Tongkonan: Toraja Traditional House (I)

The author had the opportunity visit tourist areas Tanah Toraja in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. This tourist area is rich in local wisdom in the architecture of the house. If the author of its natural beauty will discuss in another blog. Here the authors focus on the architecture of traditional houses “Tongkonan“.
The traditional house “Tongkonan” means sitting together, where people confabulate or just gather.
Tongkonan home custom home should be facing north, where the door at the front of the house, in the belief the earth and the heavens and the earth is one unit is divided into 4 parts, namely:
1. The northern part is called Ulunna rainbow, the most noble.
2. The eastern part is called Matallo, where the sun rises, the place of origin or a life of happiness.
3. The western part is called Matampu, where the sun goes down, the opposite of happiness or life, ie hardship or death.
4. The southern part is called Pollo’na rainbow, as opposed to part of a noble, a place to let go of something that is not good.

Contrary to the philosophy of life that was taken from the teachings Aluk Todolo, custom home building has significance and meaning in all life processes masyarakata Toraja, among others:

1. Location of building a house that ran north-south, with the door located to the north.
2. The division of the room that has a specific role and function.
3. Placement window that has meaning and function of each.
4. Placement of wooden blocks with a certain direction, that is a staple in the north and east, south or north ends.

Toraja traditional housing construction done in mutual cooperation, in accordance with the capabilities of each family, which consists of four kinds, namely:

1. Tongkonan Layuk, where traditional house set up rules and deployment rules.
2. Tongkonan Pakamberan or Pakaindoran, implement a custom house rules. Usually in one area there are several tongkonan, which are all responsible for Tongkonan Layuk.
3. Stone tongkonan A’riri, traditional house that has no customary role and functions, just as the center of family ties.
4. Barung-barung, is a private home. After several derivatives (inherited), later called Stone Tongkonan A’riri.