Meirina Triharini
Lontar woven craft is part of the daily life of the people in Eastern Indonesia, no exception in the district. East Flores, especially in Riangkemie Village, Kec. Ile Mandiri. In our previous year's PM activity entitled "Revitalization of Lontar Plant Utilization Products (Borassus Flabellifer Linn.) As Flores Economic Value Products, NTT" we have identified the potential and problems faced by the community in the region related to the use of lontar material. Riangkemie people mostly work as farmers. In addition, not a few people who work as civil servants, both as teachers or other professions. The existence of perceptions in the community, that "work" is as a civil servant or employee, causing quite a high unemployment rate in the area. The difficulty of getting a job, especially in the Pandemic period, also makes many young people who have graduated from high school/college only silent at home and do not have income. Our partner in Riangkemie Village is a MSME producing a bag made of woven lontar named Ria’s Bag. The owner of Ria’s Bag had experienced obstacles in the early days of Pandemic, because it decreased dramatically the number of sales. But slowly Ria’s Bag began to get more buyers along with the restoration of tourism. Ria’s Bag provides employment to girls and mothers in the area, which is to make a web braid that becomes the basic material of the bag maker. Each meter of woven braids is paid for Rp. 3000,-. This activity is titled Exploration and Preservation of Natural Dyes for Lontar Woven Crafts that will be carried out in Riangkemie Village. This is also a follow -up to one of our discussions with the community related to the urgency of the use of natural dyes that have been used by our partners in coloring lontar which still encounter many difficulties, especially when the arrival of the dry season. And the use of artificial dyes that are also quite expensive and difficult to obtain.