Endangered Omo Hada in poor condition<\/p>\n
By Edy Suhartono<\/p>\n
MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Omo Hada, an 18th century building
\non the island of Nias, North Sumatra, and Tanah Lot temple on
\nBali are among the 100 most endangered sites in the world.<\/p>\n
They were among 375 sites from 58 countries chosen by the New
\nYork-based World Monument Watch last September.<\/p>\n
With the addition of Omo Hada and Tanah Lot temple, Indonesia
\nnow has three of most endangered sites in the world. The other
\none is Borobudur temple, which was first included on the list in
\n1996.<\/p>\n
Unlike Borobudur and Tanah Lot, however, Omo Hada is
\nrelatively unknown. The site is situated in Hilinawalo Mazingo
\nvillage, Teluk Dalam district, in southern Nias and is quite
\ndifficult to reach due to inadequate transportation facilities.<\/p>\n
From the provincial capital city of Medan, you will need about
\n26 hours of traveling to go there. By land from Medan to Sibolga
\nis about eight hours, and then you should take a ship to Gunung
\nSitoli on Nias, which will take about 12 hours. You will need
\nanother six hours to travel to Hilinawalo village. The journey
\nhas not ended. You now have to walk or take a motorcycle to Omo
\nHada, which is located in a hilly area. The road is in a terrible
\ncondition, and slippery when it rains.<\/p>\n
The island of Nias lags behind other areas in North Sumatra in
\nterm of development and modernization, not only because of its
\ngeographical factors, but also due to lack of government
\nattention. Even though it has a great tourism potential and is
\nrich with tradition and cultural heritage, it has failed to
\nattract investors. Nias is one of the poorest areas in North
\nSumatra. Generally, its population depend mostly on agriculture
\nusing the slash-and-burn method, or hunting.<\/p>\n
Hilinawalo Mazingo village, where 400 families from various
\nclans live, is in the shape of \"U\" and the Omo Hada house is at
\nthe center of it. People call this area a royal palace complex,
\nbecause only a king can own a house like Omo Hada. The first
\npeople that came to this area were the Bu'ulolo's clan.<\/p>\n
Omo Hada, which means old house, was built in 1715. It is 30-
\nmeters long and 10-meters wide. A stage house, the stilts are
\nabout 4-meters high and the top of the house is 30 meters from
\nthe ground.<\/p>\n
It is made of wood. Its roof is weaved from rumbia and nipah
\ngrass. The stands are not erected on the ground but on pieces
\nstones. To get into the building, one has to enter through a door
\nin the space under the house. This is to make the building less
\nvulnerable to enemy attack.<\/p>\n
The house is different than other houses in the village. All
\nparts of the house are very big as it was built by a king. More
\nthan a palace, it also functioned as a venue for traditional
\nceremonies. There are two small rooms where criminals were once
\nlocked away. Now they are used to store kitchen tools.<\/p>\n
Once a royal house, the Omo Hada is now in poor condition. The
\nroof is leaking and the poles have lost their strength -- half of
\nthem have been damaged. Some of the house's ornaments have gone
\nmissing.<\/p>\n
The government once renovated the house, but the results were
\nfar from satisfactory. There was no transparency in the process,
\nand only the floor of the house was repaired.<\/p>\n
Sozalawa Bu'ulolo and his family, the 5th generation of the
\nBu'ulolo's clan, live in the house. Their presence could
\naccelerate the damage being inflicted on it. He says that he can
\nnot do much to fix the house because of lack of funds.<\/p>\n
The writer is the executive director of North Sumatra
\nHeritage.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/endangered-omo-hada-in-poor-condition-1447893297",
"image": ""
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