Rumah Gadang (Gadang House)


Houses gadang a Minangkabau traditional house. Gadang house has features that are very typical. The form is essentially a rectangular beam that expands upward. Melintangnya sharp curved lines and ramps in the middle of the lower. Curved roof of his house is very sharp like buffalo horns, while the curved body and home ramps like the hull. Roof made ​​of palm fiber. Form a curved roof and pointed upward is called gonjong. Because of its roof form gonjong, then the house is also home gadang bagonjong.

Gadang which form the roof like a buffalo horn is often associated with stories Tambo Minangkabau Alam. The story of victory in the event of Minang people fighting against the Javanese buffalo.

The forms resemble buffalo horns are very commonly used in the Minangkabau, either as symbol or the jewelry. One of them in traditional clothes, namely tingkuluak tanduak (tengkuluk horn) to Bundo Kanduang.

The origins of house gadang also often associated with travel stories Minangkabau ancestors. The legend says gadang Minangkabau house body shape that resembles a ship's body is to imitate the form of boat Minangkabau ancestors during the first. Boat ancestor is known as presumptuous.
According to the story, this sassy ancestors originally sailed into the upper Batang Kampar. After arriving in an area, the passengers and crew climbed ashore. This sassy also drawn to the land so as not decomposed by the water stream.

Presumptuous then supported by the timber to stand strong. Then, it was presumptuous to hang the screen on the roof with a rope attached to the pole presumptuous. Furthermore, because the screen is hanging very heavy, rope-rope to form arches that resemble gonjong. This presumptuous to make a temporary shelter. Furthermore, the passenger boat makes a dwelling house that resembles those presumptuous. Once the ancestors of the Minangkabau of this spread, the form continues to be presumptuous that bergonjong as the characteristic shape of their home. Given these characteristics, among them even his descendants become easier to recognize each other. They will easily find out that the house had belonged to their relatives gonjong originating from the same sassy landed on the edge of Batang Kampar.

The sections in the House Gadang Minangkabau

Minangkabau traditional house is called house gadang is because the size of this house is big. Great in the Minangkabau language is gadarig. So, home gadang means big house. The inside of the house is a room off the large sieve, except the bedroom. The room is off the main room consisting of tapering and space that is marked by poles. Pole house gadang berbanjar from the face to the back or from left to right. Berbanjar mast from front to back mbnandai tapering, while the pole of right now to mark the space. So-called tapering is the room from front to back. The rooms are lined up from left to right is called space.

Number of tapering depends on the big house. Usually the amount of tapering is two, three, four clans. Number of rooms usually consist of an odd number between three and eleven. Gadang house size depending onamount lanjarnya .
 As a big house, then in the house there was gadang parts that have special functions. Another part of the house is the large sieve under the floor. This section is called the pit of a house gadang. Gadang under the house is quite high and wide. These pools are usually used as a storehouse of agricultural equipment or used as a women's weaving. All parts of this pit covered with a latticed ruyung rare.

Gadang house wall made ​​of wood, except the back of the bamboo. The wall board is installed vertically. At each connection board framed. All boards are filled with carvings. Sometimes the pole is in the well carved. Thus, ukirang is the dominant decoration in the home building gadang Minangkabau. Carvings here are not associated with beliefs that are sacred, but only as valuable works of art decoration.