West Kutai. West Kutai preserves the wealth of hand-drawn batik motifs originating from various Dayak ethnic groups. Each motif carries its own philosophy, story, and distinct characteristics that cannot be found elsewhere. Therefore, preserving Dayak batik is not only about protecting culture but also about opening opportunities for the creative economy within the community.

This effort is now being driven by the Regional National Crafts Council, known as Dekranasda, of West Kutai Regency. As a symbol of ethnic and traditional culture, Dayak batik is not merely decorative ink strokes, but rather an identity of history that reflects a life in harmony with nature.

Maria Christina Moses, Chairwoman of Dekranasda West Kutai, said Dayak batik is more than just batik. The engraved motifs tell stories and even symbolize social classes. “In fact, some motifs were originally embroidered or woven. But over time, Dayak motifs can also be made into batik. This does not change history, each motif still tells its own story,” she said.

According to her, this potential can generate opportunities in the creative economy. This aligns with Dekranasda’s mission to revive the tradition of the region’s distinctive hand-drawn batik. She stated that batik from West Kutai has unique characteristics worth highlighting.

“We are reviving the hand-drawn batik that has faded in West Kutai. We can promote the unique motifs of West Kutai from various ethnic groups—for instance, from Tunjung there is kriong, from Benuaq there may be sarut, as well as tumpar, and many others,” she explained.

Maria also stressed that batik-making is not just a skill but an enjoyable and meaningful activity. The process indeed requires patience, yet it provides valuable new experiences.

“It feels good, fun, the work is enjoyable. It really requires perseverance and strong enthusiasm. Through this canting and batik-making, there are many uses and many benefits,” she said.

Moreover, she underlined that the benefits of batik must be understood from an economic perspective. Dayak batik has the potential to become a business opportunity that can increase household income and create new jobs.

“One of them is improving our economy and enriching our experiences. Hopefully, this will also help reduce poverty, since it creates employment opportunities,” she explained.

Dekranasda West Kutai is not working alone. They also seek support from many companies in the region, including Bharinto Ekatama (BEK), which organized a hand-drawn batik training program in West Kutai. This collaboration is designed not only to preserve tradition but also to create new economic opportunities for local communities, especially housewives and the younger generation.

Head of Health, Safety, Environment, and Community at BEK, Cipto Hadi Purnomo, stated that through community empowerment programs, the mining company considers batik training as a way to preserve cultural heritage while opening new business opportunities.

“Batik is a national heritage—almost every region has its own unique patterns. We hope that West Kutai can also have batik motifs recognized across Indonesia. In addition, West Kutai batik could serve as a model for other regions,” he said.

This training is aimed at unemployed residents, especially housewives and young people, so they can acquire new skills. However, the main goal is to revive Dayak motifs amid changing times.

“We hope this activity does not stop at training but continues into a real movement to establish West Kutai’s ethnic batik motifs as both an identity and a creative economic opportunity for the community,” he concluded.