The Transformation of Form and Discourse of Identity in

Sumbanese Houses and Settlements

Mirzadelya Devanastya1,*
1
Department of Architecture and Building Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Tohoku, Japan
*
Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

ABSTRACT
In the traditional settlement of Sumba island, the local community transforms the architecture based on their
constantly shifting needs. The houses undergo a series of transformations in the interior spaces as well as exterior
in both architectural form and implemented building materials. The easy access of factory-produced prefabricated
materials substitutes the increasingly scarce nature sourced one. Growing family members force the occupant to
modify the existing spatial configuration and function, such as transforming the semi-public veranda into a private
bedroom area. On the other hand, cultural and religious transformation forced the removal of the sacred inner hearth,
diminishing the ceremonial and cooking capabilities inside the house. This creates phenomena of secondary
structure act as the external kitchen as well as creating extension space for the occupants. This paper attempts to
clarify the flexibility of space and the significance of identity in Sumbanese settlement as well as the methodology
used by the people in transforming the space in both the micro and macro spectrum. Through the comparison of six
observed villages, the difference in the transformation process and pattern of each region can be identified. The
transformation and the implication to identity shift are divided into several patterns according to the settlement
location: hilltop and flatland villages. The process of house and cultural identity shift occurs in both settlement
types. The transformation process shows the adaptabilities of traditional Sumba houses in response to the modern
needs of the residents, and the discourse of shifting identities occurred constantly in both interior and village scale.
Keywords: Community, House Form, Identity, Sumba, Settlement, Traditional House, Transformation

1. INTRODUCTION The research also aimed to establish a clear understanding of

fundamental reasoning that triggers the transformation
The word vernacular is derived from the Latin word process that occurs especially in Sumba island, Indonesia.
Vernaculus, which means native or domestic. When Sumbanese people or the local called themselves Orang
combined with architecture, it adds the value of domestic or Humba, is an ethnic group of people that lives in Sumba island.
locality in the broad meaning of architecture. Hence They are socio-culturally structured into several castes and
vernacular architecture refers to building, which responded to living in many kabihu or settlement groups. The livelihood of
the needs of the specific people and reflecting the character of those who live in the rural area is predominantly horse and
the local environment. It is the architecture that becomes and kettle breeders, some others are farmers and fishermen, while
processed by a society located in certain area (Allsopp, 1980). those living in the cities mostly work as office employees or
It is best argued that the early involvement of architecture by opening small scale business. Each kabihu has settled in
the people is in the effort of providing shelter from the several areas designated by their king or leader called Rato,
environment. Thus, vernacular architecture is always and the location characteristics reflect the livelihood of each
responding to the environment and very dependent on the group. This understanding of the transformation process is
knowledge and culture of the people. Therefore, vernacular built on the basic knowledge of Sumbanese people’s cultural
architecture is not constant, it changes along with the passing values, accompanied by observation of their pattern-making
of time, and the way people perceive their houses changes process, and used as a basis in the effort to assimilate the
accordingly. thought process of local people into the architectural form.
The purpose of the research is to observe the transformation Therefore, as time progress, the significant cultural and
process of traditional houses by local people, which mostly identity changes should occur to each kabihu and triggers the
happened in various places in Indonesia. It is possible to trace transformation process in the form of the house they live in.
and define the transformation pattern throughout the years.

Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.

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2. THEORY AND RESEARCH METHOD this method is to see the relationship between houses, its
function, meaning, and time as an exchanging process
between physical and spatial dimensions. This method was
2.1. The Origin of Pacific Pile Dwelling put forward by Barbey when he saw the lack of architect’s
attention to how everyday life affects the spatial organization,
The assumption that Indonesian vernacular houses always thought process and arrangement of goods in it, or how they
change originated from the notion that the form of traditional change within a certain timeframe. It clearly shows that there
pile dwelling in the Pacific region is rooted in the form of the is a strong influence between everyday life and spatial
granary. In the Sumba case, the transformation from the planning of the occupants.
granary to the house is by adding a platform beneath the In traditional society, every element in the house has a strong
granary floor and enclosed by walls (Sato, 1991). In Sumatera, meaning and influence, implicated by the values or norms that
the Toba Batak has an old custom of converting old granary are always enforced. In this case, the community must first
called sopo into dwellings through transformation phases that acknowledge the relationship between each element of the
provided a better kind of ruma (Domenig, 2003). The house, thus making the house well maintained. To better
transformation also indicates a continuous thought process in understand how the people and their characteristics influence
considering the priority value that they decided to be the form of their house, field surveys and interviews were held
maintained. Certain old features are still in evidence in the with both emic and etic approaches. Six villages across the
house of Nage, which has undergone a considerable change Sumba island, from both western and eastern parts, were
(Forth, 2003). These various observations suggest that the selected and observed, taking into account the location and
house is not static but dynamic objects that keep changing differences in the topographic characteristics existed in each
throughout the time. village. In total, 65 houses were observed from those villages
and 10 houses were measured in detail to establish databases
for further analysis. The spatial hierarchy and the
transformation pattern of each house are then acquired by
2.2. Research Methods
comparative analysis from the data set. Those comparison
The spatial archetype of a house can be seen by observing the data supplemented by the interview data will result in a
relationship between existing values and the physical thorough understanding of the connection between each
condition of the house. Observation begins by analyzing the transformation in the house form and its causative identity
space that includes social dimensions and corresponds to a shift that triggered the house owner to take the related decision
fixed spatial arrangement (Barbey, 1993). The real essence of on each phase.

Table 1 List of observed and measured houses in each village.

Location Village Name Total Houses in the Village Measured Houses

West Sumba Wailolong 7 1
Parewa Tana 9 2
Prai Ijing 27 2
East Sumba Praing Umalulu 2 1
Watu Puda 13 3
Mburukulu 7 1

Table 2 Analysis process scheme.

Methods Target Obtained data Analysis technique Obtained result

Interview House owners House transformation 3D conversion and House transformation
and family history and cultural comparative pattern and diagrams
members, as triggers for each analysis of change
well as their transformation phase through each
neighbors. period.
Observation and The current Current house form The current house Hierarchy of space
measurement condition of the form is used as a and archetype, as well
house: comparison basis. as the existing values
of the house

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3. RESULT AND DISCUSSION 3.1.1. Hilltop village
The village located in the hilltop area is usually classified and
3.1. Early Settlement and Distribution regarded as the old and sacred one, characterized by the
existence of a praying altar for Marapu religion called katoda,
Sumba island is located in the East Nusa Tenggara province and a ceremonial house called Uma Mbatangu in which the
of Indonesia. The island’s proximity to Australia resulting in ancestral spirits are believed to gather and stay. In general,
a transitional climate between tropical and dry, resulting in an around 30 minutes to two hours hike are needed to reach the
extensive grassland landscape. Sumbanese people have a hilltop villages, depending on the accessibility from the
physical characteristic mixture of Malay and Melanesian race, nearest road. One of the hilltop villages that was chosen and
and they adhere to the caste system in their social structure. observed in this research is Parewa Tana in western Sumba.
The combination of these factors influenced heavily on the Upon interviewing village chief and cultural customary elders,
culture and belief system of Sumbanese people, which later as well as some other community members, the village was
intersects with their underlining mindset and habit in building established approximately in 1850. The houses are arranged
and modifying their houses. in the lengthwise in the north to the south axis line, following
While nowadays the majority of Sumbanese adheres to the available spaces in the topographical character of the site.
Christianity, the old people and their ancestors believe in local This parallel line and dense house arrangement are common
religion called Marapu. This belief focuses on the existence characteristics of hilltop villages, taking advantage of the
of the ancestral spirits that dwell in their houses, protecting lacking of vacant land available on the site.
the family members as well as become the link that connects The population of hilltop villages is mostly declining, on
between the living and their God. Therefore, the existence of average only inhabited by 50 people or less with mostly adults
ancestral spirits is highly associated with both house form and and elderly. This decline caused by the majority of the
village arrangement. Perhaps one of the striking features in youngsters decided to move out of the village to live in the
the village layout is the spatial intimacy between the living city for education and employment reason, or married to other
and the death, of their tombs and the houses, which are placed people from different kabihu or clan. There are even other
side by side. This connection resulting in the triadic division villages that nearly deserted, leaving only the elders and
of space in the village, with two opposing ends mediated by marapu’s ceremonial leaders who decided to remain in the
the central area. (Waterson, 1990). This means every village village to conserve the cultural value of the village itself.
has two entry points on either side and a field in the middle
where large stone tombs were erected.
Sumbanese house, also known as rumah adat in the 3.1.2. Flatland Village
Indonesian language has a striking characteristic in the form
of a thatched roof with a towering high hat in the middle. It Contrary to the hilltop village, the flatland villages are
has variation in size and height, depending on the location and settlements located near cities or the island’s shorelines. Most
environmental characteristics around the village. This of the flatland villages emerged as an expansion settlement
vernacular houses can be found mainly in the rural area, from the people who moved out from the hilltop villages, to
usually either on the top of the hill, or on the lowland area find better access to and from the cities. The village was
around river or shoreline, and also depending on the age of the characterized by an abundance of spaces, making the whole
village itself. settlement wider with stone tombs erected on the center area
The island itself both culturally and politically divided into the and the houses arranged to encircle and facing the tombstones.
western and eastern areas. Historically the western part of The majority of flatland villagers work in the cities and
Sumba has been divided by warring fiefdom for centuries, therefore much more exposed to technology and assimilate to
while the eastern side, although sparsely populated, more other cultures as well. Their life becomes much more affected
politically dominant (Barry Dawson, 1994). On the other hand, by modernism, and the ease of access also means penetration
Sumba island is geographically divided into vast savanna and of electricity to their daily life. The exposure to foreign
hilly topographic eastern region, as well as mountains and cultures has the most influence on changing their beliefs from
dense forests in the west. Six progress were observed, three of the old Marapu to other religions such as Christianity, Islam,
which are selected as a representation of each western and or the others. This religious transformation is one of the main
eastern type of village and houses. The result is classified into factors that greatly transformed their cultural value and
hilltop and flatland villages. identity, thus end up triggering the transformation of house
form and values in the spatial hierarchy of Sumbanese houses.

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3.2. Village Typology Comparison villages are arranged in dense linear configuration leaving
narrow spaces between each house. The aerial images show
The data obtained from the survey is categorized to highlight that this was the result of the adaptation of village growth to
the connection between population statistics, environment, the topographical character, coping with the lack of available
and house placement layout (table 3). The different space by following the flow of the contours. On the other hand,
characteristics between the hilltop and flatland villages can be the land in the flatland villages is much abundant, allowing
easily distinguished by observing at the traced house wider space between each house.
configuration images in table 3. The houses on the hilltop

Table 3 Statistic data comparison between six villages.

Village Established Population Aerial Image and house Topography

Name Year Configuration Classification
West Wailolung 1984 84 Flatland
Sumba

Parewa Tana 1850 55 Hilltop

Prai Ijing 1925 68 Hilltop

East Praing 1800 5 Hilltop

Sumba Umalulu

Watu Puda 1986 130 Flatland

Mburukulu 1930 93 Flatland

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The differences in the characteristics of each village are more and ravines, there is no horizontal space left in the village. On
visible when grouped into two types: hilltop and lowland the contrary, the flatland village has a much more spacious
villages (table 4). The hilltop villages mainly have limitations land area, resulting in an abundance of space and flexibility
in the land area due to the hilly topographical character for the people to develop their houses further following
resulting in a small area of land available to build houses. demands in increasing family members.
With a tight distance between houses and squeezed by forest

Table 4 Village grouping based on topographical characters.

Village Name Location Characteristics Images

Praing Umalulu Hilltop  Population growth slows, low
expansion demand.
Parewa Tana  Narrow land, a lot of vertical
spaces from topography 
vertical house extensions.
Prai Ijing  Additional space is mostly used
as a kitchen or post-harvest
working area.
 No electricity in the village, but
some households have a small
solar panel and battery to light
the house at night.
 Maintain Marapu religion.
Wailolung Flatland  Population growth fast, high
demand for new space.
Watu Puda  Wide land area  horizontal
house extensions/secondary
structures.
Mburukulu  Secondary structure functioning
as a new kitchen or cooking
area and sometimes bedroom
for new family members.
 Receiving electricity
connection, resulting in quite
large technological influence in
daily life (having electronic
facility, television, refrigerator)
 Mostly change their religion to
Christianity.

3.3. House Transformation Typologies example of this kind of transformation is changing their open
veranda area into new private bedroom space for the children.
The transformation of form in Sumbanese house is an Another common addition is the construction of a new
adaptation result of the changes in people’s daily lives and its platform deck under the house by mounting new frame
possible by the sustainable system imposed in their traditional sections into the existing column and related structure of the
house construction methods. Their knockdown construction house. This complete understanding of the difference in
system provides easiness in process of assembly and spatial hierarchic changes and the division of spaces in each
disassembling, resulting in flexibility in the attempt to house is achieved through tracing the floorplan into diagrams.
rearrange the house configuration by the owner. The most The comparative analysis of the diagrams from different
common spatial configuration changes are done in the method villages showing the current forms, although different in some
of adding a partition wall to divide spaces to create another elements, has rules that apply in every transformation process
room or dismantle it if deemed unnecessary. One common (table 5). For example, in the hilltop village where Marapu

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religion is still being practiced, the core area of the house bedroom space to accommodate the need of a bedroom as the
doesn’t experience any significant transformation as it is family member and their needs grows from time to time.
considered as a very sacred place. Only minor transformations The need for new spaces always grows along with the new
are allowed in this sacred area such as adding or removing addition in the family member of the house owner. However,
partition walls. These walls are built to accommodate the as there is a lack of vacant space in the hilltop village, the
division of spaces according to the numbers of family villagers adapt and outsmart it by constructing new spaces
members and are done by modifying the spaces around the vertically, taking advantage of land contours. Vertical
hearth. The owner of the house also able to easily transform transformation becomes a pattern that is mainly adapted and
the semi-public spaces such as the veranda into private developed over time in the hilltop settlements (table 6).

Table 5 Hilltop village house sampling and diagrams.

Praing Umalulu Parewa Tana Prai Ijing

Floor Plan

Diagram

The core area of the Used for ceremonies and cooking

house
The private area of the Bedrooms and in-house activity area
house
Semi-public area of the Functioning as veranda, guest reception in ceremonies
house

Table 6 Vertical additional space in hilltop villages.

Vertical additional spaces examples Simplified diagrams

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On the other hand, the houses in flatland villages undergo a which responded by constructing a secondary structure
much-varied transformation pattern compared to the hilltop functioned as new kitchen separated from the main house area.
villages. The abundance of land triggers transformation The influence of electricity and modern technologies
unlimited by the envelope of the main house. Since the gradually introduced into flatland village people’s lifestyle by
religion change is common in flatland villages, any house both government programs as well as the young family
elements that are considered sacred to Marapu were forbidden, members who attend higher education levels. Amenities such
and therefore decided to be dismantled. This is one of the as television, fridge, piped water, lighting, sometimes even air
major identity shift that occurs in Sumbanese society, and conditioning, factory cut wooden materials, corrugated iron or
impact greatly on the spatial hierarchy of the houses as the zinc roof, to village infrastructure as asphalt road and parking
inner hearth that acts as the core space and a pivot in every spaces are common transformation in the flatland villages.
ceremonial event is removed entirely from the house. The This also means the transformations that are applied in the
removal of the hearth also meant losing the cooking area, houses are more rigid and permanent, and used in the long run.

Table 7 Flatland village house sampling and diagrams.

Wailolung Watu Puda Mburukulu

Floor Plan

Diagram

The core area of the house Ceremony and cooking purposes

The private area of the house Bedroom and in-house activity area
Semi-public area of the house Functioning as veranda and guest reception in
ceremonies
Semi-public extension area New kitchen space, food storage, horse stable and in
some case new bedrooms

Observation in the flatland house patterns indicates three extension area, without floor on the extended spaces. This
types in the secondary structure in addition to the main house type occurs in the village where the division of land ownership
(table 8). The first one is the secondary structure connected to between neighbors is clear. The third type is the secondary
the main house by floor but has independent roof structures. structure that is completely separated and structurally
The floor connection is purposed for easy access for the house independent from the main house. This type is usually
occupants. The second type is the secondary structure as an established in the higher caste and wealthy family houses
extension part of the main house. The second type is where they afford to build a larger kitchen area, sometimes
characterized by extending the roof of the main house to the including the addition of new bedrooms or horse stables.

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 Table 8 Horizontal additional space in flatland villages.

Horizontal additional spaces examples Simplified diagrams

Secondary structure

Type 1: Secondary structure connected to the main house.

Secondary structure

Type 2: Secondary structure as an extension of the main

house.

Secondary structure

Type 3: Secondary structure separated from the main house.

3.4. Identity Shift and Transformation Phases Three-dimensional interpretation showing a different pattern
between the hilltop villages and flatland villages in modifying
Tracing the transformation history of the Sumbanese house the form and spaces of their houses (figures 2 and 4). The
also implies on tracking the change of social identity of the topographical character of the site resulting in the limitation
occupants of the house. This attempts to indicate the relation in the direction of new spatial construction for each village
between events on the particular year that influences type. Hilltop village tends to transform the house vertically
significant transformation that has been done in the house. resulting from the lack of horizontal space availability, and
Through interpreting the existing construction and form, the flatland village built a secondary structure close to the
combined with collected stories from the house owner as well main house. However, if examined closely there is another
as the carpenter foreman and the community members who factor that highly influences the type and functions of the new
helped in the construction process, it is assumed that the house space. In hilltop village, Marapu is still believed and has a
undergoes several transformation phases. strong influence on the placement of various religious objects

156
and symbols throughout the spatial order of the house. The
hearth is still considered as a sacred central point of the house,
untouched by any kind of change even though the
configuration of the space around it undergoes a drastic
transformation. Traditional ornaments such as pig jaws are
still seen hanging around the house, while buffalo skulls and
horns are still used as foothold steps at the entrance of the
house, or wall ornaments. In special cases such as in the house
of the ceremonial leaders, the front area of the house where
the sacred drum is hung and stored has also never been
touched by any form of transformation.

Figure 1 The hearth of a house in Parewatana,

surrounded by partition wall dividing the space.

Figure 2 Hilltop village house transformation phases

Flatland village, on the other hand, has more possibilities community gets exposed to a lot of different and
concerning the transformation of the houses. Most of the heterogeneous culture, which some of them got adapted into
flatland villages are new settlements originating from the everyday life. This acceptance of external factors influenced
people who moved out from the hilltop villages, as an effort heavily on the development of the community’s mindset, and
to create easier and faster access in their commute to the cities. one of the most affected is the religious view of the people.
This proximity and easier access to the city means the

157
The decline in Marapu religion becomes the greatest change The former core area of the house, now without the sacred
in the villager’s identity which on one hand erases a lot of hearth, experience major change in the kind of activities being
sacred values of the house, but on the other hand, becomes a done inside. If before the removal of the hearth the spaces are
substantial factor in creating the opportunity for the flexibility used for ceremonial and cooking activities, it has now become
in the transformation process of their houses. This religious living room space where the family members gather to chat or
development appears to involve a fundamental change in the watch television. However, the owner of the house still tends
way of living in flatland village communities. The majority of to display the new religious ornaments in the former sacred
secondary structures are allocated as new kitchen spaces with area in the house. The central area of the house, formerly
some additional room such as a bedroom or in some cases, identical to the Marapu, is now transformed into Christian or
horse stable, depending on the needs of the house owners. Muslim related ornament display spaces.
Albeit the fact that most of the houses in flatland village
received various external influences that affect the
transformation process, including the shift in applied house
materials, the traditional construction methods are still being
used. The hearth part of the new kitchen for example, still
constructed using a similar block of stone pedestal propping
up the fireplace and encircled by four main pillars. This effort
to maintain the hearth as closely related to the old hearth in
the main house they had removed, shows that the kitchen as
space and cooking activities itself still regarded as closely
related to their ancestral values. Other cooking-related spatial
functions, such as food storages, also follow the old
configuration; over the hearth to ensure the benefit of the
smokes arising from the fire. Therefore, moving the hearth
from the main house to the external kitchen also implying to
moving the core activity area from the main house to the Figure 3 Religious ornament displayed on the wall in the
secondary structure. formerly Marapu related space

Figure 4 Flatland village house transformation phases

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The transformation progress table below (table 9) indicated In the flatland village, the transformation phases also can be
two types of transformations in Sumbanese houses. Minor grouped into a two-time frame where the first one occurred in
transformations such as maintenance and replacement of old a much longer span between 1994 to 1999 and the second
materials that happened frequently once every three to four phase is between 2002 to 2011. For a village that the majority
years were not mentioned in the table as it did not affect the of the people converted into non-Marapu religion, the
house form significantly. The major change, on the other hand, ceremonial associated inner hearth was the main element of
occurs gradually and divided into several phases. It is the house that is removed initially. Since the hearth is also
interesting that from the 6 houses, the phases can be collected used as a cooking space, this elimination also triggers the
into two groups. The first phase of transformation in hilltop construction of a new kitchen area as a replacement. On the
village occurred in the span of the 80s to the 90s where most other hand, there are socio-economical factors that affect the
of the transformations are making a new bedroom. This is transformation of flatland village as more of the young
quite contrary to the flatland villages as the majority of the population attend to higher education and bring knowledge
new bedroom constructions occurred in the second phase. into the village communities. As a result, there is tension
This may suggest the gap of the emergence of new generations between ancestral practices pertaining to the free but time-
between those villages, indicating the decline of the village consuming application of natural material to modern
population as there are no demands for the new rooms on the knowledge and the idea of time-saving but money consuming
second phase of the hilltop village in a similar timescape. prefabricated house materials.

Table 9 Transformation progress between villages

Parewa Tana Prai Ijing Praing Umalulu

Hilltop  1999 (Phase 1)  1984 (Phase 1)  1985
Village 1. Transforming 1. Construction of 1. Roof material
veranda into additional bedroom. change: straw
bedrooms 2. Changing thatch roof  zinc roof.
2. Construction of to zinc roofing.
external deck under  1999-2011 (Phase 2) The extensive
the house 1. Chosen as a tourist transformation of the
 2009 (Phase 2) village by local sacred Marapu area in
1. Transform veranda government, receive the house is strictly
into bedrooms development prohibited.
2. Expand the deck, funding.
construct a new 2. Structural material Strong belief in Marapu
deck on the other change: wooden  caused the house to
side of the house. concrete. undergo very minimum
3. New bedroom changes.
construction.
Wailolung Watupuda Mburukulu
Flatland  1999 (Phase 1)  1994-1995 (Phase 1)  1995-1998 (Phase 1)
Village 1. Inner hearth removal 1. Construction of new room 1. Veranda
2. Construction of on the back of the main extension
external kitchen house construction
 2009-2011 (Phase 2) 2. Veranda deck extension 2. Construction of
1. Expanding the as room access two additional
external kitchen area  2003 (Phase 2) bedrooms
2. Construction of 1. Inner hearth removal  2002-2004 (Phase 2)
additional bedroom in 2. Construction of the 1. Inner hearth
the main house external kitchen, removal
3. Construction of a new connected to the main 2. Construction of
storage room in the house external kitchen
main house

159
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