A balairung is a village hall of the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It has a similar architectural form to the rumah gadang , the domestic architecture of the Minangkabau people. Whereas a rumah gadang is a proper building, the balairung is a pavilion-like structure used solely for holding a consensus decision-making process in the Minang society.
According to the Minangkabau Dictionary, a balairung is a building where a decision-making consensus is held, led by the chief (penghulu) of the adat society (ninik mamak). Balairung is derived from the words balai ("pavilion") and rung ("building"), referring to the traditional pavilion-like wooden architecture of the building. [1]
The term balairung has been incorporated into the Indonesian language in general. The Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language defines the balairung as a balai ("pavilion") or a large pendapa where the king meets with his people (bangsal kencana is the Yogyakarta-Surakarta equivalent). In modern times, any kind of hall was named balairung, e.g., the balairung building of the University of Indonesia, which is the main hall of the university and the largest building in the campus. [2]
A balairung has the same form as a rumah gadang , employing a dramatic curved roof structure with multi-tiered, upswept gables. Similar to the rumah gadang, balairung is designed as a raised stage house, supported by posts. [3] and its walls (if they exist) are similarly decorated with carvings of painted floral patterns.
The main difference between a balairung and a rumah gadang is that the layout of the interior is not divided into rooms; instead, it is designed as one room as a whole used for a communal function. Consequently, a balairung lacks panels for the door and shutters for the windows. Many balairungs do not have a wall at all. [4] With no wall, more people can join the meeting from the outside of the balairung. [4] Access to a balairung is provided by a single portal in the middle of the building, linked to the ground with a staircase. [3]
A balairung may be built with an anjung, a kind of raised platform at the two ends of the balairung building. This raised platform is where the penghulu pucuak should be seated. [4] Some balairungs are built with the floor situated at the same level, lacking the anjung. In other types of balairung, such as the balairung koto piliang, the middle part of the building contains no floor, allowing the horse of the penghulu to pass through. The part where the floor disappears is known as labuan gajah. [4]
The balairung is a wooden building where the group of chiefs, or penghulu, collected under the name of ninik mamak, leading a meeting to solve village affairs. According to its function, a balairung can be divided into two types: the balai saruang and the balai pasujian. A balai saruang is used to hold meetings which resolve disputes or give punishment to a person. The balai pasujian (a pavilion to prepare) is a platform where a mutual consultation is held before implementing new laws in the village. [5]
A balairung can only be built in a village that has already received the nagari status (administrative village). Therefore, the balairung acts as a kind of town hall for the village. [4]
Minangkabau people, also known as Minang, are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra, Indonesia. The Minangkabau's West Sumatera homelands was the seat of the Pagaruyung Kingdom, believed by early historians to have been the cradle of the Malay race, and the location of the Padri War.
Malay houses refer to the vernacular dwellings of the Malays, an ethno-linguistic group inhabiting Sumatra, coastal Borneo and the Malay Peninsula.
Rumah Gadang or Rumah Bagonjong "house for the Minangkabau people" are the traditional homes of the Minangkabau in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The architecture, construction, internal and external decoration, and the functions of the house reflect the culture and values of the Minangkabau. A Rumah Gadang serves as a residence, a hall for family meetings, and for ceremonial activities. In the matrilineal Minangkabau society, the Rumah Gadang is owned by the women of the family who live there; ownership is passed from mother to daughter.
The architecture of Indonesia reflects the diversity of cultural, historical, and geographic influences that have shaped Indonesia as a whole. Invaders, colonizers, missionaries, merchants, and traders brought cultural changes that had a profound effect on building styles and techniques.
The Batin are a sub-group of Malay people that inhabits the interior parts of Jambi province
Pagaruyung Palace is the istana of the former Pagaruyung Kingdom, located in Tanjung Emas subdistrict near Batusangkar town, Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra, Indonesia. It was built in the traditional Minangkabau Rumah Gadang vernacular architectural style but had several atypical elements including a three-story structure and a larger dimension in comparison to common rumah gadang.
Belimbing is a small village in the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is famous for its outstanding collection of vernacular architecture, including what is thought to be the oldest surviving example of a rumah gadang tuo, the traditional house of the Minangkabau people. The town is located on a back road between the market town of Batu Sangkar and Lake Singkarak.
Rumah adat are traditional houses built in any of the vernacular architecture styles of Indonesia, collectively belonging to the Austronesian architecture. The traditional houses and settlements of the several hundreds ethnic groups of Indonesia are extremely varied and all have their own specific history. It is the Indonesian variants of the whole Austronesian architecture found all over places where Austronesian people inhabited from the Pacific to Madagascar each having their own history, culture and style.
Gorontalo people, also known as Gorontalese, are a native ethnic group and the most populous ethnicity in the northern part of Sulawesi. The Gorontalo people have traditionally been concentrated in the provinces of Gorontalo, North Sulawesi, and the northern part of Central Sulawesi.
Rangkiang is a granary or rice barn that the Minangkabau people used to keep rice in. The rangkiang is a distinctive feature of Minangkabau architecture. The structure is traditionally found in the courtyard of a rumah gadang, the traditional house of Minangkabau people.
Dr. Abubakar Jaar was a civil servant and lawyer for the Dutch East Indies. After the independence of Indonesia, he was mayor of Padang and resident of North Sumatra replacing Luat Siregar and resident of West Sumatra.
A wantilan is a Balinese pavilion (bale) used for activities involving large crowds. A wantilan is the largest type of bale in Balinese architecture. A wantilan is basically a large wall-less hall placed under a large multi-tiered roof. A wantilan as a public building is usually located at a village's main square or main junction and functions as an open hall to hold large community activities such as meeting halls or a public musical gamelan performance. A wantilan is also a religious building, an integral part of Balinese temples used to hold the Balinese cockfighting ceremony.
Rao Rao Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia located in Nagari Rao Rao, Tarab River, Tanah Datar Regency, West Sumatra. It is located on the road from Batusangkar bound to Bukittinggi, precisely in Rao Rao. This mosque of Minangkabau and Persian architecture was built in 1908 with a roof made from fibers before being changed to zinc.
Willem Hendrik de Greve was a Dutch geologist. He was known for his discovery of the coal mine in Sawahlunto, Dutch East Indies.
Islam in Central Sulawesi, a province of Indonesia, is the majority religion embraced by around 75% of the province's 2,683,722 inhabitants . The propagators of Islam were thought to enter Central Sulawesi through neighboring regions, namely Bone, Wajo, and Mandar from the south and west routes, and through Gorontalo and Ternate from the north and east routes via Tomini Bay and Tolo Bay.
Huriah Adam was a famous dance artist from West Sumatra.
Duku Station (DUK) is a railway station located in Kasang, Batang Anai, Padang Pariaman Regency, West Sumatra. The station, which is located at an altitude of +7m, is included in the Regional Division II West Sumatra. To the northeast from line 1 of this station there is a new branch to Minangkabau International Airport which has been operating since 2018.
Minangkabau culture is the culture of the Minangkabau ethnic group in Indonesia, part of the Indonesian culture. This culture is one of the two major cultures in the Indonesian archipelago which is very prominent and influential.
Marawa is a tricolour flag that consists of three vertical charts that feature the colours of the Minangkabau culture: black, red, and gold. It is not known for sure when this flag was first used, but it was officially adopted as the flag of the Pagaruyung Kingdom since its founding in 1347. This flag was also adopted by other kingdoms of the Minangkabau rantau such as the Inderapura Kingdom. A derivative of the flag is also currently used by Negeri Sembilan, a state in Malaysia with historical and cultural connections with the kingdom.
Rumah Panggung is one type of traditional Betawi house whose floor is raised from the ground using wooden poles. This house is different from a Rumah Darat that sticks to the ground. Betawi houses on stilts are built in coastal areas with the aim of dealing with floods or tides. Meanwhile, stilt houses located on the banks of rivers such as in Bekasi are not only built to avoid flooding, but also for safety from wild animals.
