West Papua is well-known for its unique culture. Because of that, there are many beautiful art masterpieces that you can only find in this province. Here, we will show you one of the best things that the cultural creativity in this area ever created. We are talking about the west papua traditional houses, especially the one that the Arfak tribe uses as a living place.
The House Structure
The traditional house of the Arfak tribe in West Papua is called Mod Aki Aksa. Many of Arfak people build this house in the mountain area. Therefore, the design is suitable for the condition in the mountain, which has a low temperature.
Mod Aki Aksa is made from various materials that the Arfak tribe takes from nature. Therefore, they said that this house is one of the traditional houses in Indonesia that is easy to build. However, that is where the uniqueness of this house.
Every part of the house doesn’t use conventional material, like steel or cement. Everything is natural-based material. Mostly, these materials are available around the location where the house was built. And, that is one of the beautiful things about west papua culture. People in West Papua love to utilize what nature gives to them and be a part of their environment.
The Unique Part of Mod Aki Aksa
The Pillars
One of the unique parts of Mod Aki Aksa is the pillar. There are many of them. These pillars are made of wood with 10 cm (3.9 inches) of diameter. And, they place them close to each other at a distance of around 30 cm (11.8 inches).
Because there are so many pillars in west papua traditional houses, it got a nickname, which is the House of Thousand Pillars. Some people also call it the House of Centipede, because it has many pillars like a centipede’s legs. It also said that the Mod Aki Aksa name represents this unique pillars formation.
The Floors and the Wall
Those pillars have a unique function, which is the supporter of the roof as well as the floor. The floor itself is made of weaved rattan. Then, they put the wooden plank on top of it for a more comfortable place to stand or step on.
The wall also uses a similar wooden plank. However, they don’t nail it on the pillar. Instead, they use another rattan fiber to tie it up on the pillar, forming a strong and firmed wall. Sometimes, they also use tree bark to replace the plank.
The Roof
This house uses different materials than what you can see in a modern house. Instead of roof tile, people of Arfak utilize the reeds plant leaves. Moreover, people in West Papua also have amazing weaving skills. You can see it from how they weave the leaves for the roof. It creates strong and durable protection for the house. Interestingly, many Arfak people today also use iron sheeting for the roof. But, there are still many Mod Aki Aksa that use the traditional style roof.
The Windows and Doors
Lastly, this house doesn’t have any windows on its wall. They make it like this, so it can keep the warmth inside the house from escaping. As for its doors, there are two of them, on the front side and the back. On the inside, there is a big-sized room without a partition.
Conclusion
Isn’t it interesting? We hope you can learn more about West Papua from this article. And, when you have time, do not forget to visit this area and see the beautiful and unique west papua traditional houses. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed!
