Ethnomatematics: Exploring Mathematical Concepts and Philosophical Value in Trusmi Batik Cirebon
Diana Ayu Wulandari (a*), Yaya Sukjaya Kusumah (b)

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

Abstract

Mathematics in culture is known as ethnomatematics. The culture in the society is somehow always
associated with mathematical elements. One of the infamous cultures in Indonesia is Batik, and in
Cirebon, West Java, there is batik central called Batik Trusmi Khas Cirebon. There are two kinds of
Batik, the first one is Batik Tulis (the written one) and the other one is Batik Cap (the stamped one).
In term of Batik Cirebon, it has two patterns, the first one is Keratonan pattern such as macan ali,
lasem, kawung, and liris, and the second pattern is Pesisiran pattern such as batik puger and mega
mendung. The purpose of this study is to desribe the philosophical values and to reveal the
mathematical concepts in doing batik activities. This research used qualitative method, so the
instrument of this research is this research itself through the sources related to activities,
perpetrators, and places and the data were collected through observation, unstructured interviews,
triangulation, and field notes. The author used three methods in analyzing this research, there are
reducting the data, presenting the data, and drawing the conclusion. Through this research, it can
be concluded that Batik Trusmi Khas Cirebon has philosophical values that contained in every
patterns about life, ethics, morals, also belief to God such as in Mega Mendung, Liris, Kawung,
Macan Ali, Lasem, Puger, and Pohon-Pohon and mathematical concepts such as measuring the
process of making batik using standard and non-standard sizes, comparision in Batik Tulis and
Batik Cap, mathematical models, mathematical elements, geometric transformation, and graph
theory.

Keywords: Batik Trusmi, Ethnomatematics, Qualitative, Ethnograph

Topic: Mathematics Education