Rumah ulu

Last updated
A sketch of the rumah Ulu of the Uluan people of South Sumatra displayed in the Balaputradeva Museum. Rumah ulu.jpg
A sketch of the rumah Ulu of the Uluan people of South Sumatra displayed in the Balaputradeva Museum.

Rumah ulu is a vernacular house found in the highland of South Sumatra, Indonesia. The house is associated with the Uluan people who reside in the region of the upstream of the Ogan and Musi River.

Contents

Distribution

Rumah ulu is a traditional house of people living in the upstream of Musi River, South Sumatra. The name ulu is derived from the word uluan, which means "upstream". The term is also used as a generalization to rural inhabitants of the mountain range of the Central Bukit Barisan in the upstream of the River. The current province of South Sumatra encompasses only a small part of the former administrative region of South Sumatra (the present Sumbagsel or Southern Region of Sumatra), consisting of the provinces of Bengkulu, Jambi, Lampung, and South Sumatra proper (the former Palembang Sultanate). [1]

With modernity, less and less rumah ulu can be found in the hinterland. No new ulu house have been constructed since the 1920s. [2] A 200 years old ulu house is kept in the Balaputradeva Museum. The rumah ulu in the museum was taken from Asamkelat Village in Pengandonan Subdistrict of Ogan Komering Ulu Regency. [3] A couple of old and large rumah ulu can still be found near Baturaja, although without conservation status, these too may be destroyed.

Architecture

Rumah ulu evolved from an older type of houses known as the rumah uluan, the most basic form of rumah ulu. Rumah uluan is basically a type of wooden stage house, typical vernacular architecture in the Nusantara archipelago. [2]

Rumah uluan was built over very thick wooden posts (tiang duduk/kong), usually numbered six to nine. The posts are about 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) high. A strong hardwood e.g. ulin is used for the posts. [3] The posts are not sunk into the ground, but stand over a flat river stone. [2]

The proper house (dalam) has a square layout. [3] Construction method for the house involves placing a complete frame of the house on top of the posts. The layout is simple, with space divided into two different levels by a 15 centimetres (5.9 in)-high dividing beam (sengkar). The lower area (tempuan), about two-thirds of the total floor area, is where the entrance is located. The lower space is used to prepare and to consume food, with the hearth placed in one corner. In a larger house, the kitchen is located in an additional building known as the beruge. The higher one-third floor area (luan) marks the more private sleeping area. This higher area is also used as the place where elders, or members of the bridge-giving lineage, were seated. The word luan means "stern" of a boat. [2]

Rumah uluan's roof is characterized with projecting gables and rafters which rest on flying roof plates. The construction technique is similar with the Toba Batak houses. [2]

The degree of decorations indicates the wealth of the house owners. Relief carvings (tatahan) are found in places e.g. on the studs and beams of the frame. Frequent motifs are floral e.g., bunge bulan (moonflower) or kembang matahari (sunflower), usually carved on door and the outside of the luan wall. [2]

Interior

The interior of rumah ulu is divided into three parts namely the front room, the middle room, and the back room. These three spaces are further divided into rooms e.g. the living room (garang or lintut); the resting room (haluan/luan and kakudan); the elder room (ruang gedongan or ambin), and ruangan dapur (kitchen). [4] [3]

The living room (garang or lintut) is the place where the homeowner can have a chat in the afternoon after doing a work routine. The resting room is divided into a male resting space (haluan) and a female resting space (kakudan). The elder room (ruang gedongan or ambin) is the most central part of the rumah ulu and is located on the highest platform in the house. This room is used for the eldest of the family to give counsel or share wisdom in the form of stories to the children and the grandchildren. [4] [3]

Ulu village

The hierarchy of space of the uluan is defined by a rule known as the ulu-ulak (ilir) system. In village organization, if a new younger member of the family is planning to build a new house, the house must always be situated on the downstream side of the older house. This results in a clear village organization where the oldest house in the village is always located on the upstream side. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palembang</span> City and capital of South Sumatra, Indonesia

Palembang is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers 400.61 square kilometres on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palembang is the second most populous city in Sumatra, after Medan, and the ninth most populous city in Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Sumatra</span> Province of Indonesia

South Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southeast of the island of Sumatra, The province spans 91,592.43 km2 (35,364 sq mi) and had a population of 8,467,432 at the 2020 Census. The capital of the province is Palembang. The province borders the provinces of Jambi to the north, Bengkulu to the west and Lampung to the south. The Bangka Strait in the east separates South Sumatra and the island of Bangka, which is part of the Bangka Belitung Islands province. This province is rich in natural resources, such as petroleum, natural gas and coal. The province is inhabited by many different ethnic groups, with Palembang people the largest ethnic group. Most speak Palembang language, which is mutually unintelligible to both Indonesian and local Malay. Other ethnic groups include the Javanese, Sundanese, Minangkabau and Chinese. Most are concentrated in urban areas and are largely immigrants from other parts of Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rumah Gadang</span> Traditional homes of the Minangkabau in Sumatra, Indonesia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sriwijaya University</span> University in Indonesia

Sriwijaya University is a research, teaching and learning center which has contributed significantly in the development and advancement of sciences, technologies, arts and cultures. Being one of the major state universities in Indonesia, Sriwijaya University's initial campus is located in Palembang, the capital of South Sumatera Province, and the second campus is located in Indralaya, Ogan Ilir Regency approximately 32 km away from Palembang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogan Komering Ilir Regency</span> Regency in South Sumatra

Ogan Komering Ilir Regency is a regency of South Sumatra Province, Indonesia. It takes its name from the Ogan River and the Komering River, which are the two main rivers that drain the area. The name Ilir means downstream. The administrative centre is the town of Kayu Agung. The regency borders Palembang, Ogan Ilir Regency and Banyuasin Regency to the north, Bangka Strait, and Java Sea to the east, Lampung Province to the south, and Ogan Ilir Regency, and East Ogan Komering Ulu Regency to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogan Ilir Regency</span> Regency in South Sumatra

Ogan Ilir Regency is a regency of South Sumatra Province, Indonesia. It takes its name from the main river which stream that area, Ogan River. And the name Ilir means downstream. Indralaya is the regency seat. The regency borders Palembang, and Muara Enim Regency to the north, Ogan Komering Ilir Regency to the east, Ogan Komering Ilir Regency, and East Ogan Komering Ulu Regency to the south, and Muara Enim Regency to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baturaja</span> Town in South Sumatra, Indonesia

Baturaja is a town and the administrative capital of Ogan Komering Ulu Regency in South Sumatra, Indonesia. It has an area of 235.27 square kilometres and a population of 142,099 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolon house</span>

A bolon house is a Northern Sumatra traditional house in Indonesia. Bolon houses are also tourist objects in Northern Sumatra. Bolon houses are made with wood. The house floor is made with boards. The roof is made with rumbia leaves. Bolon houses have no individual rooms, but the space inside is divided. There is space for the house leader, for family meetings, for daughters that have married but have no house of their own, and for the oldest son that has already married. This space is influenced by Batak culture. In ancient times, bolon houses used to be the place where 13 kings of Batak live. Today, only a few bolon houses can be found in North Sumatra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rangkiang</span>

Rangkiang is a granary or rice barn of the Minangkabau people used to keep rice. 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.

Palembang is the capital city of South Sumatra province of Indonesia. Currently, this city the oldest existing city in Indonesia, dates back to 7th century. Palembang was once the capital city of Srivijaya, a Malay kingdom which ruled parts of the western archipelago and controlled maritime trade routes especially in the Strait of Malacca. Palembang incorporated into Dutch East Indies in 1825 after the abolishment of Palembang Sultanate. Palembang is chartered as a city on 1 April 1906. Palembang today is the second largest city in Sumatra and the ninth largest city in Indonesia. The city has become host of several international events, including 2011 Southeast Asian Games and 2018 Asian Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rejang people</span> Ethnic people in Indonesia

Rejang people are an Austronesian ethnolinguistic group, native to the some parts of Bengkulu Province and South Sumatera Province in the southwestern part of Sumatera Island, Indonesia. They occupied some area in a cool mountain slopes of the Barisan mountain range in both sides of Bengkulu and South Sumatra. With approximately more than 1,3 million people, they form the largest ethnic group in Bengkulu Province. Rejang people predominantly live as a majority in 5 out 10 regencies and city of Bengkulu Province, while the rest of them who lives in South Sumatera resides at 7 villages in the district called as Bermani Ulu Rawas. The Rejangs are predominantly an Islam adherent group with small numbers following a religion other than Islam. According to research, Rejang people are the descendants of the Bukar-Sadong people who migrated from Northern Borneo (Sarawak).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bingkudu Mosque</span> Mosque in Indonesia

The Bingkudu Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia, which was founded by the Padri in the wake of the Padri War in West Sumatra in 1823. This mosque with the typical Minangkabau style architecture is located in Jorong Bingkudu, Nagari Canduang Koto Laweh, Canduang District, Agam Regency, West Sumatra. When it was first built, the building of the mosque was made of wood, on its floor, pole, and its wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koto Baru Grand Mosque</span> Mosque in Indonesia

Koto Baru Grand Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia located in Koto Baru Nagari, Sungai Pagu District, South Solok Regency, West Sumatra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herman Deru</span> Indonesian politician

Herman Deru is an Indonesian politician who is the governor of South Sumatra and formerly Regent of East Ogan Komering Ulu.

This is a list of emblems or coat of arms used in Indonesia. Indonesia is divided into 37 provinces, and each province is divided into regencies (kabupaten) and cities (kota). There are 416 regencies and 98 cities. Each province, regency, and city has its own emblem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palembang metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan area in South Sumatra, Indonesia

The Palembang metropolitan area, known locally as Patungraya Agung, is a metropolitan area in South Sumatra, Indonesia. It encompasses Palembang as the core city and parts of the three surrounding regencies: Banyuasin Regency, Ogan Ilir Regency, and Ogan Komering Ilir Regency. It is the second-largest metropolitan area in Sumatra with an estimated population of 2.5 million.

Chalik Effendi was an Indonesian politician who was mayor of Bengkulu between 2002 and 2007.

References

  1. Barendregt 2004, pp. 100–2.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Barendregt 2004, p. 102.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Ahmad Ibo 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Sukanti, Zulbiati & Emawati 1993.

Cited works