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Hello everyone and all members of ASEAN Hive Community
Have you ever seen a house that has a shape like the one above? In Indonesia, we call it “Rumah Panggung”, a house on stilts is a traditional house that is widely used by various ethnic groups in Indonesia. The shape of this house is in the form of a stage, which is a condition where the base of the house is not attached to the ground, the height of the house varies depending on local conditions.

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House on stilts

As far as I know, several countries in Southeast Asia also have this traditional house shape. I once read a literature about the comparison of houses on stilts in Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. We should not be surprised, because the culture and way of life of people in Southeast Asia are not much different, and we know that at that time making houses with wood was cheaper and easier to obtain than cement or bricks.

Generally, stilt houses can be easily found in coastal areas in Indonesia. This house is purposely made to prevent flooding from high tides, so the house will not be submerged by water. The foundation of this house uses wooden poles, floors from wooden boards, walls from wooden boards or bamboo. All these building materials are connected with nails and ropes. All the materials use lightweight materials, and are safer in the event of an earthquake.

Indonesia is very familiar with earthquakes. Our country is one of the countries that has the largest number of active volcanoes in the world, besides our country is also located on the border of the earth's plate so that the potential for earthquakes is very possible at any time. Unfortunately, the existence of houses on stilts has begun to disappear and is no longer used by rural communities in Indonesia, because they are considered ancient and outdated.

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Hometown History

The photo of the house on stilts above is the house of my grandfather, the house where my father and brother were born. As a child I once asked my father why this house is shaped like this (a house on stilts)? what I knew at that time, a house on stilts was a house commonly used by fishermen or coastal communities.

Last weekend, I went to my father's hometown. My father is from Bandar Gula Village, a small village in Labuhan Batu Regency, Rantau Prapat. Our family came to this village to attend our brother's wedding. I have many childhood memories in this village, and also many things I want to share when I come there. However, this time I want to tell you about something that will surely be of interest to all of you.

My father also explained to me about the history of why we arrived in this village. Initially, this village was still a wilderness, my grandfather and his younger brother left Binanga Tolang Village, the village they used to live in to look for a new location (opening new agricultural land). For some reason, my grandfather was able to arrive at a place that would later become a village. This location used to be feared by many people, firstly because this place (this village) is considered a very mystical place and secondly, many wild animals such as tigers and snakes exist in this village.

To avoid attacks from the tigers and snakes, my grandfather built a stilt house. My father said, when he was a child he had several encounters with tigers. However, according to him, since the late 70's, no tiger has ever appeared in Bandar Gula Village, but snakes are still often found. Therefore, the next generation made a house that as usual (not in the form of a house on stilts).

Besides the reason to avoid wild animals, the stilt house that my grandfather made was probably to save on making rooms and beds. When at my grandfather's house, no one slept in the room (there was no room there) but we slept in the living room, like refugees. But the moment was very funny and fun, because we and my brother slept in the same room. However, everyone was annoyed with me when I slept together, because my snoring made it difficult for them to sleep.

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Relaxing Place

"Knowledge and power in the city; peace and civility in the village." - Mason Cooley

One of the characteristic places in Bandar Gula Village is that each house has a relaxing place to sit under a tree. I really like the moment sitting and lying in this place. The breeze and the shady atmosphere made me forget the intricacies of life's problems.

We call this seat “bale”, in the afternoon usually several people will sit and tell stories to each other. Interaction between residents and social life is very important for everyone who lives in the village.

City life is desired by many people, including villagers. The city promises hope for a better life. However, not everyone can stand to live with the hustle and bustle of urban society. Many people become stressed and fed up, so even though they have a lot of money, they have to spend it on entertainment or self-healing.

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