Karo Traditional House

KARO TRADITIONAL HOUSE

Karonese as one of the oldest tribe to settle in the North Sumatera district, has a unique heritage, form of a traditional house. The house built in the early years of Highlands Movements were made to protect the people from wild beast and jungle cruelty. They were able to remain safe and protected, laid shelter from rains and wetlands. It was simply built among trees and shack rooftops. The shack indeed was constructed to follow the river streams facing west and east, so the inner inhabit could lay guard on what is going on the river bed.

There are many types of Karo traditional houses, seen from its family member. There used to be eight types of houses among the Karonese, but we only could see two remaining types. The first type was called the GERGA, a place for the King / Sibayak / Raja to live personally with his family. Known as a king’s sanctuary, this place forbids outer family member to enter. Another type of this building is known as the MBELANG AYO. Due to its extinction, scientist could not differ the two kinds of building.

A common house known today is the empat (4) jabu and the waluh (8) jabu as it could be seen in Lingga, a famous traditional village near Kabanjahe fame for ethnical tangible and intangible heritages. The houses named after the number of inhabits doubling in twice, so the empat jabu is for 4 families, enem jabu for 6 families, and it ended with the sepuluh enem jabu for 16 extended families. Known to all, the waluh jabu is most popular among all as it still seen today. Si enem (6) jabu, sepuluh (10), and dua belas jabu (12) is not common among people due to its extinction many years ago. Sepuluh enem (16) jabu is the largest of them all, known to all as the king’s palace. The last one seen was possessed to Sibayak Rumah Kabanjahe and was burnt in the independence revolution. The local government inherit the burnt building by establishing a dummy very similar to its original, placing it at the main office of Pemkab Karo and Terminal Kabanjahe bus stop.

Beside a traditional house, a village would consist of five other buildings to complete its status as a well village. First there must be a JAMBUR, place where locals and adolescent sleep outer the houses. A jambur also is functioned as the town hall, meeting places and courtesy. Then there is a GERITEN beside a house to preserve the skulls of ancestors, believing that being placed in geriten, the spirits of our predecessors will shelter near our homes, protecting us. Finally to keep the grains safe, Karonese built SAPO PAGE, LESUNG and KEBEN. Sapo page is built as a leisure spot for the host, lesung is made for thumping and pounding rice grains, in order to separate the wheat from grains. Last but not least, Keben is constructed by rich peoples to show their power and dignity, but the function of these three buildings are the same, to stockpile rice.

NOTE:

1.   Due to the harsh struggle for independence, we cannot find a village with detail mapping and complete structure of all buildings. Many were burnt down to forbid the Dutch of using it as basecamp in later days. Many more were burnt down as a reaction of dissatisfaction towards Kings ruling the area of East Sumatera in 1947.

2.   You could visit Museum Lingga in Lingga (20 minutes ride from Kabanjahe) and Dokan (10 minutes from Berastagi) to see the well preserved traditional house.

3.   You could also see the traditional house in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) Jakarta Timur.

4.   You could also visit traditional villages of Kabupaten Karo to see inappropriate houses in Batukarang, Perbaji, and Kutabuluh Simole.

SOURCES:

1.    http://planetbatak.blogspot.co.id/2013/09/rumah-adat-karo.html (accessed at 24/02/2016      21:15 wib)

2.    http://www.ketadu.com/2012/02/rumah-adat-karo-rumah-siwaluh-jabu.html (Accessed at 24/02/2016    21.35 wib)

3.    My special thanks to my beloved and always supportive girl Savedia Lania Olga Sembiring Meliala, with restless and endless prayers. God Bless.