Indonesian made felt Hats videos

[milandro]

While browsing on YouTube, since I collect Indonesian made Krises (the " weapons" from that area that is), I came across some videos of Indonesian made hats. I am afraid I don't understand Indonesian but I thought it would be nice to share. If anyone has ever seen them or owns some perhaps it would be nice to have some accounts of these hats, there seems to be more than one maker.

other makers



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8gtY1Jr0Bw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S3I4F2SnPQ


This guy makes Pith Helmets

 

[milandro]

interesting how they seem to sell these , nice looking, felt hats at a general market (among rams and sheep )

it would be nice to hear if anyone has ever bought them and who knows if they can be acquired at a good price

 

[milandro]

there must be really a serious hat culture in Indonesia judging by the videos they publish on you tube.


I suppose that due to the language barrier, which cannot be easily overcome, communication with the publishers of video is nearly impossible ( I tried...)



Also , no one among the members here speaks Indonesian or has ever bought an Indonesian hat at one of these markets?

 

[milandro]

This is a REALLY nice video showing a reality that must have been common in a gone by era in Europe or the Americas , the era before shops appeared!

In a world where physical shops are disappearing to have everything on line, in Indonesia they have itinerating vendors with all their hats in two plastic fiber bags hanging from a pole on their shoulder , going from place to place to sell their hats on the streets!

It reminds of when I was very young , in Italy, and there was a street vendor who was coming around everyday more or less at the same hour . He was saying (fairly out loud but not shouting) : " Pianelle!" ( one of the many Italia words for " slippers" ).

The man was selling slippers door to door. My grandma every now and then called the man and bought some new slippers .


Here we see an Indonesian village portrait of life.

At 2' 24", you see the street vendor with his hats going through the alleys , he stops and starts showing his hats to someone ( a shop keeper of sort?), before you know all the men from the village come by and start measuring hats (the hat must still be a common sign of distinction over there!). Money quickly changes hands (Hats must not be so expensive as they are over here, methinks!).

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

There’s a lot that could be said about all of these videos.

First, the videos you posted have at least three different languages being spoken. The first videos are spoken in Bahasa Indonesia. It’s the same language as Bahasa Melayu so I understand a little. The speaker is telling the audience to order those hats, that they are good quality, that they are hand made from good materials, etc. I took them to be sales videos.

The next videos are from East Java and they are speaking an East Java dialect. I didn’t get much out of those except that the hats are all wool. In one video the guy claims they are “Stetsons from America” and then others are “custom” (ie, more sales pitch).

Then the last video appears to me to be from Western Java. I don’t know much about Javanese politics but that video bears the name of a Javanese politician “Dedi Mulyadi”. I didn’t understand any of the language in that video and I didn’t watch it closely.

Here is the link to a video that shows one kind of culture that wears wool hats in Indonesia:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xdikMsnhUv

You can see in this video that there are two hats being worn, one by the vendor and one by another man. They say both of those hats are “custom” and he shows the liner in the one hat to the videographer. Those two hats are the most interesting of all the ones I saw, but they are not for sale although if we were there we could almost certainly have one made for a very cheap price.

The community in this video is very rural and I would imagine it is at some altitude. You can see the crowd is actually watching goats or rams fight each other. I say they are at altitude because it is too hot in that part of the world for felt unless you are above 1500 meters and then there will be cooler evenings and morning. I spent 10 years in that area and I was the only person I ever knew who wore felt of any kind. There might also be a kind of hipster culture in places like Jakarta that wear felt but the hats in these videos aren’t made for them.

One video you posted shows a guy making pith helmets - those are still worn in by jungle laborers due to the risk of getting killed by falling coconuts.

I guess I could say more if I watched them again but I will add that I actually purchased a fur felt wide brimmed hat in Nepal once, where they actually wear fur felt (it gets cold there!). I think there might even be a photo in the lounge somewhere under my former account. I wore it once out in the rain and I immediately had wet dye running all down my face.

Point being, even if you went through the effort to acquire one of these hats, I would say it would end up as little more than a curiosity. These are very poor cultures by our standards and just can’t do what we can do materially.

The hats they do make that are damn fine are wide brimmed palm frond hats. We’re talking 4 inch wide brims very tightly woven, very sturdy, widely available for very cheap price. Those are what you’ll see the hand workers and farmers wear over there.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

This video that you posted actually has some contact details for ordering the hats but neither of the links work anymore. But if you spent some time on that account you might find something more recent and be able to contact someone. Just use Google Translate and you should be able to talk to a real person - they would get a real kick out of selling a hat to a westerner. In my experience, Indonesians and Malaysians are literally the nicest people in the world.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

This is a REALLY nice video showing a reality that must have been common in a gone by era in Europe or the Americas , the era before shops appeared!

In a world where physical shops are disappearing to have everything on line, in Indonesia they have itinerating vendors with all their hats in two plastic fiber bags hanging from a pole on their shoulder , going from place to place to sell their hats on the streets!

It reminds of when I was very young , in Italy, and there was a street vendor who was coming around everyday more or less at the same hour . He was saying (fairly out loud but not shouting) : " Pianelle!" ( one of the many Italia words for " slippers" ).

The man was selling slippers door to door. My grandma every now and then called the man and bought some new slippers .


Here we see an Indonesian village portrait of life.

At 2' 24", you see the street vendor with his hats going through the alleys , he stops and starts showing his hats to someone ( a shop keeper of sort?), before you know all the men from the village come by and start measuring hats (the hat must still be a common sign of distinction over there!). Money quickly changes hands (Hats must not be so expensive as they are over here, methinks!).

Just watching that last video a bit more closely gave me an idea of how expensive the hats are. This hat seller rocks up on what looks like a resort, so the price will be higher than in the agricultural community. I think I saw one guy pay 500,000 rupiah, which is about 30 USD. Considering you can eat a full meal in that area for 2 USD (or less), that’s kind of the equivalent of 150 USD for those people.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

So I landed yesterday in Nepal and one of the first things I saw when leaving the airport was a Tibetan gentlemen in a beautiful torquoise open-crowned felt hat. Cool, I thought, I forgot Tibetans like felt hats.

My guesthouse being just around the corner from the Big Stupa in Kathmandu, it's one of the main Tibetan centers of Nepal. It took me ten minutes to walk there this morning, mumbling to myself as I went along, "I wonder where the Tibetans sell felt hats? Never mind - they're probably too expensive anyway. And how the heck would I even carry another hat?"

Then I turned the corner to the Big Stupa and low and behold: felt hats! Lots of them!

All the felts sold in this area were the same brand, "Lihua Hats," whose slogan appears to be the very inventive, "well-known trademark of China." I suppose if that's your most important message it's good to get it out there as quickly as possible, so they actually printed it on the hat liner.

I googled the company and came up with their website if anybody's intersted. Looks like they supply Wal-Mart with hats, and maybe even Disney. They've got information in English here:
http://www.lihuahats.com/english/html/group1.htm

The hat I purchased is a high-crown model with lots of taper - very Tibetan looking. If you think an Akubra has felt like cardboard, let me tell you this stuff is nothing shy of plywood. I love the ribbon treatment but don't be fooled by that wind trolley: it's just an elastic band and isn't even attached to the hat! I think its real purpose is just to hold the ribbon on, though I haven't tested that theory for fear of instigating a domino effect of hat deconstruction.

The brim is quite flexible, however, which gives me hope that the crown might soften up with wear. That's what looks to be a real leather band inside of it (at least it doesn't tear when I try to rip it apart) but the liner is only a few small steps up from that kind of tissue paper you stuff into Christmas packages.

This fellow might disintrigate at the merest mention of precipitation, I have no idea, but I actually like it a lot. It's one of the hats that Tibetans seem to wearing today, and for a whopping 18 USD I thought, "Why the heck not? Maybe I can recruit my best friend to wear it back to Malaysia for me in three weeks." If it survives that long.

Here's a real Tibetan in just such a hat:
View attachment 85312


And here's me:

View attachment 85313

View attachment 85314

View attachment 85315

View attachment 85316

Cheers,
Nathan

Here is a post from 6 years ago when I purchased the felt hat in Nepal. If I remember right, I gave it away to some street kids after the first time I wore it in the rain.

 

[milandro]

@The Lost Cowboy , thanks much appreciate your comments. I am trying through an agent whom normally buys krises in Indonesia for foreign customers to see whether some hits can be purchased.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

@The Lost Cowboy , thanks much appreciate your comments. I am trying through an agent whom normally buys krises in Indonesia for foreign customers to see whether some hits can be purchased.

Great idea, I look forward to hearing more about that adventure - and maybe more about your kris collection as well! Good luck!

 

[milandro]

Great idea, I look forward to hearing more about that adventure - and maybe more about your kris collection as well! Good luck!

I got a preliminary answer from the correspondent on Bali. In his opinion these people offer hats made in only one size (?) and he said that typically they wont be labelled for size .

He has told me that he will require further and then we'll see.

In some of the videos it is visible the inside of the hat and they are clearly stamped with some thing in the inside of the crown (one of the white stamps looks very simile to a Modissima , French Brand, that I have) also in another video I saw that one hat sweatband was stamped with " Orlean" (not Orleans) and the same video shows a pile of hats where the sweatband was being sawn in and one hat at the top has a stamp " Wegner".

This can only mean one of three things

1) They make copies of ( European ?)brands
2) They re-sell to European Makers
3) They re-use parts of older hats.... (this could only be for the sweatbands)



I am happy to discuss my modest collection of krises but I don't know where it would be appropriate on this forum (or maybe in a PM)

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

I got a preliminary answer from the correspondent on Bali. In his opinion these people offer hats made in only one size (?) and he said that typically they wont be labelled for size .

He has told me that he will require further and then we'll see.

In some of the videos it is visible the inside of the hat and they are clearly stamped with some thing in the inside of the crown (one of the white stamps looks very simile to a Modissima , French Brand, that I have) also in another video I saw that one hat sweatband was stamped with " Orlean" (not Orleans) and the same video shows a pile of hats where the sweatband was being sawn in and one hat at the top has a stamp " Wegner".

This can only mean one of three things

1) They make copies of ( European ?)brands
2) They re-sell to European Makers
3) They re-use parts of older hats.... (this could only be for the sweatbands)



I am happy to discuss my modest collection of krises but I don't know where it would be appropriate on this forum (or maybe in a PM)

Sorry to hear that hasn’t produced results so far. I should point out (but your probably know this) that Balinese culture is different from Javanese and all those videos you posted are from Java. The former are Hindu and the latter are Muslim for one thing. They speak completely different local languages and their clothing traditions are also quite distinct.

In one video that you posted above, there is contact information for ordering the hats. The links don’t work but the information specifies hat sizes in centimeters. I really believe if you poke around those YouTube pages you might find a link that works. I found that information in the description - there was a website link and a WhatsApp link, neither worked.

Yes, I also see what looked like used sweatbands being put into hats in one video.

How did you become interested in the kris?

 

[milandro]

M

How did you become interested in the kris?

Yes, as you have guessed, I know of the immensity of the archipelago and the differences in culture and language.

As for the kris: well, first of all I live in the Netherlands, which for colonial reasons, I am sure you are aware, is the second largest " kris" area in the world for density of krises.

For the benefit of other folks reading this who may not be aware of the history go the countries and why they are connected. The Netherlands (and prior to the State and Kingdom of the Low Lands, the VOC the United Eastern India Company, a company which had its own army and money and owned and administrated entire countries ) occupied Indonesia (and several other countries) since the 17th century.

Because of this many krises found their way to the Netherlands. Some were bought some were looted. Fact is that in the Netherlands there are many citizens with an Indonesian background (composite as it may be) and they own krises as part of their family heritage.

When Indonesia wanted to became independent (few months the end of the WWII) there was a war between the Netherlands and the Indonesian freedom fighters (which were prevalently Javanese but that is another story) and many soldiers went to fight there. Many came back to the Netherlands with one or more krises.

Also many Indonesian saw themselves ad being Dutch and they left Indonesia to come to live in the Netherlands and many took with them krises and other items which were family heirlooms.

I don't have a personal connection with the kris, I am a Dutch citizen but I have Italian roots. The only connection to the kris I had was that like most Italians I had read the books written by Emilio Salgari and Italian writer who wrote about Sandokan a mythical and fictional figure and the kris plays a role in the background of the books.

As it often happens the kris found me (rather than I found the kris) and I was given one for a symbolic amount of money. I took care of it and had it " washed" with Warangal (a mineral containing arsenic ) and restored the sheath and other parts wis were broken. When I had it washed the kris-washer told me : Be careful,! Now you have one soon you will get more!" and so it was. I have now a small collection from several areas of the Archipelago.



this was my first kris , click to enlarge if you so wish.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

M


Yes, as you have guessed, I know of the immensity of the archipelago and the differences in culture and language.

As for the kris: well, first of all I live in the Netherlands, which for colonial reasons, I am sure you are aware, is the second largest " kris" area in the world for density of krises.

For the benefit of other folks reading this who may not be aware of the history go the countries and why they are connected. The Netherlands (and prior to the State and Kingdom of the Low Lands, the VOC the United Eastern India Company, a company which had its own army and money and owned and administrated entire countries ) occupied Indonesia (and several other countries) since the 17th century.

Because of this many krises found their way to the Netherlands. Some were bought some were looted. Fact is that in the Netherlands there are many citizens with an Indonesian background (composite as it may be) and they own krises as part of their family heritage.

When Indonesia wanted to became independent (few months the end of the WWII) there was a war between the Netherlands and the Indonesian freedom fighters (which were prevalently Javanese but that is another story) and many soldiers went to fight there. Many came back to the Netherlands with one or more krises.

Also many Indonesian saw themselves ad being Dutch and they left Indonesia to come to live in the Netherlands and many took with them krises and other items which were family heirlooms.

I don't have a personal connection with the kris, I am a Dutch citizen but I have Italian roots. The only connection to the kris I had was that like most Italians I had read the books written by Emilio Salgari and Italian writer who wrote about Sandokan a mythical and fictional figure and the kris plays a role in the background of the books.

As it often happens the kris found me (rather than I found the kris) and I was given one for a symbolic amount of money. I took care of it and had it " washed" with Warangal (a mineral containing arsenic ) and restored the sheath and other parts wis were broken. When I had it washed the kris-washer told me : Be careful,! Now you have one soon you will get more!" and so it was. I have now a small collection from several areas of the Archipelago.



this was my first kris , click to enlarge if you so wish.

Fantastic response, thank you!

That kris is fantastic!! You really got a great first piece for your collection! I don't own any but I am an admirer.

I spent most of the years 2011-2021 in the town of Melaka, Malaysia (which has its own colonial Dutch history) and the kris plays a big part in the Melaka folk heritage.

I am unfamiliar with Emilio Salgari but plan to check him out now, thanks for that reference.

 

[milandro]

I am unfamiliar with Emilio Salgari but plan to check him out now, thanks for that reference.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Salgari