The Philosophy of The Ngada Traditional House in East Nusa Tenggara

The Ngada Traditional House is a cultural heritage rich in traditional values and local wisdom. Originating from Ngada Regency on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara, this traditional house not only serves as a place to live, but also as a symbol of the identity, history and beliefs of the Ngada people.

 

Indonesia has various types of traditional houses that are scattered in various regions and ethnic groups throughout the archipelago. Traditional houses in Indonesia have a deep significance. Apart from being a cultural heritage that must be maintained and preserved, traditional houses also hold a very high historical value.

 

In general, traditional houses refer to traditional houses built by a certain community or ethnic group with their own characteristics. The uniqueness of traditional houses can be seen in terms of architecture, building materials, decoration and functions that are tailored to the needs of the people who live in them.

 

Traditional houses often reflect the community’s ability to adapt to the environment and geographical conditions in which they live. For example, traditional houses in mountainous areas usually have steep roofs that are resistant to strong winds. Meanwhile, traditional houses in coastal areas generally have gable-shaped roofs designed to deal with hot and humid weather.

 

One of the most famous traditional houses in Indonesia is the Ngada or Sa’o Traditional House, which originates from Ngada Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). It is a house on stilts with almost all of its materials made of wood.

 

The traditional houses of the Ngada tribe can be found in a number of traditional villages, such as Bajawa Traditional Village, Bena Traditional Village, Bela Traditional Village, Gurusina Traditional Village, and Tololela Traditional Village.

 

Apart from being a place to live, this traditional house also serves as the center of customs and cultural activities in Ngada Regency.

 

The Characteristics of Ngada Traditional House

 

In each settlement, traditional houses are built facing the direction of Ngadhu and Bhaga. Bhaga is shaped like a miniature house symbolizing female ancestors, while Ngadhu is shaped like an umbrella symbolizing male ancestors. Both use a roof made of alang-alang leaves and black palm fiber from sugar palm trees. The traditional house of the Ngada tribe has three tiered rooms, namely teda wewa, teda kisa and teda one.

 

Teda wewa is usually used for leisure activities, such as mothers weaving or taking care of children. This room also serves as a place to receive guests. Teda kisa is the middle room that functions as a resting place for family members, while teda one is the core room. This core room has several functions, including as a place to perform traditional rituals, an ancestral residence, a sleeping place for the head of the household and the main kitchen.

 

Ngada Traditional House Construction

 

The construction of a traditional Ngada house consists of the foundation, floor, walls and roof. The foundation of a traditional Ngada house can be seen from the piles of stones arranged in front of the house, known as ture sa’o. The main material used is nabe stone, which is a wide and long flat stone.

 

The ture sa’o serves as a barrier to erosion as well as a support for the stone steps leading to the foyer or tedha wewa. Today, some traditional houses have added modern materials such as cement to strengthen the erosion-resisting function, but their use remains limited.

 

The building’s support consists of large wooden poles (leke sa’o) placed on a stone foundation. These poles usually use dalu wood, which has high durability and is believed to last for hundreds of years.

 

Building materials in Ngada traditional houses include wood, bamboo, alang-alang and palm fiber. Reeds, called keri, are used as the main roofing material. Meanwhile, palm fiber is used as a rope to tie the keri to the roof construction and as a fastener on the roof ridge.

 

In the center of the house (tedha kisa) and the inner room (tedha one), reeds are used as roofing material. Meanwhile, the outer roof of the pavilion (tedha wewa) is made from bamboo splits, called lenga.

 

In addition, there are supporting poles called deke. The Deke has a height of 240 cm and is made of fai wood. In the core room (one), there is a door (pene) with a sliding door system with dimensions of about 120-125 cm high and about 70-75 cm wide.

 

The size of the door is usually adjusted to the shoulder proportion of the body of the woman who owns the traditional house. On both the right and left sides of the roof ridge, there is the use of bamboo material forming a symbol of a machete and spear.

 

This feature also functions as a wind breaker so as to protect the roof ridge so that it remains durable and does not experience damage due to wind exposure.

 

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