Cross Boundaries

Mandailing Built Heritage: A Purview
By Abdur-Razzaq Lubis

Measured drawing of Papan Mosque built in 1888. Source: Masjid Papan, UTM Measured Drawing 1996/7.

To date, there have been four studies of Mandailing built heritage in Indonesia over a period of 27 years.

In the first study, it was noted that: "The style of Mandailing forms a bridge between that of the northern Batak areas and Minangkabau in the south. Many aspects however are unique..". The report thereby recommended that "...a deeper study of this architecture should be made". The report on Mandailing traditional building forms included eight pages of write-up, photos and drawings. More extensive coverage was given to the 'northern Batak' groups, namely, the Toba, Simalungun, Dairi, Pak-Pak & Angkola, although this categorization is arbitrary and discriminatory.

The Mandailings are one of the least studied ethnic groups in Indonesia as well as Malaysia. Having been defined by colonial social-engineer­ing and nation-state building as Batak-Mandailing in Indonesia and Malay- Mandailing in Malaysia, they are reduced to an appendix to Batak and Malay studies respectively. Administrative ethnic cleansing has almost completely wiped out their cultural identity. Misrepresented, the unique features of Mandailing built - forms are ignored. Instead characteristics associated with the Bataks or Minangkabau building traditions are empha­sized in Indonesia, whereas, in Malaysia, they are are associated with Malay building tradition. The net result - Mandailing built form is seen as a copy of something else, with no originality of its own.

There was a lapse of more than two decades before a second study of Mandailing architecture was made. The author wrote that a study of Mandailing customary buildings is "very important" in introducing and identifying local culture, adding that it was an integral part of cultural heritage of the Indonesian nation.

Thus far, there have been no attempts at making a comparative study between the Mandailing built forms found in Malaysia as well as in Mandailing, Sumatra. The findings by both sides ignore the cultural borrowings and exchanges through Mandailing migration that continued well into the 20th century. Interrupted only by Japanese Occupa­tion (Second World War), the Indonesian Indepen­dence Revolution, Social Revolution and the Konfrantasi (Indonesian confrontation against the formation of Malaysia).

All the Indonesian studies are in agreement that the best surviving collections of the Mandailing built form are found mainly in Mandailing Julu (Upper Mandailing), the mountainous and largely forested part of the Mandailing homeland. Upper Mandailing represents the treasure trove of Mandailing bulit heritage, which remains generally intact to this day because of the relatively low development pressure.

Mandailing built heritage can also be found in Peninsular (West) Malaysia, mainly in the states of Perak and Selangor, introduced through Mandailing migration in the first decades of the 19th century. In the last few years, there have been several studies, reports and measured drawings done by both Indonesian and Malaysian universi­ties on Mandailing building tradition.

The current surge in interest in things Mandailing is very much the work of Sumatra Heritage Trust, of which the author is the Malaysian representa­tive. Research funding from The Toyota Founda­tion has also contributed significantly in academi­cally enhancing this growing appreciation. The author is the project leader of The Toyota Founda­tion research grant. The Mandailing Inventory conducted by Sumatra Heritage Trust (Badan Warisan Sumatra) was jointly carried out with the Architecture Study Program of North Sumatra University, and funded by a small grant from the World Bank.

Illustration of Bagas Godang ( Chief’s dwelling ) in Huta Godang.
Source: Mengenal Bangunan Serta Omamen Rumah Adat Daerah

Mandailing dan Hubungannya dengan Parlambangan Adat.

A striking similarity in all these studies is that they are ahistorical. This is unfortunate as history as an evolutionary process shapes social values and institutions, which in turn impinges on built forms. Any study that ignores the historical evolution is bound to lose the context of the form. By history, we do not mean the conventional view of history that relies heavily on text, but a view of history that includes elements of social anthropology, environ­mental history, geography, mythology, and the built heritage itself. Historical records should not be taken as given fact; instead they should be read critically with an awareness of prejudices of the conditioned modern mind. History is ideology, and therefore, definition should be questioned and re-examined. By context, we mean that information on the mode of construction should not be divorced from, but located within the traditions of living that are inextricably linked to the natural environment. In other words, the relationship of the buildings under scrutiny and the materials used for its construction should be examined in the light or milieu of the geographi­cal, historical, socio-economic and political environment.

Illustration of Sopo Godang ( Council Hall ) in Singenggu.
Source: Mandailing Architecture, Badan Warisan Sumatra, 1999

The next logical step would be to fund actual comprehensive conservation work in Mandailing Julu. Conservation as such should not be con­fined to or be monopolised by architects alone but should include historians, geographers, social scientists, anthropologists, and relevant parties as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Otherwise, conservation will be seen as conserving the physical form alone and serving the purpose of tourism and consumerism, and not the living traditions of people in the face of the ever en­croaching and pervasive globalization.

Abdur-Razzaq Lubis
Malaysian Representative
Sumatra Heritage Trust
120 Armenian Street, 10200 Penang, Malaysia
Tel: 604 - 2633985 • Fax : 604 - 2633970 • Email: arlubis@mandailing .org
Website: www. mandailing.org

• Traditional Buildings of Indonesia, Volume 3 ( Batak Simalungun and Batak Mandailing ), United Nations, Regional Housing Centre, 1973.
• Drs. Oloan Situmorang, Mengenai Bangunan Serta Ornamen Rumah Adat Daerah Mandailing dan Hubungannya dengan Perlambangan adat, CV. Angkasa Wira Usaha, Medan 1997.
• Mohammad Dolok Lubis at el., Makna Simbolisme Bangunan serta Ornamen Rumah Adat Daerah Mandailing, Universitias Sumatra Utara, Lembaga Penelitian, Medan 2000.
• Mandailing Architecture, Badan Warisan Sumatra, Medan 1999.

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