Currency - Indonesia - 5000 Rupiah - Year 2011

Item Code: 169/ID-2

Tuanku Imam Bonjol featured in the 5,000-rupiah banknote issued by Bank Indonesia.

Year	2011
Obverse	Tuanku Imam Bondjol (1772 - 1864) - Minangkabau religious leader (also called Muhammad Sahab, Peto Sjarif, Malim Basa, Tuanku (Master) Muda, Tuanku Imam).
Reverse	Songket (kain balapak) weaver, Pandai Sikek (Pandai Sikat) village, in Tanah Datar regency on Sumatra island.
Size	142 x 64 mm (Material: Cotton paper)

Obverse description

Tuanku Imam Bonjol 

Tuanku Imam Bonjol (1772 – 6 November 1864), also known as Muhammad Syahab, Peto Syarif, and Malim Basa, was one of the most popular leaders of the Padri movement in Central Sumatra. He was declared a National Hero of Indonesia.

Biography: Tuanku Imam Bonjol was born in Bonjol, Pasaman, West Sumatra. His family came from Sungai Rimbang, Suliki, Limapuluh Koto. His parents name were Bayanuddin (father) and Hamatun (mother). He was immersed in Islamic studies as he grew up, studying first from his father and later under various other Muslim theologians.

After founding the state of Bonjol, Syarif became involved in the Adat-Paderi controversy as a Paderi leader. The Paderi movement, which has been compared to the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah (Sunni) school of Islam in the now Saudi Arabia, was an effort to return the Islam of the area to the purity of its roots by removing local distortions like gambling, cockfighting, the use of opium and strong drink, tobacco, and so forth. It also opposed the powerful role of women in the matrilineal Minangkabau culture. The Adat, or traditionalist, position was that local custom that pre-dated the arrival of Islam should also be respected and followed.

Feeling their leadership position threatened, the traditionalists appealed to the Dutch for help in their struggle against the Paderis. At first, the Dutch were not able to win militarily against the Paderis because their resources were stretched thin by the Diponegoro resistance in Java. In 1824, the Dutch signed the Masang Agreement ending hostilities with the state of Bonjol.

Subsequently, however, once the Diponegoro resistance was suppressed, the Dutch attacked the state of Pandai Sikat in a renewed effort to gain control of West Sumatra. Despite valiant fighting by the Indonesians (by this time the traditionalists had realised they didn't want to be ruled by the Dutch either and had joined forces with the Paderis in their resistance), the overwhelming power of the Dutch military eventually prevailed. Syarif was captured in 1832 but escaped after three months to continue the struggle from his tiny fortress in Bonjol.

After three years of siege, the Dutch finally managed to sack Bonjol on 16 August 1837. Through a negotiation ruse, the Dutch again captured Syarif and exiled him, first to Cianjur in West Java, then to Ambon, and later to Manado in Sulawesi. He died on 6 November 1864, at the age of 92 and is buried in Sulawesi. The site of his grave is marked by a Minangkabau (West Sumatran) house.

Reverse description

Songket

Minangkabau songket, the pattern in the lower third representing bamboo sprouts.

Songket is a fabric that belongs to the brocade family of textiles of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. It is hand-woven in silk or cotton, and intricately patterned with gold or silver threads. The metallic threads stand out against the background cloth to create a shimmering effect. In the weaving process the metallic threads are inserted in between the silk or cotton weft (latitudinal) threads in a technique called supplementary weft weaving technique.

History: The historical records of use of gold thread in Indonesia is somewhat sketchy. Songket weaving is first, historically associated with areas of Malay settlement in Sumatra, and the production techniques could have been introduced by Indian or Arab merchants. In Indonesian tradition, songket is associated with Srivijaya, a wealthy 7th to 13th century maritime trading empire based on Sumatra, because Palembang is the famous songket producer in Indonesia. Songket is a luxurious textile that required some amount of real gold leaves to be made gold threads and hand-woven into exquisite fabrics, hictorically the gold mines are located in Sumatra hinterland; Jambi and Minangkabau highlands. Although gold threads was found buried in the Srivijaya ruins in Sumatra, along with unpolished rubies and pieces of gold plate, there is no corroborating evidence that the local weavers used gold threads as early as 7th century to early 8th century. Songket probably developed in later period somewhere in Sumatra.

However, according to Kelantan tradition this weaving technique came from the north, somewhere in the Cambodia-Siam region and expanded south into Pattani, and finally reach the Malay court of Kelantan and Terengganu as early as the 16th century. The weaving of songket continues as a small cottage industry on the outskirts of Kota Bharu and Terengganu. However, Terengganu weavers believe that songket weaving technique was introduced to Malaysia from India through Sumatra's Palembang and Jambi where it probably originated during the time of Srivijaya (7th to 11th century).

Much documentation is sketchy about the origins of the songket but it is most likely that songket weaving was brought to Peninsular Malaysia through intermarriages between royal families. This was a common occurrence in the 15th century for sealing strategic alliances. Production was located in politically significant kingdoms because of the high cost of materials; the gold thread used was originally wound with real gold leaf. Songket as king's dress was also mentioned by Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir writings in 1849.

Tradition:  Songket is traditionally held as an exquisite, luxurious and prestigious traditional fabrics. They were only worn in special occasion, religious festival and traditional social function. It has become a required garment for brides and grooms in their wedding; such as the traditional wedding costumes of Palembang, Minangkabau and Bali.

Songket in Palembang Aesan Gede wedding costume, South Sumatra.

Today, songket is mostly worn in traditional settings as traditional costumes for weddings or any traditional ceremonies. Several efforts has been conducted to promote songket as a popular fabrics for fashion, either locally and abroad. During the Dutch colonial era, West Sumatran songket were exhibited in the Netherlands. The Sawahlunto Songket Carnival was held in Sawahlunto, West Sumatra in August 2015. The songket carnival featuring parade and exhibition with participants from numbers of songket studios across West Sumatra. The carnival, held on Friday, 28 August 2015 was recorded in the Indonesian Museum of Records for the most people wearing songket at a same time; with 17,290 people wore Silungkang songket during the event.

Several exhibitions has been held to preserve and promote traditional art of songket making, such as the songket exhibition held in 2015 by Jakarta Textile Museum, which showcased around 100 pieces of songket from various Indonesian provinces.

Today, songket has become a source of inspiration for contemporary fashion designers whom draw ideas from this traditional art.

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