One of the uniqueness of the many secrets of a unique art skill combined with a culture that is found in ulos, is a Batak traditional costumes. And the uniqueness of both the wealth that is still maintained at least thanks to the perseverance that still care about the arts and cultural traditions.
A couple Sitompul D St. (67) and F Br Panggabean (60) since the 1980s has struggled to preserve the weaving ulos. Armed with hereditary skills of parents, traditions and skills of this any artistic talent and became a source of support family life.
Not only them, the villagers of Siatas Barita Sitompul District, about five miles from Tarutung City, are the majority have the skill to weave ulos than rice farming.
"80 percent of the villagers weave Sitompul ulos," Sitompul said when met at his residence yesterday, some time ago (July 2006).
Ulos-making process is not easy work. Besides take a long time, also needed skills in the art of combining color and weave the threads into ulos and "mandar" (sarong) is motivated art.
"This is not an easy job," she said, pointing Sitompul, showing materials chemical coloring neatly behind his house. "This is my office," he added jokingly.
The main raw material, yarn, is decisive. The higher the quality the higher yarn prices also. In addition, the more difficult to do pattern ulos, the higher the price is. For example "Letter Mandar Batak", are more expensive than mandar ulos or another, starting Rp 250 thousand to Rp 2 million.
The construction is also not for a moment. One mandar ulos or quality yarn quality and level of difficulty making a higher hue takes two weeks if finished by one person. "So we more frequently work together," said Boru Panggabean.
While, there are also simple construction cheaper valuable ulos. Like the "The Leaven Ulos Life", "Leaven Hotang" and "Sadun" are cheaper, which starting from Rp 20 thousand to Rp 600 thousand.
Yarn 100 is one of high quality raw materials. This yarn imported from India after purchased by agents from Surabaya, Bandung or Jakarta. Initially the color was plain white. "This is where the special skills needed to integrate chemical colors into the desired color," said Sitompul. Then, as the colored yarn, weaving process was carried out after the colored threads were dry by the sun.
"Well, here's where the process is more difficult because it requires the creation of art," said Sitompul. Besides yarn 100, Sitompul said, to create patterns or writing on them ulos also use gold thread (which resembles the color of gold), nylon, porada, and yarn singer.
Sitompul said, however, he more often obtain advance orders than sell directly to the agent ulos. "Apart from Tarutung, orders often come from Medan, Jakarta and other cities. They already know me and this village through ulos," he said.
Sitompul, after 20 years in weaving ulos, until now has successfully completed three children from the university. "This is all thanks to the power of God and the perseverance to maintain ulos family as one of the wealth of the Batak land," he said.