Indonesia

ancestral homes

Indonesia is a country with vast natural beauty stretching from Sabang to Merauke, diversity of culture combined with the unique characteristics of each local community.

Since centuries, Indonesian people have been mastering the craft of wonderful homes called “Rumah adat”, or traditional homes.

Each area of Indonesia owns its proper style of architecture. Throughout islands, throughout regions, construction's style diverges.

Influences from the past like craftmanship, colonizations, religion or ethnic conquests, have been shaping the architecture in the archipelago.

Technically, architecture is believed to be adapted to the environment, and the weather conditions. Some structures will insulate from the harsh sun and the heat. Some preserve from the water level rising in the raining season. Some host the livestock underneath like chickens, pigs, horses, or even fishes. Some show signs of power or social status with trophies, bones and horns from various animals. Older occupants, families, female or male also may have their signs.

Traditional houses have their vital fonctions. They provides the main focus for the family and its community, and is the point of departure for many activities of its residents.

A place to live, a place to cook, a place to sleep. A place to preserve culture and traditions, inheritance from ancestors, with some rites performed inside. A place to gather the family of multiple generations. They are the centre of a web of customs, social relations, traditional laws, taboos, myths and religions that bind the villagers together.

Traditional Indonesian homes are not architect designed. Rather, villagers build their own homes, or a community will pool their resources for a structure built under the direction of a master builder or a carpenter. It can take days or several weeks to achieve the construction.

Wood and leaves are almost the unique materials used for the construction . Usually the elements are taken from the forests and trees surrounding. Some logs are more appreciated for it's solidity, like teak. Others use what they have around, wood from coconut trees. Less strong, but cheap and easy to work with.

Coconut leaves and palm tree leaves are usually the main components for the roofs. There are different ways to stack and bond the packs of leaves, so it creates a waterproof barrier.

Since many centuries, the knowledge of building and the ornaments was performed and transmitted thru the generations. Technics, wood selection, leaves drying and roof confection is a rare knowledge.

This notebook reveals some of the wonderful Indonesian traditional architectures, into different provinces.

Batak - Toba (North Sumatra)

Jabu Houses

Traditionally, the houses are constructed from wood, bamboo, using fibres for binding and for the thatched roof. The design is naturally earthquake-resistant. No nails or screws are used. The picture on top is already semi-modern Jabu houses, with the metallic roof.

The house has traditionally been a large house, made up of three sections, in which a group of families live communally. During the day, the interior is shared living space, and at night, cloth or matting drapes provide families with privacy.

As an old Indonesian way, the Toba Batak would cook over a hearth at the front of the living room, making the living area smoky.

This is very commun in some remote parts of Indonesia, or in old houses. With recent changes in hygiene practises, the kitchen is now usually often somewhere in an extension at the rear of the house.

Nowadays, most Batak now live in modern homes, and many traditional houses are abandoned or in a poor state of repair.

Torajan - Tanah Toraja (South Sulawesi)

Tongkonan Houses

Tongkonan may be seen as the navel of the universe and a microcosmos. Those homes are the focus of family identity and tradition, representing the descendants of a founding ancestor.

The houses have a distinguished boat-shaped and oversized saddleback roof. Like most of Indonesia's Austronesian-based traditional architecture, tongkonan are built on piles. The construction is laborious, and it is usually built with the help of all family members or friends.

In the original Toraja caste society, only nobles had the right to build such buildings. Commoners live in smaller and less decorated homes called banua.

Like many Indonesian ethnic groups, Toraja people were headhunters and participants in inter-village raids. Villages were located strategically on hill tops and were heavily fortified. The Dutch colonialists pacified the local tribes and led them to build their villages in valleys.

The native religion is megalithic and animist. Many of these native practices remain, including animal sacrifices, ostentatious funeral rites and huge communal feasts. It is clearly visible in the houses' ornements.

Tongkonan are customarily built facing north-south. The internal space is small in comparison with the overwhelming roof structure that covers it. Interiors are typically cramped and dark with few windows. Interiors are simply intended for sleeping, storage, meetings and occasionally protection.

Those constructions are masterfpieces, just looking at the number of small parts they request, and the whole process to stack them, especially for the roof.

Mbatangu Houses

Also referred as "peaked house", those traditional houses are characterized with their high-pitched central peak in their roofs.

Animism is strong in Sumbanese society. Their indigenous religion focused on the Marapu. It includes spirits of the dead, of sacred places, of heritage objects and the instruments used to communicate with the spirit world. This concept affects the architectural space within the Sumbanese house and villages.

Mbatangu houses are largely timber and bamboo constructions. Walls are made from panels of plaited bamboo, or woven coconut leaf. Whole bamboo culms constitute the floor. The roof is made of a dense thatch of reed grass, tied with coconut leaf. There is no window in Sumbanese houses. Cross ventilation is provided from small openings in the wall.

Buffalo horns often decorate the walls, a reminder to past sacrifice.

Four main posts supported the roof peak of a house. These posts are imbued with mystical symbolism for Sumba people.

Marapu - Sumba (East Nusa Tenggara)

The house is where the clan perform important rituals relating with the unity of the community, like wedding ceremonies, funeral, and so on.

Traditional Sumbanese village is typically located on elevated sites, with houses forming two or more rows on either side of a central plaza. The central plaza is aligned north-south and contains megalithic tombs and other sacred objects.

Ngada, Nagekeo & Ende (Central Flores)

Sao Waja is the traditional house of Nagekeo. These houses are built using locally sourced materials such as wood, bamboo, thatch, and palm leaves. They are designed to be functional, reflecting the cultural traditions, and preserving from the hot dry weather.

Sao Waja is built on a raised platform and is typically rectangular in shape. The walls are made from woven bamboo or wooden planks, and the roof is thatched with a large surface of palm leaves.

Sa'o are a distinctive architecture found in the Ngada region. Sa'o houses are built primarily from locally-sourced materials, such as bamboo, wood, and thatch. They are designed to be both functional and beautiful, serving as a place of shelter, social gathering, and cultural significance.

The Sa'o house typically has a rectangular shape with a peaked roof, which is supported by a central ridgepole. The walls are made from woven bamboo or wooden planks, and the roof is thatched with palm leaves or grass. The house is divided into three main areas: the main living area, the kitchen, and the storage area.

Intricate carvings and colorful paintings are visible in those houses. These decorations are often rich in symbolism. They convey the family's wealth and social status within the community, and also reflect the spiritual beliefs.

Many Ngada villages have their own sacred sites, where offerings and ceremonies are held to honor the ancestors and appease the spirits.

Carvings and decorations, are also part of the decorations, with special patterns and symbols that have deep cultural and spiritual significance.

The interior of the Sao Waja is divided into two main areas : the living area and the storage area.

Those houses also serves as a cultural center for the community, and are often used for traditional ceremonies and gatherings. These ceremonies often involve offerings and prayers to the ancestors and other spirits, and may include traditional music and dance.

Lio Houses

Lio houses from Ende region in Flores are quite similar to the two other type of houses combined previously. The high-pitched roof is believed to represent the mountains that surround the village, while the raised platform symbolizes the people's connection to the earth and the spiritual world.

The inside of the Lio traditional houses is divided into several rooms, each with a specific purpose. There is a central area that serves as a communal space for social gatherings and ceremonies. The walls and ceiling are decorated with carvings, paintings, and other forms of traditional artwork.

The houses are built in a circle around a central place to give offerings and perform some dances during traditional rituals as a symbol of the intimacy and unity of the tribal members of the village.

Traditional village houses are divided into 3 parts, namely traditional house, tribal house, and large house. Traditional houses built with towering roofs have a philosophy related to the authority of customary leaders who are considered higher than ordinary people.

The Tribal house is used to store heirlooms or relics belonging to the tribe, and the large house can be used or occupied during traditional rituals.

Belu - Timor (East Nusa Tenggara)

Lisan Houses

Traditional houses in Belu are typically circular structures made of natural materials such as bamboo, wood, and thatch, that slopes towards the ground.

The roofs of the Lisan houses are made from palm fronds, which are woven together to create a waterproof covering. The walls are made from woven bamboo, which provides ventilation and allows natural light to filter through. The houses are often raised off the ground on stilts to provide ventilation and protection from flooding, as well as a shaded area underneath, which is used for a variety of purposes, such as storage, cooking, and socializing.

One unique feature of the Lisan houses is the use of ornate carvings and decorations on the exterior walls. These carvings often depict animals and other natural scenes, and are thought to serve as a way to protect the house from evil spirits and other negative influences.

Despite the rise of modern housing in the region, some Lisan people continue to build and maintain their traditional houses, which serve as a reminder of their cultural heritage and way of life.

Minangkabau - Padang (Western sumatra)

Gadang Houses

This traditional house type is found in the Minangkabau region of West Sumatra, Indonesia. The Minangkabau people are a matrilineal society, meaning that descent is traced through the female line, and women play an important role in both the family and society. The Gadang house is a reflection of this culture and serves as the center of family life and social activity.

Gadang houses are a large, rectangular house with a distinctive curved roof that resembles the horns of a water buffalo. The roof is made of layered thatch and extends downward to form eaves that provide shade and protection from the rain. The house is built on stilts and has a raised wooden floor, which is accessed by a steep staircase.

The interior of the Rumah Gadang is divided into several rooms, each with its own function. The central room is the largest and serves as a living and sleeping area for the family. The other rooms are used for cooking, storage, and as sleeping quarters for unmarried women. The walls of the house are made of woven bamboo and are adorned with intricate carvings and designs that depict stories from Minangkabau folklore.

One unique feature of the Gadang house is the absence of any nails or metal fastenings in its construction. The entire structure is held together by a complex system of interlocking wooden joints that are fitted together without the need for any metal or adhesive.

The Gadang houses serves as the center of family life and are used for important events such as weddings, funerals, and other ceremonies. It is also a place for socializing and community gatherings. The Minangkabau people place a high value on hospitality and the Gadang house serves as a symbol of their welcoming nature.

The number of Gadang houses is still impressive. However, all of them are already modern or semi-modern (with wood walls and metalic roof).

Nowadays, ancestral homes with their traditional ways of building are progressively disappearing, abandoned, to more modern, and confortable homes, with all the new technologies that are included.

Electricity is making it's way into most of the homes. The asphalt road network is also growing fast. New generation is making it's way, into the fast pace world. We all enjoy the confort of a cosy house.

Traditional homes of Indonesia are no exception. In a world touched by global inflation, and exponential population growing, it is hard to keep up with a more simple way of living. Less space, less lands, less forests. Basic materials like wood and thatch are time-consuming to make, and expansive to get. The pricey roofs usually hold no longer than 10 years, or way less longer, depending the kind of leaves. Those ones are left for the metallic roofs, more expansive at the beginning, but then last way longer in the time. There is also no need to own a special skill, requested for thatched roofs confection.

Traditional homes, from their material natures, are also frequently subject to fire. Most of the time this is from the cooking area inside. It can also be due to the hot weather and the harsh sun, in some region like East Nusa Tenggara. The fire then quickly spread to other houses. It happened so many times in the past. Then a whole plot of houses needs to be rebuilt.

Artisans, local carpenters, and generational skilled people are going away progressively. They are not replaced, or simply not needed anymore. In certain regions, you can only count those artisans in the fingers of the hand.

Overall, the traditional building culture represent a unique and fascinating aspect of Indonesia's heritage. Comparing some real examples from now, and in the early 1900's, there is huge gap. Concrete world is rising fast, swallowing everything with it. Tradition is progressively getting lost. How long more to see it totally gone ?

Evolution

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