Tapis Lampung as a Medium of Cultural Communication

Abstract

Tapis Lampung is one of Indonesia’s textile cultural heritages that possesses not only aesthetic value but also a complex system of meanings. This study aims to examine Tapis motifs as a medium of cultural communication through a semiotic approach. The research employed a descriptive qualitative method, with data collected through observation, interviews, and documentation studies. Data analysis was conducted using a semiotic framework based on the theories of signs proposed by Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce. The findings reveal that Tapis motifs function as a system of signs representing the social, religious, and cultural identity values of the Lampung community. The motifs serve not merely as visual ornaments but also as a medium of symbolic communication that conveys cultural messages across generations. These findings highlight the importance of preserving the symbolic meanings embedded in Tapis amid the forces of modernization, which tend to reduce cultural functions to purely aesthetic purposes.