Traditional House of West Sumatra
West Sumatra is one of the provinces in Indonesia which is located in the middle of Sumatra Island by making Padang as its capital. As the name implies, West Sumatra is located along the west coast of Sumatra Island. The Mentawai Islands and other islands in the Indian Ocean are still in its territory.
This province is inhabited by Minangkabau tribe community as the original tribe and also the majority tribe. The Minangkabau tribe itself - or commonly called Orang Minang, is a sub tribe of Malay which has unique culture and characteristics. In addition to good at trade, smart cooking, and love to wander, Minang people also have a cultural icon that is well known around the world. The cultural icon is the Gadang house, which has now been officially and designated into a traditional house of West Sumatra Province.
Traditional House of West Sumatra
Well, on the occasion of this article, we will cover the West Sumatra traditional house, ranging from history, architectural style, image, structure, and philosophical values contained in it. For those of you who want to know how unique Minang typical Gadang House, please refer to the following discussion!
1. House Building Structure
Rumah Gadang is a traditional house of Minangkabau tribe who also has other names like Godang house, Bagonjong house, and Baanjuang house. This traditional house is a large stage house model with a rectangular shape. Just like other indigenous Indonesian houses, rumah gadang is also made from materials derived from nature. The pillars, walls, and floors are made of wood and bamboo planks, while the roof is shaped like a buffalo horn made of fibers.
Although made of almost 100% natural materials, the architecture of the gadang house still has a strong design. This house has an earthquake resistant design in accordance with the geographical conditions of West Sumatra which is located in the area prone to earthquakes. An earthquake-resistant design in a gadang house is found on a pole that does not stick to the ground. The poles of traditional houses of West Sumatra are actually riding on the flat rocks on the ground. With this design, vibration will not lead to the house collapsing in the event of a large-scale earthquake though.
In addition, every meeting between the columns and large kaso in this traditional house is not united using a nail, but using a peg made of wood. With this connection system, the gadang home will be able to move flexibly even when rocked by strong earthquake vibrations.
2. Function of Traditional House
In addition to being a cultural icon Minang tribe society, home Gadang in the past also serves as a place to live together for a Minang family. To fulfill the function, the traditional house of West Sumatra is designed in such a way in accordance with customary rules that have been valid for a long time. The rule is for example the distribution of the space based on its usefulness, as follows:
All the inside of Rumah Gadang is a loose room, except the bedroom.
The number of rooms in Gadang's house depends on the number of women or women living in them.
Every woman in a married family gets one room.
Old women and women who are still children get one room near the kitchen.
The teenage girls got a shared room at the end near the kitchen.
In the front yard there are 2 pieces Rangkiang. Rangkiang is a building used to store rice and other foodstuffs.
On the left and right wings of the building there is anjung space (Minang language: anjuang) which is used as a place of bride with side or place of customary head coronation.
Not far from the Rumah Gadang complex there is usually a people's mosque that serves as a place of worship, a place of education, and also at the same time become the home of an unmarried adult man of the family.
3. Typical Features and Philosophical Values
Rumah Gadang is usually built on a plot of land belonging to the parent family and is only owned and passed down from generation to generation to and from women only. This rule has a philosophical value that the degree of women in Minang culture is highly respected.In addition, there are several other philosophical values of Minang traditional house building that can be a distinctive feature that distinguishes it with other custom homes in the archipelago. Characteristics of the Gadang homes include:
- The roof top shape is always pointy and looks like a buffalo horn that means victory. The shape of the buffalo horn itself is often associated with the story of Tambo Minangkabau Nature, a victory story of buffalo fight Minang people with the king of Java. Minang house roof is usually made of quality fibers that are resistant to even tens of years.
- Rumah Gadang is a house on stilts, therefore to get into it we have to climb the stairs which are usually located at the front of the house. The staircase in the buah gadang house is only one fruit, it is a symbol that Minang society is a religious society.
- Gadang house walls are generally decorated with various motifs carved in yellow, red, and black. Motif carving is usually the motives of flora and fauna, such as vines, leafy roots, and so forth. These motives symbolize that the Minang community is a society close to nature.
Well, so our brief exposure of West Sumatra custom house along with the pictures, history, philosophy, and explanations. Hopefully it can be a reference for us to get to know the culture of Minang people. If the Gadang House explanation article is considered useful, please share it. Do not forget to read our article about custom house of Riau Islands in the next discussion. Regards!
