The houses of harmony
The island of Sumba houses a style of its own that really raises the roof.
Sumba, in east Nusa Tenggara, still retains the relaxed pace of life and a rich culture that has existed for generations. It is a destination where life moves to the beat of a different drum-and houses are built to a different design.
Sumbans are descended from a race of megalithic stone builders who erected stone monuments and gravestones, often intricately carved, to their gods and ancestors.
The houses that surround these stones are still built in the traditional Sumban manner: immense sweeping high roofs of thatch that point to the horns of buffalo and the jawsof pigs that proclaim the status of the dweller; statues of the gods stand beneath the thatched eaves protecting the house and its occupants from misfortune.
The houses have a very distinctive structure that conforms to a specific architectural plan. The proportional dimensions of this plan are fixed and show a remarkable uniformity across all regions of the island with the exception of size. This latter factor is important for showing status, with the size of man's house reflecting his rank and function in society.
The conical form of the house, that was and still is adhered to so strongly, is a result of the philosophical belief system of the Sumbanese, which sees all things on heaven and earth as the interaction of two polarised opposites. The harmony of man on Earth depends on balanced mixture of these opposites and it is usually necessary to ask the Merapu, or spirit Ancestors, to intercede with God to achieve this.
The Sumbanese apply this philosophy to all facets of life, especially house construction, since they reason that a house mst be in harmony for its inhabitants to live harmoniously in it. The house, therefore, has to reflect the cosmos as well as man.
The Sumban concept of the cosmos is a transcendent non-personalised being that has no name and is invisible, which they refer to as, "Father Sun Mother Moon" or Great Father, Great Mother".
The house is therefore required to have a balance of male and female attributes corresponding to the masculine sky (space) and the feminine earth (building materials). This consideration of the ratio between the physical structure and the space that it encloses, produces the porpotions and harmony evident in the Sumban houses that can be seen to this day, dotted over the island and surrounded by lush gardens.
There are three levels in the traditional Sumban house. The ground level is quarters for animals while people live on the second intermediary level. The ceiling of this level encloses the area in the tower which is the home of Merapu (ancestors).
In this attic family heirlooms and Merapu objects, or Tanggy Merapu, as they are called in Sumbanese, are stored. The power of these metal objects, which include inscribed disks, crescent shaped pectorals, and mamouli, are so potent that they are considered "hot" and need to be neutralised by something "cool" like cloth. They therefore remain stored in the realm of the Merapu, wrapped in ikat and shut away in chests from the eyes of men, until their power to summon the Ancestor spirits is required and they once more see the light of day.
A further commodity is stored in the attic, and that is the seedstock of rice for the next year's harvest. Here it lies, guarded by the Merapu from vermin, insects and blight, so that it may grow in abundance the following year.
The four pillarsforming the central core of the house are considered so important that they have their own names. On the right-hand side are the male pillars named "the eye of the Merapu" and "the pillar of the head" and on the left the female "rice pillar" and "pillar that feeds the animals". Here, on altars, rituals are perfofmed and offerings made to communicate with and sacrifice to the Merapu.
The division of right and left, male and female, extends to the floorplan where the front and side verandas are meeting places for men and the rear part of the house that includes the hearth is the women's domain. These two areas have their own entrances to complete this fascinating symmetry.
On the veranda, high beneath the eaves of the roof is a shelf where less potent Merapu objects are stored. nlike their counterparts in the roof, these are "cool" enough for public display and serve as protective talismen for the house. They often include small wood or stone squatting Ancestor figures, to whose image an offering is made when leaving, to ensure a safe journey. These pairs of male and female representations of Ancestor spirits ensure protection from earthquake, fire, flood and tempest. They also ensure the crops grow, the buffalo and horses procreate and taht an abundance comes to all who live within.
The back wall of the veranda is decorated with deer horns, buffalo horns and the jaws of boars with their wicked curving tusks. These are designed to show the wealth from sacrifice of the occupants, and forms yet another way in which strangers to the village can place the status of the householders.
Status is recognised by the size of the house, the richness of the decoration, and also the location of the house within the village plan. The house of nobles and clan leaders are clstered close to the sacred area containing the megalithic stones and the andung, or tree of skulls, where all important ceremonies take place.
This ordered society, where everyone knows their position, has served the Sumbanese well over the centuries, forming a culture that has been far more resilient to outside influences than many other.
The island of Sumba houses a style of its own that really raises the roof.
Sumba, in east Nusa Tenggara, still retains the relaxed pace of life and a rich culture that has existed for generations. It is a destination where life moves to the beat of a different drum-and houses are built to a different design.
Sumbans are descended from a race of megalithic stone builders who erected stone monuments and gravestones, often intricately carved, to their gods and ancestors.
The houses that surround these stones are still built in the traditional Sumban manner: immense sweeping high roofs of thatch that point to the horns of buffalo and the jawsof pigs that proclaim the status of the dweller; statues of the gods stand beneath the thatched eaves protecting the house and its occupants from misfortune.
The houses have a very distinctive structure that conforms to a specific architectural plan. The proportional dimensions of this plan are fixed and show a remarkable uniformity across all regions of the island with the exception of size. This latter factor is important for showing status, with the size of man's house reflecting his rank and function in society.
The conical form of the house, that was and still is adhered to so strongly, is a result of the philosophical belief system of the Sumbanese, which sees all things on heaven and earth as the interaction of two polarised opposites. The harmony of man on Earth depends on balanced mixture of these opposites and it is usually necessary to ask the Merapu, or spirit Ancestors, to intercede with God to achieve this.
The Sumbanese apply this philosophy to all facets of life, especially house construction, since they reason that a house mst be in harmony for its inhabitants to live harmoniously in it. The house, therefore, has to reflect the cosmos as well as man.
The Sumban concept of the cosmos is a transcendent non-personalised being that has no name and is invisible, which they refer to as, "Father Sun Mother Moon" or Great Father, Great Mother".
The house is therefore required to have a balance of male and female attributes corresponding to the masculine sky (space) and the feminine earth (building materials). This consideration of the ratio between the physical structure and the space that it encloses, produces the porpotions and harmony evident in the Sumban houses that can be seen to this day, dotted over the island and surrounded by lush gardens.
There are three levels in the traditional Sumban house. The ground level is quarters for animals while people live on the second intermediary level. The ceiling of this level encloses the area in the tower which is the home of Merapu (ancestors).
In this attic family heirlooms and Merapu objects, or Tanggy Merapu, as they are called in Sumbanese, are stored. The power of these metal objects, which include inscribed disks, crescent shaped pectorals, and mamouli, are so potent that they are considered "hot" and need to be neutralised by something "cool" like cloth. They therefore remain stored in the realm of the Merapu, wrapped in ikat and shut away in chests from the eyes of men, until their power to summon the Ancestor spirits is required and they once more see the light of day.
A further commodity is stored in the attic, and that is the seedstock of rice for the next year's harvest. Here it lies, guarded by the Merapu from vermin, insects and blight, so that it may grow in abundance the following year.
The four pillarsforming the central core of the house are considered so important that they have their own names. On the right-hand side are the male pillars named "the eye of the Merapu" and "the pillar of the head" and on the left the female "rice pillar" and "pillar that feeds the animals". Here, on altars, rituals are perfofmed and offerings made to communicate with and sacrifice to the Merapu.
The division of right and left, male and female, extends to the floorplan where the front and side verandas are meeting places for men and the rear part of the house that includes the hearth is the women's domain. These two areas have their own entrances to complete this fascinating symmetry.
On the veranda, high beneath the eaves of the roof is a shelf where less potent Merapu objects are stored. nlike their counterparts in the roof, these are "cool" enough for public display and serve as protective talismen for the house. They often include small wood or stone squatting Ancestor figures, to whose image an offering is made when leaving, to ensure a safe journey. These pairs of male and female representations of Ancestor spirits ensure protection from earthquake, fire, flood and tempest. They also ensure the crops grow, the buffalo and horses procreate and taht an abundance comes to all who live within.
The back wall of the veranda is decorated with deer horns, buffalo horns and the jaws of boars with their wicked curving tusks. These are designed to show the wealth from sacrifice of the occupants, and forms yet another way in which strangers to the village can place the status of the householders.
Status is recognised by the size of the house, the richness of the decoration, and also the location of the house within the village plan. The house of nobles and clan leaders are clstered close to the sacred area containing the megalithic stones and the andung, or tree of skulls, where all important ceremonies take place.
This ordered society, where everyone knows their position, has served the Sumbanese well over the centuries, forming a culture that has been far more resilient to outside influences than many other.
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