Kemben

Kemben (Javanese: ꦏꦼꦩ꧀ꦧꦼꦤ꧀, romanized: kêmbên; Sundanese: ᮊᮨᮙ᮪ᮘᮨᮔ᮪, romanized: keumbeuncode: sun promoted to code: su ; Balinese: ᬓᬫᭂᬦ᭄, romanized: kamen) is a form of Native Indonesian torso wrap originally found in traditional native Java (Javanese, Sundanese, Baduy, and Osing) and Bali (Bali Aga and Balinese) clothing cultures. It is made by wrapping a piece of kain (clothes), usually but not limited to batik, tenun, ikat, or any type of fabrics, covering the chest wrapped around one's torso.

Kemben

Balinese man clothed in traditional kemben during Barong dance performance, Bali.
Type	Traditional female torso wrap
Place of origin	Java

Javanese woman in kemben clothing, c. 1890

History

A Javanese woman wearing kemben depicted on 14th-century Majapahit temple reliefs in Jombang, East Java.

The Bidadari Majapahit, a 14th-century golden celestial apsara in Majapahit style, wearing kemben.

Prior to the prevalence of kebaya, it is believed that kemben was the most popular and common female dress in the ancient and classical period of Java. It was commonly worn in the Majapahit era until the Mataram Sultanate. Today, this shoulder-baring garment still features in many Javanese (and Balinese) rituals, traditional Javanese (and Balinese) dances or palace ceremonies in Javanese (and Balinese) keratons.

The bare shoulders of the kemben may be regarded as a representation of elegance and femininity. In recent decades, however, kemben has fallen out of favor among Javanese Muslim women as they abandoned their traditional fashion and wear Islamic clothing such as the hijab, which was previously uncommon in Indonesia. Today, the tradition of wearing kemben has been preserved and kept alive in the Javanese royal court of Yogyakarta and Surakarta keratons, especially among nobles and abdi dalem (palace servants). However, in recent years, this also had stirred debate about the efforts to preserve classic Javanese court culture being contended by the growing conservative Islamism among the Indonesian Muslims community.

Uses

Three Javanese women in kemben making batik clothes in a village in Java, Indonesia. 1800s.

A Srimpi dancer wearing velvet kemben.

Traditional kemben is worn by wrapping a piece of cloth around the torso, folding and securing the edge, tying it with additional rope, and covering it with an angkin, a smaller sash around the abdomen. Traditional Javanese batik kemben worn by palace ladies in keratons are mostly this type of kemben. Today, there is also tight-fitted and tailored kemben secured using buttons, straps or zippers similar to the western corset. The kemben of female Javanese traditional dancers (srimpi or wayang wong) are usually made of tailored velvet corsets.

Javanese diaspora

in Europe

In Europe, it is oftenly dubbed as akin to European décolletage, however, it is more indigenous by using local fabrics such as batik, ikat, songket, or tenun, and simply secured by folding and slipping the cloth edges and tying the knot. Traditionally, women wear two pieces of clothes; the lower one is wrapped around the hips covering lower parts of the body (hips, thighs, and legs) and is called as kain or sarong, while the piece that is wrapped about the upper body (chest and torso) is called kemben.

in the Americas

Suriname

Main article: Javanese Surinamese

Javanese women clothed in kemben, c. 1925 Suriname.

In the South American country of Suriname, kemben is traditionally worn due to the Javanese diaspora community existence in the country. It is worn in daily life (especially by the elderies) and during special cultural Javanese-related events, such as Java New Year celebration where traditional Javanese dances commonly performed.

in Asia

Malaysia

Main articles: Javanese Malaysians and Indonesian Malaysians

Styles of kemban as worn by Javanese diaspora in Malaysia

Javanese diaspora wearing kain lepas with a broad sash (kain kemban) dressed over flowered sarong with kain kelubung in Terengganu.

Javanese diaspora wearing kain lepas with check pattern (kain kemban) dressed over a flowered sarong with kain kelubung in Kelantan.

Javanese diaspora wearing kain lepas girt about the breast (kain kemban) over a sarong with kain kelubung in Kelantan.

A kain lepas draped about the breast (kain kemban) over a flowered sarong with decorative flowers in hair.

In Malaysia, due to the existence of Javanese diaspora (or Indonesian diaspora in general) kemban is introduced and essentially worn in a type of sarong and was a very popular style of clothing prior to the prevalence of Baju Kurung (of Sumatran diaspora introduction) and Baju Kebaya (of Javanese diaspora introduction). The members of the nobility used better quality and designed cloths, as well as elaborate jewelry made of gold and precious stones. They had their kain kelubung (shawl) to cover their heads from the sun and a kain kemban worn from the bust downwards to keep them cool in the tropical heat. According to the Malay Annals, Sultan Mansur Shah, the sixth Malaccan ruler, banned Malaysian Malay women from wearing only a kemban as it ran contrary to personal modesty based on Islamic teachings. Today, the kemban torso wrap is rarely worn in the piously Islamic Malay community of Malaysia, regarded as a relic of the past, replaced by the more modest Baju Kurung which is generally worn with tudong to comply with Islamic modesty requirements. A third piece of cloth is used to cover the head (head, shoulders, and arms) from the sun and it is called kain kelubung as shown in the pictures above.

See also

• National costume of Indonesia
• Culture of Indonesia
• Javanese culture
• Kebaya