About Us
Little Nyonya Batik was established in 2011 with one mission: to bring back the quality Peranakan handmade products, and to preserve the culture for current generation. This is about bringing the dying traditional culture back to the forefront of markets. Our passion for excellence inspired us in the beginning and continues to drive us today.
We pride ourselves on offering a superior shopping experience and in the long-term relationships we’ve built with our customers.
Pay us a visit and try for yourself!
First.. Who are the Peranakan?
The word comes from the malay language of the local natives of the Malay Archipelago with the root word "ANAK" meaning "CHILD". Therefore, "PERANAKAN" means "CHILD OF LOCAL DESCENT". This would be the children of the early settlers (Chinese, Indians, Portuguese) who were likely to have taken local Malay wives. The Chinese Peranakans (Baba & Nyonya) being the largest community of Peranakans so much so that the mere mention of the word Peranakan, it automatically refers to the Chinese Peranakan (Peranakan Cina). There are of course Peranakan Jawi (Indian Muslims), Peranakan Chitty Melaka (Indian) and Peranakan Seranee (Eurasian). Their common trait is that their womenfolks are traditionally all dressed in the Baju Panjang and Sarong. The Chinese Peranakans can be found throughout the Malay Archipelago - Malaya (Malaysia), Singapore, Borneo and Dutch East Indies (Indonesia).
Baba Tan Leng Pho & family, maternal grandparents in Indonesia year around the 1910s. My grandma not yet born.
Paternal grandparents wedding 1935 (3rd generation Peranakan). Ong Pik Hoe and Tan Gien Kioe Nio.
Paternal grandparents pray to ancestor with tok wie batik (altar cloth) on my aunt's Ong Bwe Nio wedding 1970s
My parents wedding in 1981 with my paternal grandparents on the right
The history of Chinese contact with insular Southeast Asia dates from the first century A.D., but the Chinese traders did not begin to settle on the north coast of Java and establish their own distinctive Peranakan communities until the thirteenth century. Peranakan identifies a person of mixed blood, and in Dutch colonial times, the term was used to refer to anyone of mixed racial ancestry. Thus there were Peranakan Dutch as well as Peranakan Chinese. Originally Peranakan Chinese were the descendants of Chinese men who had settled in Indonesia and married local women.
We with our paternal grandparents in 1984 (we're 5th generation Peranakan).
Today the term Peranakan has taken on a socio-cultural meaning; it refers to those Chinese who are no longer culturally oriented toward China and who do not speak a Chinese language at home. Although it is impossible to determine the exact number of Chinese living in Indonesia today (the last census to enumerate residents according to race was in 1930), at least 1,370,000 Peranakan Chinese lived in Java in 1983 (Rafferty 1984: 247). - Muhldhausler, P. Mei W. Lee-Smith, and S. A. Wurm. 'Preliminary thoughts on Chinese and Chinese contact languages in the Pacific area. Atlas of Languages of Intercultural Communication in the Pacific (Trends in Linguistics Documentation 12). Volume II.2. Edited by Stephen A. Wurm, Peter Muhlhausler, and Darrell T. Tyron. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 1996. 799-814. pp.802-803.
What is Peranakan Batik?
As a Chinese-Indonesian Peranakan, our batik is more towards the Peranakan style which featured a bright and bold combination of colors, with motif influenced by Javanese, Indo-European and Chinese.
Peranakan batik associated with Indonesian culture. The Peranakan nyonyas preferred sarong style comes from Pekalongan-Indonesia, it satisfying their fondness for color. Batik is a general term that refers to a wax-resist fabric-dyeing technique. The word batik originates from the Javanese-Indonesia "amba" means draw, and "tik" and means to dot.
Until now three known batiks making process, they are hand drawn batik (batik tulis), stamp batik (block stamp batik), and print (silk screen). However artists and craftsmen prefer call silk screen not batik, but textile with batik print. This is due to the lack of human touch and mass product. Meanwhile, batik and stamp are considered original because of the wax using and almost the entire process with a human hand.
There are 2 ways of doing traditional batik
1. Hand Drawn Batik or Batik Tulis.
Every line and dot drawn using a pen call canting. Need lots of concentration to do this. There is value on hand drawn batik because it's just like painting. The process needs about 6 month, 1 year or 2 years to finish one piece, because we only bring the good quality hand drawn batik.
Normally hand drawn batik done by woman.
2. Stamp Batik / Batik Cap / Block Stamp
this the cheaper alternatives of doing traditional batik. Instead of using canting to draw the dot and line, this process using stamp dip into wax pot. So the process faster and the price more affordable.
Normally man does this, because the stamp made from cooper, quite heavy.
Why Little Nyonya Batik?
1. We love handmade product
Peranakan items are originally handmade. From batik sarong, kebaya, beaded shoe, intan jewelry are done handmade. We try to preserve this culture and handmade products. And handmade it's more than just a product. Handmade=made with love, care, creativity, and uniqueness. And every product are different!
2. We support fair trade products.
Fairtrade is not only good for our local artists, but it affects our product too. By doing fair trade, our artists are motivated to produce good workmanship. Especially since our products are handmade using traditional methods.
3. We love quality
Little Nyonya Batik believes in excellent quality, all our products are traditional and individually made of premium quality. It's no wonder our customers will be satisfied with their purchase.
4. Warranty
Save to shopping with us with 100% Money-Back Warranty / Exchangeable.