Mandailing :: English :: Ideas of Governance in the Built Heritage of Mandailing

Cross Boundaries

ASIA & WEST PACIFIC NETWORK FOR URBAN CONSERVATION
AWPNUC Newsletter Volume 5, No 3, 1999

Bagas Godang (left) and Sopo Godang (right) from Huta Na Godang, Mandailing Julu.
Illustration by the late Batara Lubis

Ideas of Governance in the Built Heritage of Mandailing, Sumatra

The Mandailing ethnic group is one of hundreds of ethnic groups in Indonesia. It has its own territory known as the district of Mandailing-Natal, in North Sumatra province. Mandailing society has been predominantly Muslim since the Padri Wars in the early 19th century, when many conversions took place.

The first historical evidence of the name ‘Mandailing` is found in a 14th century text. Hindu and Buddhist relics can still be found in the countryside.

Through the trade in camphor, getah percha and other forest products, Mandailings made contact with traders from West Asia, China and Portugal. King Solomon’s Ophir mountain is believed to be located near the Mandailing region and goldmining is a traditional occupation.

The Dutch entered Mandailing from West Sumatra towards the end of the Padri War and in 1835. The Dutch colonial period began and lasted for only slightly more than 100 years. During this time, the Dutch formed small towns which were called Dutch controlled territories. Kotanopan, the seat of the first Dutch Controlleur, is one of the small modern towns built during the Dutch period with government offices, schools, police stations, post office, market, abattoir, jail, tennis courts, rest house, hospital, double-storey shophouses and a large residence for the Controlleur. The town had a mixed population, including Minangs, Chinese, Indians and others. The Dutch educated local elite also began to build Dutch-style houses which use zinc roofs, glass windows, cement stairs, verandah balconies and other introduced elements. Most of this heritage is still intact.

The cultural landscapes of Mandailing Julu demonstrate how the people live in harmony with their environment. The villages are located on the hilly terrain overrun with fresh water springs and rivers. Water and wind-driven musical instruments are used in the fields to make music for the farmers and to scare away pests and wild animals.

A prominent feature of traditional Mandailing villages are the cleverly constructed waterways which supply the community's daily needs for drinking water, washing, bathing and ablution. Each household has a tobat or fish pond. By washing the dishes here, the fish are fed at the same time. A system of bamboo pipes supply water for bathing and washing clothes. After the water has passed through the households, it is then channeled to the rice fields for irrigation.

Mandailing settlements have a clear structure and layout that continued until the Dutch period. The settlements are classified according their size. Several households make up a banjar, while a slightly larger settlement is called a pagaran because it is surrounded by a bamboo fence (in indonesian pagar). Next comes the lumban, which is larger than a pagaran. A federation of a few banjar, pagaran and lumban makeup a huta (fortification or settlement) or banua (country). A huta is a self-governing unit with a parliament headed by a traditional raja (ruler). When the population of the mother village grew too large, several families would migrate together and create a new settlement, and when this settlement also became large enough, it would establish its own autonomous government with its own raja (local ruler).

The Mandailing village was made-up of adat or ceremonial structures, simple dwellings and other buildings such as rice stores. A typical village has a river and a street running through it. The dwelling houses are lined up neatly along the narrow street and formerly the whole village was surrounded by a fence of planted bamboo.

The dwelling houses are made of timber and ijuk (palm fiber) or from bamboo and lallang. The bamboo is minced and flattened out and then soaked in the tobat for 3-6 months. The longer they are soaked, the longer they endure, up to 100 years. The tobat walls are strengthened with stacked stones. The crawl space under the house is used as a chicken coop, and the back crawl space is often filled with firewood. A good pile of firewood shows that the young maiden of the house is hardworking, as it is her job to collect the firewood.

Aspects of Mandailing architecture show the social status of each household. For example, the slave's houses are indicated by an even number of steps on a stair and windows that are open to the inside, whereas non-slaves have an odd number of steps and their windows open outward. The shape of the roof also indicates social status.

The saro cino or Chinese-style curved roof, indicates a family which has affiliations to the nobility (namora-namora). Houses which have ornaments on the front and back triangular gable indicates that the family is related to the local ruler (raja) and is part of the nobility.

The traditional mosques do not have a Moghul onion-shaped dome but they are similar to the tiered roof vernacular mosques of the region. The Mandailing mosques, introduced by the Padris, are distinguished by their raised jack roof. The traditional graves feature the uting-uting, which symbolize cats guarding the graves. But the graves of the rajas were the first to show Dutch influence. The Muslim leaders, school teachers, government officers and the nobility were also likely to build Dutch-style houses.

The Mandailing built heritage expresses the society's values of democratic self governance based on a strong community and a cultural relationship to the environment. The most important buildings in a Mandailing village are the ceremonial buildings, made of timber with roofs of ijuk attap. At the centre of the huta, we will find the ruler's dwelling which is called Bagas Godang and a council hall called Sopo Godang.

The government of the village is conducted by a governing council or a parliament which is called Namora Natoras. The council is headed by a Raja Penusuan Bulung or Raja Pemusuk. The Bagas Godang and Sopo Godang are not only important for their functions but also important to symbolize the status, nobility and greatness of a huta.

Huta Na Godang (Mandailing Julu). View from the Ruler's (Raja) compound
Illustration by the late Batara Lubis

The front and the back gables of the two buildings are decorated with ornaments of three magic colours (white, red and black), symbolizing ideas of sovereignty and kinship. The ornaments consist of geometrical lines except for those that depict natural elements, like the sun, moon, stars and flowers. These ornaments symbolize many functions connected to the cultural values and world view of the Mandailing society.

The parts of the Bagas Godang are also given symbolic names. For example, the "tangga sibingkang bayo" which means the "steps which raise people" means that whoever climbs the stairs of the raja's dwelling is enobled. The door of the Bagas Godang is called "pintu gajah menyongkir" which means "the door of screaming elephants". In other words, the doors of the raja are always open to the people.

The governing councils are held in the Sopo Godang. The Sopo Godang has no walls, signifying that the government has to be conducted in an open manner and that people can hear and witness the proceedings. In the language of today, we are transparent. The octogonal pillars of the Sopo Godang are called tarah selapan, which symbolizes that the Sopo Godang was erected by people from the eight directions of the compass. The Gordang Sambilan, the nine ceremonial drums placed in the Sopo Godang, is beaten during ceremonial occasions.

The raja's dwelling is built for him by the local community with the assistance of neighbouring communities, and as such it is also owned by the people. Unlike the Javanese or Malay palaces, there is no fence separating the raja and the community.

The Sopo Godang and the Bagas Godang stand on either side of a square called "alaman bolak silangse utang" literally, "the courtyard to relieve your debt". Any person can seek justice and refuge in this courtyard. In each Sopo Godang there are pairs of totems which depict the mythological creature Sangkalon, a symbol of justice. The totems are called "sangkalon sipangan anak sipangan boru", which literally mean that 'justice devours one's own son, justice devours one's own daughter'. Justice is impartial, or 'justice is blind'. A small figure on the creature's head means that the innocent must be raised.

Travellers who sit by the verandah railing of the Sopo Godang can be seen by the raja at the Bagas Godang. Formerly, the travellers would be fed and given shelter at the raja's behest.

The Bagas Godang, Sopo Godang and dwellings are pavilion structures or rumah panggung. The columns are erected on large stone bases and this feature helps the building to withstand earth tremors. The granary has a large roof where rice is stored and a small stage below for people to sit and chat. Large discs are placed on top of the columns to prevent mice from climbing into the roof and getting to the rice.

Most of the traditional buildings in Mandailing are now old and decaying. Lately, there has been a new phenomenon where new Bagas Godang of traditional architecture have been erected in four villages in Ulu Pungkut. This shows that the craftsmanship is still alive. However, these Bagas Godang are more of a status symbol and do not serve their former function, as they have little or no relationship to the Sopo Godang.

Recently, Sumatra Heritage Trust mounted a one week expedition to Tapanuli to document the Mandailing settlements of Kotanopan, and the villages of Sayurmaincat, Singenggu, Hutanagodang, Manambin, Huta pungkut and Natal.

During the 19'h and early 20'" century there was a sizeable migration of Mandailings to Peninsular west Malaysia, and they also brought with them their agriculture, mining and dam-building techniques. The most significant Mandailing cultural heritage in Malaysia today is found in Papan and Batu Gajah in the state of Perak, Malaysia. In Papan, the Bagas Godang built by Raja Bilah dates from 1882. The Rumah Besar Raja Bilah built in 1896 is an imposing brick and timber mansion of its time, constructed by Chinese carpenters. But its interior shows that it is different from the mansions of the rich Malay aristocracy and Chinese miners of Kinta. It has a large hall with eight-sided columns and was used as a meeting hall for all the Mandailings in Perak, and from this evidence we know that it was functionally a Sopo Godang. The mosque was built in 1888 by Mandailing carpenters and in form it was a typical Mandailing mosque. However, it was larger than any mosque of its type found in Mandailing - this is probably because of the decentralised nature of the Mandailing villages compared with the prosperity and the concentration of Mandailing population in the Kinta Valley. This very important structure was in danger of collapse, but the national museum has recently stepped in to make repairs.

Drs. Z. Pangaduan Lubis, Medan, Indonesia, Mandailing cultural heritage advisor Sumatra Heritage Trust
The article is adapted from the paper delivered at the 2nd International Seminar on European Architecture Outside Europe: Conservation & Development of Heritage Tourism, Malacca, Malaysia, 2-5 November, 1998.