A Study on Spatial Arrangement of Toba Batak Dwelling and It’s Changes

Abstract

Unlike the sopo, although more and more modern houses are built; ruma still continues to retain its symbolical value in traditional society. Inevitably, most of the Tobanese have expanded their ruma either to the back or the side of the house due to need on more spaces. The present houses have two zones located either at the back or the front, called the front house and the back house. The front house is assumed as basic house type and the back house as extended house. The observation of 32 houses in ten's hamlets is found two tendencies in term of function or usage that are apparently arising. Firstly, the front house is maintained as main house with some changes in spatial arrangement. For instance, formerly, the Toba Batak dwelling consisted of single rectangular form in which means the single large room. It had been purposed for the multi family, who has relationship with their kinship system. The present houses are categorized as single house for one nuclear family. The front and the back house have several private rooms and service rooms. However, the front houses have constantly a large room as public room where are used for family meeting, working area, and ceremonies. Secondly, the front house is still maintained as the previous with some small changes, but the extended house has been further developed so that earlier functioned merely as service area, nowadays have gradually changed as main house where the daily activities conducted. Due to this change, the front house tends having meaningless as a house; it was merely as serving the guests, gathering when ceremonies held, and gaining the prestige from other people in their society. From the older sources and observation, the change spatial arrangement analysis is caused by some factors such as the leadership authority from huta into kampung. The western education and life style affected the original custom, which initially introduced by British, the missionaries either from America or Europe and Dutch during sovereignty Indonesia. The shifted leadership had combined some huta-s into one leadership authority, which had been influenced by the natural environment of the huta. Interactions among different social groups have affected to some extent the tradition of those involved, which in turn may have modified dwellings. Inter-ethnic conflict significantly declined during the period of Dutch control. Overall, the huta is gradually more open than the previous. Afterwards, new building technology is developed particularly concrete structure as occurring in other part of Indonesia. The infrastructure such as road and sanitary environment has been improved so that the adoption of new material is affordable. The over exploitation of forest has caused the vegetative material such as timber, rattan, palm fiber is no longer enough available. Nowadays, the vegetative material is more expensive than the manufactured material such as brick, iron corrugated sheet, and plywood. Besides, the durability of the vegetative material less than the manufactured material, therefore, the family prefers to build the brick house. Overall, it affected the changes in physical of house such as roof structure, wall structure, entryways, addition of partitions and ceiling, thus those appear some changes on the perception of space from the Tobanese themselves, which is the most important changes during as to two hundred years. In primitive culture where the inter-ethnic conflicts throughout history, for example, contributed to increasingly defensive measures relating to either built form of village or dwelling. Therefore, the Toba Batak house is approached by the trap door, the tint wall (wall which having slope), and lack of windows. Because, the house is not only functioned as shelter, but also as the protection from the enemy who will attack the village. Nowadays, the trap door has almost been vanished. The house has no longer single entryways. Most of the Toba batak house at the present day has more than two entryways. The tint wall particularly at the back wall has been demolished replacing with the wall without having slope. The present house has been fitted by the window. Overall, the house is more open and bright. Despite other people tent to build the modern house as identified the modern life style. It is noteworthy that the tradition to gather particularly in Christmas day, New Year and important events such as wedding and funeral is able to persist Toba Batak traditional dwelling from extinction. In addition, the Toba Bataks prefer to bury their body in their homeland, although, they have moved away from the village. During the gathering time, every family member needs a house to stay. It becomes a prestige for the Toba Batak people if they have “ruma” which is in good condition, such this ruma is locally called “Pasaktian”, literally means inherited house. Therefore, recently many families, who get success in “pangarantoan” , built such this ruma. It will be though resided once in a year or they will ask for their relatives to maintain or reside the house. Finally, the conclusion and reflections contained in this thesis merely as a starting point to generate overall the development of the Toba Batak dwelling related research, which is still limited particularly from Indonesia's researchers.