Jambi traditional house – Sinaumed’s, what do you know about Jambi? As one of the provinces in Indonesia, Jambi certainly has cultural roots in social life. The life of the population that has been going on for a long time will shape the culture and traditions in Jambi.
This time we will review a small part of Jambi, namely the Jambi traditional house. Like other regional traditional houses, Jambi traditional houses also have certain uniqueness and philosophies. What kind of Jambi culture is reflected in the traditional house? Come on Sinaumed’s, let’s look at the reviews below together.
As one of the ten provinces on the island of Sumatra, Jambi certainly has its own culture and uniqueness. Jambi is a province whose capital, Jambi, has the same name as Bengkulu, DKI Jakarta, DI Yogyakarta, and Gorontalo.
When compared to the neighboring provinces, namely West Sumatra, South Sumatra and Riau, Jambi’s area is relatively small. With an area of 50,160.05 km2, Jambi is populated by around 3,548,228 residents. The northern part of Jambi Province is bordered by West Sumatra and Riau. While the southern part is bordered by Bengkulu and South Sumatra.
In terms of natural resources, Jambi is one of the largest areca nut producers in Indonesia. Apart from DI Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Riau, Jambi is Indonesia’s pillar in exporting areca nut to the international world. At the end of 2020, 28,255 hectares of areca palm land in Jambi managed to contribute 60 thousand tonnes of areca nut worth 1.1 trillion rupiah. From January to September 2021, Jambi managed to record 67 thousand tons of areca nut worth 1.7 trillion rupiah.
Fable 34 Provinces: Jambi – The Tiger Eats Durian
For Jambi residents, you can meet the native Jambi, Jambi Malay, Batin, Kerinci, and Kubu tribes. The Batin tribe is also known as the Penghulu tribe and the Move tribe. This tribe is still allied with Minangkabau. Many of them live in Bungo, Merangin, Tebo, and Sarolangun districts. They were originally a Malay tribe who inhabited the interior areas, especially the mountains of Jambi.
The Kubu tribe itself is often called the Anak Dalam tribe. This mention is attributed to those who live in the lowland forests of the central part of Sumatra, especially Jambi. Because the Kubu tribe lives in the area, they are also nicknamed the Anak Dalam.
While many Kerinci tribes occupy the Kerinci area and its surroundings. The customs, culture and language of the Kerinci tribe are still allied with or close to the Minangkabau tribe. Therefore, it is not surprising that there are many similarities between the two.
This ethnic diversity will certainly produce a diverse culture in Jambi. From all kinds of cultural forms will produce diverse works.
Variety of Jambi Traditional Houses and Their Meanings
Many traditional houses in Indonesia have the concept of a stilt house. The choice of this concept is not without reason and careful consideration. This concept aims to keep the occupants of the house safe from disturbance by wild animals and floods as well as to act as cattle pens. This is adapted to the natural conditions of Indonesia, which used to be filled with forests.
Below is an in-depth explanation of the Jambi traditional house:
1. The Kajang Lako Traditional House
Story
The most famous Jambi traditional house is the Kajang Lako traditional house. This traditional house is a traditional house founded by the Inner Tribe. This tribe is known to have a strong stance to maintain their customs that have been passed down from generation to generation. Even this old building is still inhabited and its beauty can be enjoyed by the Inner Tribe to this day.
Syahdan, there used to be a group of approximately 60 tumbi (families) who moved from their place of origin (Koto Rayo). The people who belong to 60 families are the forerunners of the Marga Batin V which is divided into five hamlets. The five hamlets are Seling Hamlet, Tanjung Muara Semayo, Kapuk Hamlet, Muara Jernih Hamlet, and Pulau Aro Hamlet which are in the same sub-district, namely Tabir District, Rantau Panjang, Sarolangun Bangko Regency.
Shape and Roof
The house of this tribe is called Rumah Kajang Lako or Rumah Lako. When viewed from the side, the shape of the ridge of this traditional house resembles a boat, the top of which is curved and then tapered at both ends. In a way, the roof is similar to an overturned boat.
This connection is commonly referred to as the “Drunk Elephant”. The name is adapted to the name of the person who made and designed it. It is said that the maker of the house was intoxicated with love for someone who had stolen his heart. Unfortunately a thousand dear, his parents did not approve of that love. People think the maker was “drunk” because he was mistaken for an “overturned boat”.
This ridge form is also often called folding kajang or cut jerambah. The roof is made of palm fiber or mengkuang which is woven from one another and then folded in half. Since it is made from natural materials, making this house takes a long time. However, in today’s era, the use of palm fiber is very rare so that traditional houses that still exist generally have ordinary tiled roofs.
If you look at it from the side, the roof of this house looks like a triangle. The purpose of this model is for easy rain to fall, good air circulation, and as a place to store goods.
At the end of the roof, you can find Rafter Shape. With a length of 60 cm and the same width as the length of the ridge, the rafters of this shape are made with the aim of blocking rainwater from entering the house. Rafters of this form are installed on the front and rear of the house in an inclined position. With a design like this, rainwater ingress can be minimized optimally.
House Agency
Like other traditional houses, this traditional house is made of boards. This house has three types of doors, which are upright doors, masinding or wall doors, and transverse back doors. Each door has a function.
In order to enter the house, you can go through the upright door. This door is located at the far left of the building. The height of the vertical door is intentionally set low so that everyone who enters it bows their head as a sign of respect to the home owner.
The next door is masinding. This door is located in the living room and serves as the window of the house. Through this door, you can see under the house, ventilate when a traditional event is taking place, and so that people below can see from a distance whether the traditional event has started or not.
The next door is a transverse back door. This door is a window that is behind the transverse pillar. This door may only be used by certain people, namely house owners, traditional leaders, religious scholars, scholars, and ninik-mamak. Apart from these people, it is forbidden to pass through.
Overall, the house is 12 meters long and 9 meters wide. The shape is in the form of a rectangle whose number is four. This form is to facilitate the arrangement of rooms that are adapted to their respective functions.
Not only that, Islamic teachings which have become part of the Jambi Malay culture also influence the spatial arrangement of this house. Islamic teachings regulate the relationship between men and women who are not related by family (mahram). The arrangement of the rooms in the house does not allow the girls to meet outside men who are not residents of the house.
Room
Like houses in general, the Kajang Lako traditional house consists of several rooms, namely:
a. Slow Room
This room is located to the left of the building and functions as a living room. The floor is made of split bamboo which has undergone a preservation process. Between the bamboo is given a little distance so that water can flow under it.
b. Gaho Room
This room is located on the left side of the building which has an elongated direction. The function of this room is to store goods, kitchen and water storage.
c. Masinding Room
This room is at the front of the house. The function of this room is to receive guests. Then what’s the difference with the space slowdown. This masinding room can be in the form of an additional porch or terrace as a place to wait for guests who have not been invited to enter. It is also possible that guests who are received in this room are regular guests and only male guests are allowed in this room.
d. The Back Room Holds
This room is the inner porch of the house which consists of several more rooms. Inside there is a dining room, parents’ bedroom, and daughter’s bedroom.
e. Living room
This room is a room used for organizing traditional events or festivities. Generally this room may only be used by women.
f. Penteh Room
This room is located on top of the building and functions as a storage area for goods. This room with the room of the house building is separated by a ceiling.
g. Bauman Room
This room is located under a building that has no floor. Usually this room is used for cooking when there are traditional events, parties, thanksgiving, and others.
h. Transverse Back Room
This room is the main room in the Kajang Lako traditional house. It is located at the right end of the building and faces the living room and the masinding room. The floor in this room is generally higher than the other rooms. Only certain people are allowed in it, such as house owners, religious leaders, traditional leaders, scholars, and ninik-mamak.
Decoration and Carving
The Kajang Leko house is decorated with various decorations in the form of carvings on the doors, fences, windows, walls and roof to beautify its appearance. In general, the carved decorations on this house are in the form of flora and fauna.
The floral motifs that are often found are orange bungo, cape flowers, mangosteen caps, and many other plants that thrive in Jambi. While the floral motifs are often in the form of fish because many Jambi residents work as fishermen.
Jambi Culinary: Tracing Malay Traces, Savory Permeates
2. Tuo’s House
Who would have thought that Jambi had experienced a crisis of self-identity? At that time, Jambi was experiencing anxiety over how to determine their identity as a province. Until the 1970s, the governor of Jambi held a contest of Jambi Nine Lurah.
The competition was held to determine what kind of traditional house could represent Jambi’s customs and culture. This has an impact on the enthusiasm of the people of Jambi to start a new lifestyle. If in most areas traditional houses are increasingly rare with modern life, the Jami people are actually enjoying this euphoria more and more by building houses with traditional architecture.
You can prove this by looking at the Jambi Governor’s Office complex in Telanaipura, Jambi City. The traditional house is right next to the governor’s office building. This traditional house has many pillars, is black in color, and is equipped with crossed goat horns at the ends of the roof.
The house is the work of an architect who won this competition. The house is adapted from an original house that is more than 600 years old. The traditional house is in Jambi’s oldest settlement. Within the settlement, there are hundreds of similar houses.
For a house that is 600 years old, there are about sixty of them. While other houses are younger. This settlement is located in Kampung Baru Hamlet, Rantau Panjang Village, Tabu District, Merangin District, Jambi.
Traveling to Rantau Panjang feels like going back in time. Because the nuance says so. Plus old rubber plantations and hills that you have to go through if you go to the area.
Until now, local people still use the house as a place to live. This is of course very amazing because the people there still respect the traditional house which is the legacy of their ancestors.
Tuo’s house is synonymous with ancient Malay customs. Inside the house one can feel the relationship between humans in a nuclear family, extended family, and community. You can also feel respect for the nini mamak, living well in the family, guaranteed protection for children, and harmonious social life in society. In that house a civilized and ethical way of life is highly respected.
Among these houses, the oldest house is the Tuo House owned by Umar Amra (who is the 13th descendant of Undup Pinang Masak. Umar Amra is one of the Old Malay nobles who migrated from Kuto Rayo, Tabir.
Amazingly, even though it has been 600 years old, the house still looks sturdy. The pillars and the frame are made of kulim wood. According to the narrative of the current owner, this house was built in mutual cooperation by 19 families who also migrated from Kuto Rayo. When one house has been completed, the 19 families will work on another new house. And so on until the completion of 19 houses, according to the number of families present.
The ancestors agreed that this house was built by erecting twenty piles. At first the roof of this house was made of thatch leaves, but now the roof has been replaced with corrugated iron. Under the house can be used as a storage place for firewood for cooking, as a pen for livestock, and to protect the occupants of the house from attacks by wild animals.
Their ancestors were very careful. So that manners and ethics are regulated through window arrangements. One that is arranged through the window is the subject matter of guests. For male guests who are still single, they are only allowed to visit up to the window on the right side. Thus, he is only allowed to sit closest to the entrance. More than that is not allowed.
Guests who are allowed to go deeper into the second window are single male guests who come from large families, alias those who have family ties with the owner of the house. Then those who are allowed to enter the deeper parts of the house are married men and women.