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| Rumah Gadang |
Each of local culture of Indonesia has specific model of architecture, some are so different and the other could be little bit similar one and another. Minangkabau indigenous peoples in West Sumatera Province have a very beautiful house both the outside and inside, they named their traditional house as Rumah Gadang (big house) or Rumah Bagonjong (spired roof house), both local names refer to its form. The architecture, construction, internal - external position, form or decoration, and the functions of the house reflect the culture and values of the Minangkabau. The similar model also can be found on Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Rumah Gadang, at first glance, also has similarities with traditional Toraja houses, Tongkonan.
Rumah Gadang can’t be built in every places in Minangkabau territory, only in territory that already stated as Nagari this kind of house can be built.
Function
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| Rice Barn |
Rumah Gadang is communal house, used together by a family members as residence. There are special rules applied in utilizing of Rumah Gadang. Traditionally Minangkabau people apply maternalistic principle, where women have a more important role in social economic life. This principle also reflects in functioning Rumah Gadang, the amount of rooms in Rumah Gadang depending on amount of the women in the family members who utilize the house. Every women who married get one room, old women and kids get room near to kitchen, while teen girls get shared room on the other end.
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| Interior of Rumah Gadang |
Interior Rumah Gadang dominated by open room, except the bedroom(s). The house usually built on a parcel of land owned by parent families in the tribe / people are hereditary and are owned and inherited only from and to the women in it (materialistic principle). Rangkiang (rice barn) usually put on the front yard of the house, one on the left side and the other on the right side. On the both wing of the main house always found Anjung, special rooms/place as a place where nuptial and the bride biting or coronation of customary chief. There are two groups models of Anjung, Bodi-Chaniago and Koto-Piliang, Bodi-Chaniago not use crutches under the building, whereas in Koto-Piliang use crutches. This fits the philosophy adopted for these two different groups, one group adheres to the principle of government hierarchy using anjung who use crutches, the other group Anjung (anjuang) as if floating in the air. Not far from the Tower House complex are usually also built a mosque that serves as the place of worship, a place of education and also live of the bachelor(s) in family members.
Architecture
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| Exterior decoration of Rumah Gadang |
Rumah Gadang built as a stilts house, stilts house is a model of traditional house that commonly found around Indonesia, this model is a reflection of local genius.
Rumah Gadang’s roof is essentially made from very simple materials the palm fiber. The roof has a curved and tapered upwards called Gonjong. It is the reason why people there also named Rumah Gadang as Bagonjong.
Rumah Gadang that resembles to the shape of boat hulls supposedly related to the shape of the boat Minangkabau ancestors in the past. The boat called Lancang (sassy) sail up to the upper of Batang Sampar river. Arriving on the ground, the boats then withdrawn and subsequently supported by the timber to stand strong also roofed and used as a temporary shelter. This is the forerunner to the Tower House.
Pointy shape like a buffalo horn at Rumah Gadang is also often associated with stories of Tambo Alam Minangkabau, this is memorial of event of glory when he beat Javanese on a buffalo race. Of course is a hereditary oral story of Minang peoples.
Rumah Gadang rich with exteriors and interiors elements each element of a Rumah Gadang has its own symbolic meaning, which is referred to in custom speech and aphorisms. Here are the elements of Rumah Gadang:
a. Gonjong, hornlike roof structure.
This roof form illustrates a direct relationship with God. Minang people commonly are very religious.
b. Dindiang tapi, the walls on the front and back elevations
Made of woven bamboo, this illustrates the strong unity, as a condition to achieve a prosperous society.
c. Singkok, triangular wall under the ends of gonjong
d. Pereng, shelf under the singkok
e. Anjuang, raised floor at the end of one style of rumah gadang
f. Dindiang ari, the walls on the side elevations
g. Papan banyak, front facade
h. Papan sakapiang, a shelf or middle band on the periphery of the house
i. Salangko, wall enclosing space under a house that has been built on stilts.
The pillars of the ideal Rumah Gadang are arranged in five rows that run the length of the house. These rows divide the interior into four long spaces called lanjar. The lanjar at the rear of the house is divided into bedrooms. According to custom rule, a rumah gadang must have at least five mine rooms, and the ideal number is nine.
Rumah Gadang made in rectangular form, divided into two main part; front portion and backside portion. The front part of the house usually filled with various ornament and carving, guests who visit will be accepted in this section. Ornaments and carving and generally adapt form of roots, flowers, leaves, field square and a parallelogram. While the outside of the rear hemisphere coated with bamboo. Rumah Gadang supported by long poles, the building is built enlarged to top, but not easily fall by the shock of earthquake.
In the center front of Rumah Gadang usually put a ladder, this is the main access into the houserooms. A separate kitchen built on the back of the main house.
Adaptation
Now, adaptation of this traditional house already applied to various kind of building, from public facilities building especially in West Sumatra province, hotels, up to restaurants.
