Indonesia is a famous country for its rich culture and tradition that can be seen in music, dances, and especially from traditional houses. As a part of the eastern island of Indonesia, West Papua also has its distinctive uniqueness that can be seen from their traditional houses. This province has several traditional houses that represent their cultural creativity. Rumah Kaki Seribu or Thousand Feet House is one of them.
The name of this traditional house originally comes from the number of stilts supporting the house’s foundation, linked to the number of centipede’s or kaki seribu legs. This traditional house also belongs to the Arfak tribe in Manokwari Regency. To get know more about this traditional house, here are four most interesting facts about Thousand Feet Houses from West Papua you should know:
One of the Indonesia Heritage
Rumah Kaki Seribu or Thousand Feet House has been considered one of the Indonesia Heritage from 15 National Cultures in Indonesia. This title is well-deserved since this traditional house represents the philosophy and cultural values of the Arfak Tribe. Not only that, but Rumah Kaki Seribu is also one of the efforts to preserve West Papua culture. If you want to see this traditional house, this traditional house is commonly located on the northeast side of West Papua.
Another Name Of Rumah Kaki Seribu
Rumah Kaki Seribu also has several unique names that come from other tribes. The Hatam tribes named it Igmam, which consists of two words and have meaning for each word. Ig means temporary house, and mam means origin Papua people living on an island or people living far from the beach.
Besides, Sough Tribes call this traditional house Tu Misen, while Meyah tribes call this house Tu Mi Aksa. From the Arfat tribe itself, they call Rumah Kaki Seribu Mod Aki Aksa or Igkoje, which means a house with high legs. This unique name eventually became the most famous one.
Room Compartments of Rumah Kaki seribu
Since this traditional house has unique architecture than modern houses, the room compartment is also different. This difference can be seen from the sleeping room divide between men and women. Unlike modern houses, Rumah Kaki Seribu has no rooms and is only divided into two sections, the right section for men called “ngimdi” and the left side for women called “ngimsi”.
Since Arfak tribes live in dense woods, usually the weather can be so cold at night. That’s why Arfak tribes complete this house with a heating section in the middle of the house to warm themselves up. This heating section can also be a place for family gatherings which is usually more than one family
Functions of Rumah Kaki Seribu
If you see this traditional house’s look, you may notice that this house is built from so many wooden logs. There are some reasons why the Arfak tribes decided to build a house like that. Since they live in the dense woods of the region, they believe that the wooden logs for the house can protect them from wild animals’ attacks, rival tribes, and black magic.
Besides their living place, Arfak tribes also use this traditional house as a place to save wealth, a family gathering, for a dancing place. Furthermore, Rumah Kaki Seribu also has other functions. Usually, this traditional house is used as an educational place for the children and tribal parties held directly in the ground.
Those are four interesting facts about Rumah Kaki Seribu from West Papua. As one of the National Heritage in Indonesia, this West Papua traditional house should be preserved by all parties. By doing that, this traditional house will not be dissolved in time even amid the incessant construction of modern houses.
