EV ELIEN W ILLEKE FLORIJ N A 0145263J A R2221 AY 2015 16 Sem 1 Assignment 1 Tutor: Chua Si Yang Tutorial group 01 BUILDING(S) CHOSEN: Minangkabau Minangkabau Housing Orig ins South East Asia’s diverse charact er is confirmed by it s great variet y of et nolinguisd c groups here are around 6000 .T ethnolinguisd c groups in the world of which about a 1000 can be found in South East Asia (Andaya 2008, 1). One of the main sea t rading rout es in South East Asia went through the St rait s of Melaka, the st rip of wat er bet ween the Malay Peninsula and the Sumat ra, one of the islands of current day Indonesia ommunid es living around the st rait s .C were able t o profit from this flow of seaborne commerce, and some small communid es joined larger ethnic groupings, whereas others det ached themselves from a larger ethnic idendt y t o form smaller and more effecdve unit s (Andaya 2008, 3). Locat ed on West ern Sumat ra (Figure 1), the Minangkabau are amongst those who det ached themselves around 500 AD (Bahauddin 2013, 311). Like the Bat ak and Acehnese ethnic groups, they were formerly Malayu and had t o idendfy cult ural differences t o erect ethnic boundaries (Andaya 2008, 4) It is import ant t o not e that in these . d mes, boundaries were a fluent concept and linked t o ethnic groups rather than nad ons he concept of nad ons .T came much lat er and result ed in the erecd on of boundaries through ethnic t errit ories. T hus, there are count ries that have muld ple ethnic groups, and there are ethnic groups which cross count ry boundaries At the d me, ethnic groups . were like radiad ng cent res of decreasing power that overlapped at the edges. At these edges, people and groups can claim muld ple ethnicid es depending on the circumst ances (Andaya 2008, 12). Anthropological research suggest s that Minangkabau is mainly from Malay race but has clear Hindu J avan and Bat ak influences in the bloodlines due t o colonizad on by Majapahit under Hindu J avan royald es, and Bat ak slaves (J oust ra, n.d., 98).
Figure 1 ap of Sumatra showing inangkabau territory .M M in light and dark olive (Kartapranata 2010)
Figure 2 ap of Negeri Sembilan alaysia (Tubs 2011) .M ,M , (Weltkarte.com 2015)
In earlier cent uries, the most effecdve and recognizable marker of Minangkabau was the ruler of Pagaruyung, the seat of the Minangkabau king of West ern Sumat ra (Andaya 2008, 82). Nowadays the Minangkabau cult ure is famous for it s mat rilineal social organizad on and the pracd ce of merant au, in which young men leave the homeland t o seek knowledge and fort une abroad. Minangkabau cult ure is however pard ally pat riarchal, as polid cal and religious ma ers are handled by male reladves (J oust ra, n.d., 107 108). T hese qualid es creat ed the ethnic boundaries se ng them apart from the Malayu he name Minangkabau was first mend oned in 1365, as “Manankabwa” in a Majapahit court poem .T that st at es a sequence of regions locat ed in Sumat ra (Andaya 2008, 83), (J oust ra, n d , 48) his area forms the current . . .T heart land of the Minangkabau he origin of the name is not clear, but it is most likely relat ed t o “menang kabau” .T meaning: the buffalo wins/ overcomes (J oust ra, n.d., 47). 1
In the 14th century Islam was introduced and accepted into Minangkabau culture (Bahauddin 2013 314). Around 1400 , , , two maj or transmigraÚ on waves of the Minangkabau to Rembau in Negeri Sembilan (Figure 2), on the Malay peninsula took place (Masri 2012, 368). T he Minangkabau society here is a conglomeraÚ on of Western Sumatera Minangkabau and the Jakun communiÚ es of Rembau, called the Biduanda people (Masri 2012, 370). T he new locaÚ on and Jakun influences resulted in some changes within the Negeri Sembilan Minangkabau culture and architecture. Mina ngkabau house T he two main categories of Minangkabau houses are based on geographical locaÚ on: the houses of West Sumatra and the houses of Negeri Sembilan. T he difference is mainly found in the spaÚ al layout of the house and the roofshape. On West Sumatra a further disÚ ncÚ on can be made according to two different systems of governance: Koto Pilang an , autocraÚc system in which hierarchy is key and therefore represented in the architecture using different floor heights and the addiÚ on of two Anj ung (verandas), and Bodi Caniago, which is a more democraÚc system and therefore represented by equal floor heights (Bahauddin 2013, 314). See Table 1. Dis nc ve characteris cs of the diff erent Minangkaba u ho use types for an overview of the characterisÚcs of these three types and Figure 3 Figure 4 and , , Figure 5 for corresponding examples. In general these houses have more in common than they differ regarding both spaÚ al layout and construcÚ on. T herefore the following analysis is a general overview to highlight the most important characterisÚcs.
Koto Pilang
(West Sumatra)
Bodi Caniago
(West Sumatra)
Negeri Sembilan
Different floor levels
Equal floor level
Rectangular floor plan, commonly consisÚ ng of 5 ruang addiÚ on of , one or more anj ung on the sides
Rectangular floor plan, commonly consisÚ ng of 5 ruang
Malay style floor plan sequencing mulÚ ple spaces
Emphasis on lanj a bilik (room
Emphasis on lanj a bilik (room
Emphasis on lanj a balai (foyer)
Extensive and colorful decoraÚ on of
spaces)
spaces)
the facade
Extensive and colorful decoraÚ on of
the facade
Malay style decoraÚ on in woodcarvings
Roof runs along central axis
Roof runs along central axis
Roof can run parallel or perpendicular to central axis
Roof ends are very pointed
Roof ends are very pointed
Roof ends are raised
Table 1 is nc ve characteris cs of the diff erent Minangkaba u ho use types (Nababan 2015) (Lowe 2005) (Yuan , , .D 1987 30) ,
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Figure 3. Koto Pilang Minangkabau house (Bahauddin 2012 20) ,
Figure 4. Bodi Caniago Minangkabau house (Bahauddin 2012 20) ,
Figure 5. Top: the Minangkabau house in Negeri Sembilan. Bomom: Variaoons of Minankabau house in Negeri Sembilan (Bahauddin 2012, 21)
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Ruang
Lanja bilik (private)
Tinkah Lanja bandua Tiang tuo
Anjung
(semi-private)
(Koto Pilang)
Lanja labuah (public)
Balai (semi-private)
Figure 6. Spa²alfl oor plan T he int erior layout is divided in ruang (spaces) and lanj a (bays) (Figure 6). T he lanj a is divided int o four bays known as the lanj a bilik (room) which is the living space for the families and thus has a privat e charact er, the lanj a bandua (ant e room), lanj a lab uah (open space), and the lanj a balai (foyer) which t ogether form an open area used for carrying out communit y mee ngs (Bahauddin 2013, 317). Together, the lanj a bilik and lanj a bandua form the Änkah (level), which is marked by raised floor of 20cm difference, and in the case of Kot o Pilang houses, there is the addi on of one or two anj ung (verandas) which are raised higher than the Änkah . T he const ruc on of the house is based on the Äang tuo (main column), from which the front , back and side limit s are det ermined (Bahauddin 2013, 321). T he act ual dimensions are det ermined by the bodysize measurement s of the b undo kanduang , as she is the main occupant of the house, owner, and heir, and she will spend her life in the house (Bahauddin 2013, 319). T hese measurement s t aken from the mat riarch range from the dist ance between columns t o the height of windows, ensuring the ut most comfort .
Figure 7. Typical Minangkabau sway back roof (Nasir 1996 8) ,5 One of the main charact eris cs of the Minangkabau houses is the dis nc ve roof shape (figure 7), which has point ed ps. A somewhat similar shape can be found amongst the Bat ak, a group that lives north of the Minangkabau on West Sumat ra, and links them t oToraj a and thence t o ancest ral Dong Son house of North Vietnam: suggest ed that in Sumat ra Bat ak and Minangkabau house had common ancest ry (Hilt on 1992, 66). However, no other sources men on or support this claim. T he common belief is that the roof shape is derived from buffalo horns, like the name Minangkabau (Gibbs 1987, 35), (Bahauddin 2013, 311). Another sugges on is that the shape refers t o the t radi onal boat s and their hist ory as seafarers (Masri 2012, 373), (Hilt on 1992, 47). T his seems like a more feasible theory, also because the Bat ak have a similar roof shape which is a clear reference t o their mari me hist ory. T he import ance of this roof shape t o the cult ure is st ressed by the Negeri Sembilan incorpora ng this shape int o what is considered a Malay t ype house (Hilt on 1992, 60). 4
Newly married couple
Newly married couple
Matriarch + husband + kids
Family (private) honored guest seating area bedroom newly wed daughter
family seating area
resident’s waiting area
circulation area for food during ceremonies
family seating area
honored guest seating area bedroom newly wed daughter
Community (public)
male seating area during rituals
Figure 8 ultural use .C The minangkabau house plays a vit al role within the communit y as it is used as a gathering space for social, poliö cal and religious event s. A large family inhabit s the house usually consisöng of mulö ple generaö ons through female descent . The mat riarch or bundo kanduang is the leader of the communit y and t o other women, and she manages all ma ers relat ed t o the family in the house. There also is a male leader, usually a brother of the mat riarch, called the mamak tungganai that carries the öt le Da tuk or Your Excellency who deals with poliö cal and religious ma ers (Bahauddin 2013, 315). The house is const ruct ed in such a way that it provides opö mal comfort for the mat riarch and other female occupant s. Females and their families live in the lanj a bilik with the most recent ly wed females on the out side t o provide them with privacy, the others moving t o more cent ral rooms (Figure 8) (Bahauddin 2013, 318). The anj ung are reserved as seaöng area for honoured guest s during communit y meeöngs, or used as more privat e living quart er for newly wed females and their families.
Current stat e Today, about three quart ers of the t radiö onal houses in some areas in West Sumat ra is söll used as residences (Noviarö 2013, 754).The remaining houses have either been damaged t oo much, used for other funcö ons or have been replaced by new, more modern housing. Tradiö onally the houses are made of nat ural mat erials but over ö me they st art ed incorporaöng modern mat erials such as corrugat ed iron for the roof (Noviarö 2013, 752). These new mat erials also result in new ways of const rucö on, though söll following the disöncöve arched roof#shape t o refer t o ancest ral t radiö ons. The way we t reat vernacular archit ect ure is a somewhat cont roversial t opic with great polarit y. On the one side there is a t rend t o preserve archit ect ure in it s most nat ural st at e, which is most ly applied in Europe. The other side support s demoliö on of buildings that have lost their funcö onal use, or do not live up t o required st andards, favoring the new and modern. As a European, even the incorporaö on of new mat erials and using new const rucö on t echniques t o fake the charact erisö c element s of Minangkabau archit ect ure feels like diminishing it s authenö cit y. Realizing however, that all cult ures are ever developing and therefore who am I, t o dict at e them on how t o t reat their archit ect ural herit age.
It is difficult t o research vernacular archit ect ure as sources use and slightly t ransform informaö on over ö me t urning myths int o t ruths, like the quesö on where the roof shape of Minangkabau houses is derived from. No one knows for sure, but there are several opö ons provided with reasons that range from valid t o very unlikely. A similar problem can be observed when looking at dat es and ö me periods. The only reliable references are old script ures st aöng names and dat es, but even these can prove fallible as names were wri en different ly and it is not always sure whether it refers t o the same thing. A lot of wri en sources dat e from the colonial era, when the colonizers wrot e down what they observed arriving in these new count ries. Though these sources provide a lot of informaö on, it is import ant t o not e that this informaö on is very much biased and st ained by the west ern perspecöve of the colonizers.
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Glossary Anjung
Verandah in Kot o Pilang type house, raised above t he W nkah level. Used as seaW ng area for honoured guest s during ceremonies, or as a more privat e living quart ers for newly wed females.
Bundo kanduang
Mat riarch
Dat uk
Honorary Wt le meaning: Your Excellency.
Lanj a
Bays in int erior layout measured from t op t o boi om.
Lanj a balai
Foyer, first space when ent ering t he house.
Lanj a bandua Lanj a bilik Lanj a Labuah Mamak t ungganai Ruang T iang t uo T inkah
Ant e room used for community meeW ngs and as a living room. , d Room use as living quart ers for t he families. Has a privat e charact er. , Open space, used for community meeW ngs and as a living room.
Leader of t he house brot her of t he mot her carries Wt le of Dat uk. ,
Spaces wit hin int erior layout measured from leo t o right . Used t o describe t he size of t he house: “a 5 ruang house.” Main column t hat is erect ed first and used t o det ermine t he front , back and side limit s of t he house. Level of t he combined lanj a bilik and lanj a bandua raised 20cm above t he lanj a labuah and , lanj a balai.
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Bibliography f th Andaya, Leonard Y n lulu: Universit y of awai’i Press . 2008. Leaves o e Same Tree. Ho o H . in n k b u u : Bahauddin, Azizi, Se» a Wan ardono, Aldrin Abdullah and Nor Zarifah Maliki T H . 2012. “ he M a g a a Ho se Archit ect ural and Cult ural Element s ” WI T TransacÏons on Ecology and the Environmen t 5: 5Ø 5 . 16 1 2 . 3 T in n k b u u : A Bahauddin, Azizi, Se» a Wan ardono, Aldrin Abdullah and Nor Zarifah Maliki H . 201 . “ he M a g a a Ho se Vision of Sust ainable Cult ure and Archit ect ure ” In t of Design & Na ture and Ecodynamics No : 3 Ø3 . . J. 8. . 4 11 24. ui di u Gibbs, Philips in p : O f d Universit y Press . 1987. B l ng a Malay Ho se . S ga ore x or .
N il n D fining t he Malay ouse ” o urnal of the Malaysian ranch of the Royal AsiaÏc Socie ty 5, H t o , Roger . 1992. “ e H . J B 6 : no 3 Ø . 1 9 70 J oust ra, M n d Minangkaba u: Overzicht van and Geschiedenis en Volk Leiden: Drukkerij Louis Becherer . . . L . H. . Kart apranat a, Gunawan ocaÏon e thnic gro ups of S uma tra the Minangkaba u is shown in light and dark oli ve .L , . 2010. Na» onal Museum of Indonesia, J akart a In Wikipedia, hýps:// en wikipedia org/ wiki/ Minangkabau people#/ . . . _ media/ File:Sumat ra Et hnic Groups Map en.svg. _ _ _ _ Lowe, Michael J . R umah Gadang in the Pandai Sikek Village of Wes t S uma tra . 2005. In Wikipedia, hýps:// en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/User:Caniago/ Rumah Gadang#/ media/ File:Rumah Gadang.jpg _ _ Masri, Mawar. 2012. “T he Misconcep» ons of Negeri Sembilan Tradi» onal Archit ect ure.” Procedia Social and h i i 3 3Ø3 Be av oral Sc ences 68, 6 82. Nababan, Advent R umah gadang 5 In Wikipedia, hýps://id wikipedia org/ wiki/ Berkas:Rumah gadang jpg . . 201 . . . . . _ Nasir, Abdul alim, Wan ashim and Wan Teh l u T T di» n l Al : P n bit Faj ar Bah» H H . 1996. he ra o a Ma ay Ho se. Shah am e er SDN. BHD. 56Ø63. Noviar» , Ran» Irsa and Ast u» Masdar 3 P vin in n k b u T di» n l Building in West Sumat era, . 201 . “ reser g M a g a a ra o a Indonesia: Int egra» on of Informa» on Technology ” Procedia Environmen tal Sciences , Ø 5 . 17 749 7 6. In Wikipedia, hýps:// en wikipedia org/ wiki/Negeri Sembilan#/ media/ Tubs Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia . . 2011. . . _ File:Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia svg . . _ _ _ Welt kart e.com. Map Region Negeri Sembilan . 2015. Virgil Int erac»ve GmbH, Switzerland. In To urism Malaysia, hýp:// www.t ourismmalaysia.de/ maps/ mapØnegeriØsembilan.gif. u Pul u Pinang: T he Phoenix Press Yuan, Lim J ee h . 1987. T e Malay Ho se . a .
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Appendix 1 terary sources . Li 2 sual sources . Vi