issue to prevent this traditional woven craft from going extinct and raise awareness of the importance of preserving traditional arts. This study aims to identify the motifs in songket Subahnale, analyze the meaning behind them, and describe their function and their relation to the social and culture of the Sasak people. This study adopted a descriptive qualitative approach, and the data analysis used is the semiotic theory developed by Ferdinand de Saussure, which is considered appropriate for this research. The study results indicate that some of the Subahnale songket motifs are not commonly found in songket types from other regions, such as the existence of a category of fauna and humanoid motifs. Symbolism in Lombok songket motifs reflects Sasak’s culture, such as the merariq tradition in the wayang motif. Songket Subahnale cloth also influences society, such as showing one’s social level, and is used as a marker of eligibility for Sasaknese women to be ready for marriage. This research is expected to contribute to future studies that have the same interest, and the benefits of this research are expected to improve the conservative quality of the local culture of songket weaving in the Archipelago, especially songket Subahnale of the Sasak tribe on the island of Lombok, Indonesia.