It is Called Tongkonan

This is one form of indigenous awesome custom home products in Indonesia. Tongkonan is a typical house in Tana Toraja in South Sulawesi Indonesia. Tongkonan is a traditional house with characteristic wooden houses on stilts under the house where the pit is usually used as a cowshed. The roof houses tongkonan black coated fibers and the curved shape just like a boat with a stern face down. Others say shaped like buffalo horns. Overview of similar buildings house just in Minang or Batak.

Tongkonan direction facing north and end of a peaked roof above symbolizing their ancestors came from the north. When later died they would gather together the spirits of his ancestors in the north.

Based on archaeological research, the Toraja came from Yunan, Tongkin Bay, China. Arrivals from China are then acculturated with the indigenous people of South Sulawesi. Tana word means the country, while the word from two words namely Toraja tau (person) and Maraya (large or the nobility). Then the words merge and has meaningful places for Toraja tribe known as Tana Toraja.

Tongkonan is central to the social life of the Toraja. Rituals associated with tongkonan very important in their spiritual lives. Therefore, all family members are required to participate as a symbol of their relationship with the ancestors.

Tongkonan Toraja people consider home as mothers, whereas grass sura (granary) as the father. Tongkonan works for residential, social activities, ceremonies, and foster kinship. The interior of the house is divided into three parts, namely the northern, central, and south. The room in the north called tangalok that serves as the living room, where the children slept, as well as a place to put offerings. Smoking south called Sumbung, a room for the head of the family but it is also considered as a source of disease. Sali called the center of the room that serves as a dining room, meeting room, kitchen, and a place to put people to death.

The bodies of the dead people buried Toraja indirect but kept at tongkonan. So that it does not smell and rotting corpse was embalmed with the traditional ingredients made from betel leaves and banana juice. Before the funeral, the bodies are regarded as 'sick' and will be stored in a special container. Toraja traditional coffin shaped called buffalo (male) and pigs (female). As for royalty shaped custom home. Before the funeral, the body is also stored in the grass first sura (granary) for 3 days.

The barns are poles made from palm tree trunks (Bangah) are slippery, so mice can not climb into the barn. At the front of the barn there is a variety of carvings, including a picture of chicken and sun which is a symbol to complete the case.

When you see this custom home, there are other features that stand out the buffalo head stuck in front of the house and the horns of the buffalo on the main mast in front of every house. The number of heads of buffalo horn line up from top to bottom and shows the high degree of family inhabiting the house. On the left side of the house facing west mounted jaw ever slaughtered buffalo. On the right side facing eastwards mounted jaw pig.

Buffalo horn ornaments in front tongkonan symbolizes economic capacity as the owner of the funeral home family members. Each ceremony in Toraja buffalo sacrifice like funeral will in large numbers. Buffalo horn and placed on family-owned tongkonan concerned. The more horns mounted on the front tongkonan the higher social status of the family.

Tongkonan home ornament in the form of a buffalo horn and the four primary colors are: black, red, yellow, and white which represent genuine belief Toraja (Aluk To Dolo). Each color used symbolize different things. The black color symbolizes death and darkness. Yellow is a symbol of grace and divine power. Red is the color that symbolizes the blood of human life. And white is the color of flesh and bone that is holy.

The Uniqueness of Karinding

Karinding is a unique Sundanese traditional music instrument in Indonesia. The form is simple, made from dry palm tree (Kawung), or a bamboo splinter approximately 10cm x 2cm. Shakes alluring tone caused by Karinding relies on the ability to process flavors. In antiquity, vibrating tone is used as a decoy Karinding liver taste sensitivity is required to play this instrument, Karinding not have a permanent tones like piano, high-low tone is determined by the ability to process Karinding echo sound vibrations in the oral cavity.

This instrument consists of three sections. Vibration effects arising from the middle section of the cut. To ring, these instruments are held to the mouth, then hit one end with your fingers. Blow on the bar bending vibrations will produce sound.

Vibration will be deposited in the oral cavity that serves such a resonator or container echo. Notching the oral cavity will set a tone desired vibration. These tones can be made louder sound with the help of a bamboo tube.

There are two kinds of Karinding, namely Karinding Lanang and Karinding Wadon. Karinding Lanang made of palm tree (Kawung) speak louder, Karinding is usually played by a man. Karinding Wadon made of bamboo splinter and produce sound instead. Aside from being a musical instrument, Karinding is also commonly used as a hairpin.

Karinding musical instrument well known in public life in Tatar Sunda since the 15th century. In Sundanese, mention Karinding also refer Kakarindingan, which is a kind of insect shrill that live in the water field. Sound of the instrument is similar to the sound Karinding imagined insects.

In antiquity Karinding inseparable from the life of Sundanese people. The instrument is always carry-one and played to dispel the boredom when in lading. In addition to the entertainment, resonance Karinding sound is also used as a repellent insect. Karinding also be interpreted as a means of communication. This instrument is usually played by a man to conquer hearts. Sounds of Karinding is a typical appeal, because it will be the same on each man because it depends on the structure of one's oral cavity

The current Karinding art can only be found in a number of areas in Priangan, among others, at District Cineam, Tasikmalaya Region. A number of artists in the tradition is still faithfully maintained Karinding arts, among others Oyon Noraharjo and Yoyo Yogasmara. Efforts to popularize Karinding among young people also do group Karinding Attack. This group combines trill Karinding with electric music to get the impression of a modern futuristic.

Mandau: Dayak Traditional Weapon

Dayak tribe is a tribe who lived and settled on the island of Kalimantan Indonesia. It is said, the Dayak tribe is considered a native of the Kalimantan island. Telling about the Dayak tribe, we must also speak about a Mandau (a kind of knife), the Dayak traditional weapons. First, Mandau only be used as a weapon of war against the enemy. Mandau also believed to have sanctity. Dayak tribe believes, Mandau can give honor to the owner.

There are two kinds of Mandau.  First for war or special ritual, and second Mandau for ornaments and displayed on the wall. The last one is said the original Mandau that believed to have a magical powers. When it is used for war, this weapon can give magical powers to the owner. In fact, Mandau is also believed to make the owner to be immune against the enemy.

The shape of Mandau  relatively similar with machetes and iron. While the upstream or the handle is made of wood. There are also upper made of buffalo horns or antlers. Typically, Hornbill bird-shaped carvings, one bird species in Kalimantan became it’s trademark.

    

Sasando

Sasando is one of Indonesian traditional stringed musical instrument. This musical instrument comes from Rote Island, East Nusa Tenggara. According to the origin of the name Sasando come from the local language Rote, Sasandu, which means tools that vibrate or beep. Sasando purportedly used in the community Rote since the 7th century. Sasando shape similarity with other stringed instruments such as guitar, violin and harp.

The main part of long tubular sasando commonly made of bamboo. Then in the middle, from top to bottom circular given lump-lump where the strings that stretched across the tube, from the top to bottom rests. The wedge gives different tone to each passage strings. Then the tube was placed sasando in a container made from a kind of woven palm leaves made out like a fan. This container is a resonance sasando.

How to play sasando is plucked like a guitar. But sasando not have chord (key) and the strings should be picked up with two hands, so it is more like a harp. Until now almost all of the materials used to make sasando is original material, except the strings.

In fact, not many people are able to play this instrument. Old people are always proud to play sasando for their children or in traditional ceremonies, complete with Tilangga hats, clothing and traditional dances. Meanwhile, the younger generation in West Nusa Tenggara is not much interested to learn this instrument.

Ebeg Dance

Ebeg is one of traditional dance that developed in the region of Banyumas Indonesia. It is known as Kuda Lumping Dance, and Jathilan dance in Yogyakarta Indonesia, also called Reog dance in East Java. But now I am trying to write the Ebeg dance. In Banyumas region, this dance uses  bamboo shaped like a horse black or white and rattles. Dancers wore pants coated fabric (batik) at the knees and black glasses, wearing a crown and Sumping ears. In both wrist and ankle bracelets rattle fitted so that the movement of the hands and feet ebeg dancers are always accompanied by the sound of rattles.

The Ebeg Dance Performance

The number of dancers ebeg consist of 8 men or more, two-stretchy penthul role, a role as a leader or mastermind, 7 people again as gamelan, so one ebeg group consisting of 16 people or more. All dancers use a tool-stretchy penthul ebeg while wearing a mask. Ebeg dances including the type of mass dance, performances require a fairly broad performances such as a field or court or wide yard. The show time is generally during the day with a duration of between 1-4 hours.

The music equipment for the Ebeg dance called Gendhing, consist of drums, saron, kenong, gongs and trumpets. In addition to equipment Gendhing and dance, there is also ubarampe (offerings) that must be supplied in the form of flowers, plantain and banana, coconut (dewegan), and traditional snacks.  To accompany the dance have always used songs Banyumasan rhythms like ricik-ricik, gudril, blendrong, eling -eling, and others.

There is something unique during the dance performances. The players used to eat broken glass (glass) or other sharp objects, peeling coconuts with his teeth, eat rice from the stalk, dhedek (bran), fire, etc.. thus demonstrating robustness (Knight), as well as players who riding the horse.

About The Asmat Tribe

Homes of Asmat Tribe

Asmat is the name of the largest tribe  in Papua, Irian Jaya, Indonesia. One of the things that made the Asmat tribe well known is the result of traditional wood carving is very typical. Some ornaments or motifs that are often used, and the main theme in the process of sculpting a statue made by the Asmat tribe is the theme of the ancestors of their tribe, commonly called mbis. And also often found ornaments or other motif that resembles a boat or wuramon, which they believe to be a symbol of the boat that brought the spirit of their ancestors in the underworld. For the Asmat tribe of natives, wood carving more than a manifestation of the way they perform rituals to commemorate the souls of the ancestors.

Asmat tribe spread out and inhabit the sea around the coast and the mountains Arafuru Jayawijaya, with a fairly heavy considering the terrain occupied area is wilderness, in the life of the Asmat, a stone that we usually see on the streets was very valuable to them. In fact, the stones can be used as a dowry. All of that is because the places that set up a live Asmat swamps making it very difficult to find stones street which is very useful for them to make axes, hammers, and so on.

Asmat population in general have distinctive physical characteristics, black and curly-haired. Her body is quite high. The average height of the Asmat women around 162cm and height 172cm men reach.

One of The Asmat Craft

One thing that enviable lifestyle of indigenous tribes Asmat, they feel as  a part of nature, that is why they are very respectful and keep the natural surroundings, in fact, around the tree of life where they are considered to be a picture of himself. The trunk describe arms, head pieces depict and describe the roots of their feet

Asmat people daily work surrounding environment, especially for foraging, hunting and gardening, which is still using the traditional method and simple enough. Asmat cuisine unlike our cuisine. Special dishes for them is sago worm. But everyday they just grilling fish or meat of animals hunted.