bugis and makassar houses variation and evolution

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CHRISTIAN PELRAS ' \

Bugis and Makassar houses

Variation and evolution

I" South Sulawesi, the houses of the Toraja have long aroused keen interes t

.11111 are the subject of excellent studies (for example Kis-Jovak et al. 1988).

I inli l now, though, there has been a dearth of research on the house s o f

II,,·,,' lowland neighbours and ethnic cousins, who are primarily Bugis and

M.lkassar. This lack is all the more regrettable since recent research in eth

,,"linguistics and ethnography has clearly shown that although their back

glllunds differ, these three peoples share a largely common ancestry and a

'tlbhtantial number of cultural traits. Trus is contrary to the outdated opin

'"n still found in many guidebooks and popular works, which consider the

I11 raja to be 'proto-Indonesian', and the Bugis and Makassar to be 'deutero

Indonesian', meaning by tms that they belonged to two successive 'waves' of

M.llayo-Polynesian immigrants. Recent research in etlmolinguistics and eth

nllh'Taphy has clearly shown that these three peoples. although with different

h , H ~ k g r o w 1 d s , share a largely COlnmon ancestry and a substantial number of

, tI Ilural traits. These undoubtedly link them to otherwestern Indonesian peo

ple's, especially those of Borneo and South Sumatra, although they also dis

pl"y some common traits with the Moluccan peoples. This puts synchronic

'"1d diachronic comparison of these groups on a significant new footing.

The present article, dealing primarily with Bugis and secondarily with

M.lkassar houses, does not attempt such a comparison, but I hope it will

l'llntribute to that undertaking. This essay is based mainly on data collected

l'xlensively if unsystematically since 1967 throughout the province of South

Sulawesi. The data include the external aspect, arcrutecture, building pro

(t"',s, and symbolism of Bugis and Makassar houses, as well as whatever

,,·.'ltered data could be collected to document transient fasruons, progres

"V,· evolution, and the appearance of models that depart radically from the

pll'vious line of tradition. Further information and documentation was col-

I.., I"d on the few old Illl).;1k h,,,,,,,, that still survive in the Malaysian state

pi lohol" . Olhl'r ~ O I l n t l ' 4 \-vllh \'llllI,lhl(' information are B.F. Matthes's Bugis

.11 'd Ml1 " L 1 " ' ' - ; ~ l r d IllIP1\ill It " .• llld lIh'll ,ll'pt'nd,-'t1 1.'1hnographic atlases (Matthes



1. F r o ~ t view of a t r a d i ~ o n a l Bugis house in Simpang Kiri Sungai K a r a n } ~ .Ponhan, Johor(Malaysla), that is particularly faithful to the early

twenheth-century South Sulawesi model (1991)

874), as well as texts from the LaGaligo epic cycle (Mullammad Salim

1995). Although the latter are believed to have been com

mainly in the fourteenth century, they appear to refer to a civil ization

y placed between the eleventh and the thirteenth centuries. Therl'

a wealth of manuscript texts relating to the rituals and techniques of

construchon, and although these texts merit a thorough and system

vey, this has not yet been attempted.

Bugis houses in the twentieth century

reviewing the past and present evolution of the Bugis and Makassar

It IS useful to describe their main architectural features as they were

fore the 1950s, a time that marked the begiruling of dramatic changes in

ure of lowlandSouth SuJawesi. These features, described inmy previ

Icles on the BUgIs house (petras 1973, 1993a), can still be seen frequently

I IH\lfC 2. Side view of the same. At ~ h back (to t ~ left in the photograph), it, fea-

1lIl'es a kitchen built as an extensIOn of the mam body of the house (jongke),

with its typicaJ (and now rare) curved roof.

II I what I wil l refer to as ' tradit ional' Bugis houses for the sake of simpl icity.

Ilowever, they now coexist with various innovations, d i s c ~ s s e d I ~ t e r . , .

The traditional lowland South Sulawesi house (bola m Bugls , balla InMakassar) usual ly possesses fou r o f the seven s t r u c t u r a ~ features of th ;

"outheastAsian-type house as enumerated by Schefold: the trlparllte house,

the 'multi-levelled floor', 'gable finials', and 'differential treatment of root

and tip ends in the use of limber' (Schefold, this volume). Lacking the othe:

features of the Southeast Asian-type house - the 'outward-slanhng gables,

the 'outward-slanting walls', and the 'saddle-backed roof', and havingon

the contrary 'inward-slanting gables' or 'multi-tiered gable panels', 'verllcal

walls', and a 'straight ridge pole' - it thus belongs to what D u m a r ~ a y calls

the 'Malay type of the Southeast Asian house', which is also found In Malaya

and Sumatra as well as in Borneo ( D u m a r ~ a y 1987:27, 30). Indeed, the types

of Indonesian houses that most resemble the lowland SouthSulawesi houses

are found in South Sumatra (Pasemah, Rejang), although these are bUIlt

using the 'box-frame' construction technique, and i n ea st ern Kalimantan.



1 1 ~ ~ l l r t ' 3. Transportation of a house in Wajo', on the road from Singkang to Lll\.\ II

(1987)

III M,i1,'ysin they are most c lose ly related to the old Malay type 01 h,,"

",Ih'd /'lIlI/n" blllllbling pnnjnng (Abdul Halim Nasir 1985; Lim Jee Yuan I'IM

(I'lMUl'Cb 1 and 2), built using the 'H-frame' construction technique.

Ihave previously presented a structural analysis of the Bugis house U. 11l

I.t'l'oi-Gourhan's principles 01 the 'deg""s du lait technique' (hierarchill

dcgrees in technical phenomena) (pelras 1975, 1993a). This analysis is SUIlI

I11srized below.

As with other Southeast Asian houses, i t is not accurate to say that Ih

Bugis house is ' raised on piles'. It only seems to be so, since its posts (B. nil"

Mk. benteng), which stand on the ground on stone bases, are unbroken fro.

grotrnd to roof, and carry the beams on which the f loors of both the livill

quarters and the att ic rest. The first f loor is raised about two metres ollih

grolmd - sometimes more for older houses, sometimes less for newer onl

- and the space under the floor is usually completely open. Because of thi" I

have used the term'maisons aplancher sun,leve' inmy French articles, whi,h

corresponds to ' raised-Iloor houses' (see Domenig, this volume p. 497), Intheir basic lorm, they have a rectangular plan and leature a rool 01 the tyl

the Malays call bU1IIbllng pnnjnng ( li terally ' long roo!' , ' to be distinguish,'d

I InMalaysian Malay, bumbung means 'roof', not'ridge'as in Indonesian (this is t/liang bum

bltllg in Malaysian Malay).

I'igure 4. The frame of a house under construction near Kajang (1973)

,,,' ., hipped rool) . This roof has two inclined planes and a straight central

I,.' (Il. nlekke', buwungeng, Mk. bumblll1gnng), in contrast to the curved ridge

, ' h, ' TOl'aja houses, The weight 01 the rool is carried by the posts only and

I I'y the walls, which aremade 01 a lightweightmaterial. The lact that these

I' '"'C not sunk into the ground but stand on stone bases makes it possible

H'Il\(We and transport even the larger houses over quite long distances

I I ) l l l l l ' 3).

1111' wooden Irame is made 01 pieces l it ted into each other using pos t

".IIII'am construction (H-frame, in Domenig's terms) (Figure 4). Whether,I" IllIgis and Makassar ever used the box-frame construction technique

1I111·lear. The pos ts are l ir st provided with rectangular mortises through

hlo h the 1I00r beams (B. amteng, Mk. pnlnnggn) and att ic beams (B. ware',

II dMoso') will pass lengthwise, and the upperand lower connecting beams

I /",'/olo', Mk. pato'do') will pass widthwise . The I rame is then assembled

" Il1g neither pegs nor nails - by first fitting the transverse horizontallloor

,,,I .\Itic beams into the rectangular holes that have been made in the posts.

I" IlIl' case of a basic house, this forms a series of four 'porticoes'l as Pierre

".1 Sophie Clement have called SUcll frame elements in theThai houses they

I,,, I"'d (Clement and Charpentier 1974). Theseare then erected, and longitu-



11\',1111" ,In' IIhl'WI..,t' iiiit'd IIlln tht'II1 Ill. II I 1111 til I

1l111,1Irwd by Wt,'dglllg or, 1M L1w hdh.'!'I' ,11111'1. 11\ III hi

I 1111 \ \ ! l i l ' ! l 1 1 ' ~ l V l ' : - ; no roor'll rOJ" play, In sonw IlIndl,l· 1.111 I d

ItIlTlh'I,H liid b the UHl' or sinuous posts, which IOgl'lill'! "" 1111I I .. .1111 torllll lLlJdrilatcrals thatarc not ubject to d fOl ln, l !ul l l

111111 I HIIIl1A the beams into the posts, and erecting the rr . ll11e

Ilh 1111' hl'lp of neighbours and relatives, who are supervised

11,"'"14'" (13. p a l l r ~ bola, Mk. panni balla').

, I " IIII' rl'st of the frame, the roof truss is not jointed bu t nailed.

" "I'III1'nts would have been tied together withrattan fibres. The

' lillf; (Il. ale', Mk. pa'iongko') are made by professional workers.

I, "" l Ihl' Nipahfrlllicalls were usually used for traditional roofing;

II ''''1'''''''11 cylilldrica thatch or bamboo tiles would a lso be used,

. '" 1\ J,lvanesc clay tiles or Bornean wooden tiles. Gable panels (E.

II 'I/II/bllng layang) made of split bamboo matting or wooden""llling from one to several para ll el s lopes - used to provide

" 101 11ll' interior, but nowadays this option is rarely used and gable

• '''' made of corrugated i ron sheets. TIle walls are made up of

I '.,,,,,hoo matting or wooden planking that are fas tened to the outer

II II I'le fashion, making themeasy to replace. Formerly, the floor (8.

II ,(1111111'11', daserii') was usually made from split bamboo laths or, in

, houses, of areca wood. Tn the twentieth century this was replaced

10' ,'V bya jointed plank floor (B., Mk. knlabang, the same word used for

I ) Some of the planks are provided with slits that allow dust to fall

" whl 'n sweeping the floor. Most kitchen floors are still made of split

, "Ihat waste can fall easily to the area below.

1I,,,und level (B. awn bola, 'under t he hou se ') u su al ly remains

'10 '.1 II was formerly used to stall cattle, and now serves mainly as a

'" ""t during the day, and for storing buJky equipment. Both liquid

,'"I waste fall into the area under the kitchen from above; as a result

, "" is a gathering place for fowl and dogs. The middle level is used for

,,',Ice - usually for a nuclear family and its unmarried children, andIi 'ill'S also an aging parent or a married daughter.

IM"Iic, minimal house plan consists of three sets of three posts, which

" ,I 'l'ctangle with one post at each corner, one post in the middle of each

'"l d on e in t he centre: the lat ter is cal led the 'house's navel' (B. posi'

I Mk. poci' balln'). Such minimal models are uncommon - most houses

, mOre posts, both lengthwise and widthwise. In all of them, however,

,',11'1 delimited by the nine posts in the corner diagonal ly opposi te to

""nt entrance, with the posi' bola in i ts centre, is cal led in Bugis ale bola,

I ," l' proper' or the 'house's self'. This should not be confused with what

I ""'I'cans as well as the Makassar cal l the 'body of the house' (Mk. kate

ri ll10nri

Figure 5. Layout of a Bugis house

/ y •J

I.,,0 IiT I • •

/I

Ihearth

u b - _ -

9 Cosi' bola .,,0 t

-:s-..

I

I

I rilaleng

h t n _0 •r

lawa teng'a

rJ' ,risaliweng

secondary ritual post

h n ". ---.C

0riolo

h ( '

ul



1111' h. Inside a simple house near Pare-Pare: the plaited bamboo walls and splitbamboo floor provide natural ventilation (1979)

,, ' II down easily. A newly built house does not need permanent walls to

•• II"idered complete and ready to live in. Dur ing the f ir st month o f its

' '1 ',' li n, a few planks attached to the outer posts often serve the purpose

11,111 proper walls can be put up. Themost traditional kind of walls cons,sts

I l'oIl11'ls, frequently prefabricated, that are made of plaited or flattened barn

I H' ,11' sheets of spli t bamboo. Wooden panels are preferred for the f a ~ a d e .,II in the back where the kitchen is situated are usually made of plaited

II,IIl"', or even of loosely bound palm leaves. This facilitates the ventilation

I II1llke, which can also escape through the roof's thatch. Windows are not

oIlv needed in the s impler houses with walls of plaited bamboo, because1,\ 1'l;ht enters the house through the s li ts in the wal ls (Figure 6). In better

j"," ,,'S, however , t he re will be a few window openings (B. tel/ollgeng, Mk.

",,,"ga"g), sometimes in the s ide wal ls and nearly always between each

I ,', IIf pos ts in the f a ~ a d e . They are usually all f it ted with wooden bars and

j,IIlkrs (8. tallge').III ' until the 1960s, most tradit ional houses had no parti tions. An occa

,,,".d exception to this was a single lightmiddle partition (B. lawa teng'a,M.

11"1'""8 tang'a) that separated the front or 'outside' (B. risaliweng, M.,isulu');

, I \'\ hich non-relative male visitors were restncted, from the back or tnSldeuch a feature can also be found in some Sumatran houses.

I Ih. 111.11111'.111 WlthOll1 ,IllY ,HJdlluII1" (hgUI' fl)

1,1 I Ill l l lJ1HlI\ly, llll' 1t"1I111l body of II Bugi ... hOUht' I'" (uur p o ~ t h wHII' .111

111111 1'11·.1 IOl1g, I II ..· I I l h , ' r V ~ l l l " o or I " o l ' c l i o l 1 ~ h ~ l w " ' ( , 1 1 Ilw bit 'f dfL' ralkd lutt, I

Ifltl/rlllS 111 Bugi.s, UI' fmt/f1Sl.1rrlllg in M a k a s ~ < - I r , onl! thL' liun,bcr of SL'CliOl11i is It I I

III diHlinguish :-luh lypes of hou:icS Be ording to their length. Only I'l'Hid"1111

til till' hight'r nobility were allowed to have an uneven number of posIt> 11\ III

WI Ith (noI 'mll1ting a supplementary post for a possible lean-to), and fOIll ,.

Ill"" or more in Ihe length (although they sometimes have fewer). On I l l ' 011"

hill/; Mid,s of the 'lhree-section' and 'four-section' houses, a covered gall("l (II

IIIIIII'/IIS; Mk. jnJllbang) with a slightly lowered Aoor is often added. This w,,"I.1

hllVl' front 'nlrance at one end and, if there is no separate outdoor kitclwll ,

nlOking hearth at the other. It is not separated from the rest of the hall..... "

., I", "i lion . A few older models ofhouses a lso used to fea ture a cantilevl",.1

I'I.'tlmm (8. sOllrollg JIIpawoi, Mk. tala-tala) at the back that was somew".,1

h'f;llI'r thon the main Aoor, and which could be divided into small bedrollll'

(II Mk, IJili'), Possible additions include a separate kitchen (B. bola dnpd M ,,,,1/11' 1,"'/III/III1IS) al·the back of the house.This may constitute an extension III

"I" " ' 1"ISl.,') of the tnmping, with its own strongly curved roofing.' It ,,"101

lib u hI' lin Ollihuilding set in the same axis as the house, as in thegajah meu,tIlI .,

"'t.,I"v lVI'" of housc or ruma ben/ge of Pasemah, which is joined to the 11(>11 ,

10\ ., I ,"NI'd ",vered walkway (8. jambatang,Mk. tete). Alternatively, the kitch,'"

"'1'\ Ii" I'l'I'pl'ndicular to the main body of the house, and joined to it by .111

"1"'11 ,III' 1,1,1Iform (8. palalltareng). The latter two variants have become qlllh·

1.111' ~ t 1 d l additions to the back of the house are not taken into account wl1l'1l

d,'IIIIII'/; the house's self, which is always situated in the innermostcomer III

Iii,' houMc's body (even in large houses more than four sections long).

A110ther common add it ion to one s ide of t he front o f t he house is eith,·,

.1 HimI'll' landing (B. paladeng, Mk. pnlndallg) or, more commonly in 8uf;'

houscs, a covered entrance platform provided with benches (B. tego-Iego, M The staircase (B. n'delleng, Mk. tuka') leading up to this is a lwa\

parallel to the f a ~ a d e exceptin houses of the highest nobility. Their staircaM'

were set at r ight angles to the f a ~ a d e , and were usually sheltered by a rool

bola-bola a'delleng). Themain entrance door (B. babang,Mk. pake'bu') opcn,

t the staircase either at th e r ight o r left s ide of t he f a ~ a d e (never in till'

middle), and is shut by a flap (B. tallge', Mk. teko pake'bu') made of the san".

aterial (wood or bamboo) as the f a ~ a d e wall. There is often also a side doo,

theback of the house that leads to the detached kitchen. A bamboo ladd("

s used to reach this, and there is no prohibition on setting either this laddrr

the bamboo ladders of simple huts at right angles.

The walls of tradit ionalhouses are light structures that can be pu t up and



7, 11nskcl'S and cooking implements stored on a cantilevered rack (JlIlIlIl l l l

of the traditional houses of Karampuang, Sinjai (1979)

,.ililie/'lg, M. i/alang), which was the more private area of the hUll" II

(B. dapll,.eng, M. pa'pallua/'lg) (which is always oriented traMV,'" "II

e house's axis), or the kitchen if there is one , is a lways located at UII "

en today, most kitchens in such houses have neither cupboards nOl pI

store meat. Above the hearth, firewood and salt are stored on a SI1 '" II , I

(B. para-para, Mk. katu pepe'). Prepared dishes are hUl1g Ih"

i ted bamboo carriers to keep them away from insects. The WOI'l'WlI •

a squatting position, or sit on very low benches . There is no Pl'111I1l

Worklike

washingrice in basins,

or poundingspices and [""in woodenor stone mortars is done on the floor. Platters are also 1.1 I

the floor for mincing or chopping meat or vegetables. Until quite II'" " '

hcre was almost no furniture in the res t of the house except for rallolll It

Mk. jali'), mattresses (B., Mk. !ciso,.o'), and pillows (B. angka/'lgll/'lI/ '

ngang, kallongang). At night, the mattresseswere unrolled over a 1111,1

d curtains were then hung ove r t hem to provide sleepers with SIll'"

The attic, which could be reached using a ladder, was used to HI,"

eaves. In the past, the family's unmarried females slept there wh"11 II

male guests. Supplies (except for rice), clothes, and various bel,,"

stored in earthenware jars, and in baskets and boxes made o( ill

, I II "lllll ' I I , III '! , ' l l l t ' ~ ( ' Wl'l 'P I lwll pl,ln'd on l1 1\11,:"- {/lIIltI II I I I / f i l I I , .111 , I

"I, "I \ ' \ ' \ l l \ d ~ ' I l 1 - i j ' l l l i l l h 111,11 W.)S l.:onlil 'Vl"'t.'d fl'0111 IhL' oLill'1 \1\'lllllllltl. I Ill.

,I , ,[/,,' , (I "fi""" 7),

1111 w,tli dt'(,(,)I'dlioI1Hof l3ugis <1l1d Makassar houses was s p o n , t ' , ~ ' l,'l'pl!lllI II I v('d op 'nwol'k panels around t.he wjndow$ and at the gable 1 . ' 1 1 d ~ 01

! I l ' Illlhll' 110U1'lt't', More comrnon in the Bugis area were roof d e c o r a t i o r ' l ~I/I""S 111,/11, l iterally 'bowsp,' its of the house') at both ends of the r idge ,

I d, II II I h'd lIcc{)J'd ing to area. Those preferred in Wajo' were carvings of

h,l.oIllIl'o foliage, said to either ' rear up' (B. tetlong) or 'creep' (B. ma'kalolo).

,. '" I,,. I , '' 'presented a dragon (B. naga), with the head at the front and

I,ll ,01 IIII' back, whose claws (kant/ku) often appeared at each of the four

.. ' "I IhL' rooP The anjong of Bone houses were jus t simple skitt les of

I lV"od; those of Sinjai and Bulukumba were carved upright vegetal

'" "II,'n flanked on both sides by ascending animal motifs. Finally, on

III Itdo1W<.'si,'s western coast and i n the Makassar area in general, instead

' I IIw two extended bargeboards (the boards fixed to the verges of

,I " ~ 111<' two gable ends) formed a kind o f St Andrew's cross where

I t l i . I " i t , ~ · l t . ' d . 4

1IIIIIIrI ['voilltion oj traditional jo,.ms oj Bug;s and Makassa,. houses

'I I ll 'I"lively easy to reconstruct the evolution of Bugis and Makassar

1'"111 ih eighteenth century onwards using a variety ofevidence (old

Ih'"" main features are said to date from that time, old photographs,

I l l ld descriptions by early travellers and researchers, local manu-

I I hi i" not the case for earlier times. In the absence of archaeological

I II 1111"110 rely on less solid evidence taken from comparative lexicog-

11101 , 'Ihnography, as well as the interpretation of ancient texts.

'/'/l1nl! evidence

, I,. IV! Irk with lexicographical evidence, it has to be placed within the

,I Ih, ' I,resent state of knowledge of the languages of South Sulawesi,

I, h, I'0lheses regarding their origins, which are summed up in my

I !l1I1I Ihe dragon's head and tail are represented by foliage can indeed be seen as a

I. 'II Ilu ll lookplace under the influenceof Islam. In older times, the representation of

I 111I1I' i' explicit.

I' t,d bargeboards, which are found in commoners' houses and for which I have

I, III '4i'illI"C a specific name, are merely a decorative feature. They do not, as often

I " "Il l huffalo horns: thesemay only adorn the gables ofnoble houses.



I 11111,1\11 1,1 (1'1 li d 1I11Jh\1j II ) A · ' I ' . I I I \ , . I ' , J 1 I ' H , I ' ~ ~ , t ' I I t · I I I ~ 1 1 1II, 1 1 , " , I I . I ) ~ ' 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 d l l ' ) ~ IIl1gl';, t\·1.d.,il ..• .1I, M,lIhJ,lI, .lIltl 1IlI,q., I

"11 Itllllt·d \1111' hllh1l1'iIU suhgroup. I ht,\, h , I V ~ ' l W ~ ' 1 \ sludlt'd tll l '1

II II till' I I" . ., ' \1'.lI"111I'SO III hi"; \illi.1mpl 10 n ' ~ n l l " l n l l t " 'I',"t,

","1,1\\1" 1 l,lI\gllllg,·, l { ogVI ') 1 Mdls (197'l, 197,) h.l ... pul forw\lld II II )

Iholl "pl',lk"ls 01 Ih.l1 pruto 1 . l l l g U . ) g ~ · miHht h.1Vt' C ( ) J l) l' (1'0111 (1\1'1 I I

Bllllli'O ,IS lilt·", most logi '.11 point of dl'rMrtur '. '( h 'l--l' 1"('01"1(' Ill.l\ II I

',I'IIlI'd nil l lw Ult! ...1 of thl' M J k a s ~ a r Strait between present d,l\- I ' l l

.Illd I'olt.'w.lli.

Mil'" "l'Cl'nl reseJrch by Sander Ad.<:!aar ( 1 9 9 5 a ~ 1 9 9 5 b ) 1''' '" I

,,'111,11 '.)hk' fJcts: f j r . ~ that the cluster of languages in we,1 ""111,,11 II,

~ l l U W I 1 ~ l ' amanic' (including Taman, Malol1, and Kafis) lIlldllld,'

hl'llll\gs to thc same subgroup as the SOllth Sulawesi langu,'gVI , 111ld

!llld, Ih,lt in southeast Borneo there is clear evidence of conldel 111'11111

"\I-Illh entury between the ancestor languages of Malgaclw (M.d,

,tlld 1 . 1 I ) ~ l " ' g C S of both the Barito and South Sulawesi s u b g r o u p ~ . /I" '" I

III M d l ~ , there is also evidence that Proto-South-Sulawesi s u p c J ' s ~ ' ~ h ' d I

) ~ I I I " " I I I . _ ' substratum that may have been related either to the Pmnoll.1 .II

(ltullle!'1 known as 'Bare'e Toraja') of the Central Sulawesi sllbgnllll' .

lilt' BUl1gku-Mori subgroup , while other evidence points to the MlIl1d I II

,hgroup. On the other hand, while acknowledging the existenCl' " ' ,I

",1\' SIIuth Sulawesi language subgroup, 010 Sirk (1975, 1989) 51"" , ,

11\ general, these languages are closer to other SuJawesi language 1'luhrl' •

Ih,1I1 10 any Born""an language subgroup except for Tamanic. He arg'" II

IlI'" supports the case for local development rather than irnmigl'i'ltltlll "

Illll"l1eo. Assuming that the diffusion of language must have been 1,,,

with the diffusion of traits of lllaterial culture - includillg hi"

mstruction and architecture - one can also assume that the terms l'l'l.lh ,I

use parts and building techniques at least partiy reflect a distanl!,. , I

same time, this may help to account for the striking differences b,'11

raja modelsof houses and Bugis and Makassar ones, in spite of the 1,,, I II

' Toraja, Bugis, and Makassar languages belong to the same subgr''''I'

It is surprising that in these languages only a small proportion "' 'I

for parts of the house are related, namely: alliri (B., 'post'), a'nll II

< *5aDiRi (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian, 'post'); knso (B., archai, I

r.) < *knsnw (PMP), 'rafter'; bnbnng (B., 'door -opening'), bn'ba (Tr., 'dllll' I

(PMP, 'door'); renring (B., 'wall, partition'), rinring (Mk. 'wall'), , ..

(Tr., 'wall') < *dillgdillg (PMP, 'wall'). Other related words have ta,,'" ,

erent meanings, such as pnrn (B., 'storage rack'), as compared with I

'outward-slanting upper part of the gable'), and rnkkeang (B., 'aU" I

with lnkkean (Tr., 'elevated platform used as a resting place fll' II

in death rituals'). These few shared terms, which in fact belong 1"lh

II l ' l I ll i l M . II , l yo Pol r'll'liinn hlock, 111,1 indk,\It, ,1111'111 h 11,111 oi l I

I II I Ilu, nllll'r hllnd, l"dh:"xl':4 or Ihe Ipl"m ~ I J f I I / I / I I wlill I ll ., 1111.111111,

ti l • III II 11 l(H1 to Ihl'T()f;\j.l MH.t llnlt'a] Sulawesi and MUll,l UlIIIIIlI.1I1

In l lP , w l l l ' l " ( ' a ~ they mean' unifY, domain' in both th ' BugI'...1 Itd

II 1 , I I l H t h l g t . ' ~ , Tht' Proto-South-Sulawesi term for 'house' was pfoh

. , w ,lh rl'f!exes in the kOlljo Makassar dialect (also balin' in standard

"I "'1"'; MJndar: sapo (also bojnllg in standard Mandar); Bugis: sao

, 1,1 III _1.lnd,!'d Bugis); Embaloh: sno; Taman: SOD. Interestingly, other

I, III ·"tlJlu arc to be found in Sumatra and Mentawai. The existence

'1''' .111\1 in add it ion to a *ban"a area might tentatively be explained

liPllllH tl'h'll the diffusion of the word *sapo bears witness to the intro-

" ""I " new ( 'Malay '? ) type of house around the seventh century AD,

"" II Sumatra to Southeast Borneo. However, the differences that exist

, II II", 'J'o!'aja houses and those of the Central and Southeast Sulawesi

I I, ",lVI' et to be explained.

"",lti( evidence

"1',11 ""n is not limited to purely linguistic aspects but also extends to

., 1.1 "I both material and non-material culture (including its specialized

l/\llli1gy), one cannot help noticing the existence of remarkable con

II' '" between the cultures of South Sulawesi, and Borneo and South

,', I (,"pecially Malay) in such areas as metallurgy, goldsmithery, weav

.1\. growing , and music , and to some extent architecture,s This is in

.1, d nlntrast to Central Sulawesi.

hI !'olhesis put forward by Duman;ay (1987:49) is that Toraja houses,

""'lI1gkabau and Batak houses, perpetuate a form that originated from

I ' "' Ii 'on ) typeof house with a 'saggingtruss'. This type ofhouse, which

I III I',ld throughout all of Southeast Asia by around the first century AD,

I' II Ily replaced in the thirteenth century by a new type with a roof of

"," "rigin. Toraja houses differ from Bugis and Makassar houses not

""\,Iuse of their mof and a number of other outward features. They are

III',IlIy diffecent as well: Toraja houses are of the box-frame type, and

, , .,·d e ithe r on posts connected by rai ls or (infrequently) on a crossed-

IIh I!'ucture (Kis-Jovak et a1. 1988:68), while the Bugis houses are H

ilI' tructures with raised floors, and are quite similar to ancient models

111.,y houses (Lim Jee Yuan 1987).

I"I ,I i'pmparison of weaving looms, techniques, and terminology, see Pelras 1993.



265

1 l 1 ~ . 1 1 1 1 1 I L \ r p r e t a t i o n of all of the above evidence, one can tentatively a s ~ u m e, 11"'11' we're three successive types of houses in early South Sulawesl: the

III II t \11<', which may have been called *banllo but whose common features

IlIlh lilt [(1 ascertain, followed by the 'projecting gable' type, which sur-

111 1""Sl,,,t-day Toraja houses, and later by the Bugis-Makassar-MandarI I"" h,'pS of Sumatran-Malay origin, and known by the term *sapo,

Ii '"I',lIlhi' type failed to establish itself in the Toraja mountams. But Hus IS

II •1Il\ll'llurc, and a more thorough analysis should be made that takes Into

11111 ltH,\)! variation in architecture and vocabulary across the entire area.

II 1I1111ld i11 lude notonly houses but also other kinds of structures, includ-

Ill, I J , " t 1 , ~ a . These are temporary ceremonial halls that the Bugis now usu-

II 1IIIIId <lnly for weddings, but which bissll priests have used as temporary

l 1I11t· ... for worship fr m time immcmorial.6

I , h '1'\'1l Ihis period and the ('fHI ninct('cnth century, not many changes

II I 1111111\,\' (clken pld (' in hOll<"\' (orn, \-,)).,;1 building teduliques. The older

" A Irl1ditional house with sunken posts in Karampuang, South Sinjai (1979)

,,1,/ ",'''I''lio/7 oj South Sulawesi architecture

264

Literary sources

The earliest written evidence concernjng Bugis houses can be found II I

La Galigo texts, which appear to refer to a civilization that TnllSl hd\\' ,. I

from the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries. Although these texts ro"I.I,,"

systematic descriptions of houses, what they do say about them w, 111.1 ,

to apply to models s imilar to those used by the Bugis unt il the n i""' "

century. As one might expect from epic texts, the houses mention"d

those of princely, semi-divine heroes and were ca]jed 'palaces' (Iallgl"",<!

these texts. We know from later times, however, that only their larger dill.

sions, better materials, and a few outward signs of status differentiall'd '"

from ordinary houses. They were at least eleven sections (twelve pl"'" I,

and eight sections (nine posts) wide, compared to the three-by-thr (' ",,110

that made up the average traditional house of people of lower rank. />11'

epic exaggeration, the houses of the main heroes of La Galigo texts ,111'1','

gigantic proportions (up to a hundred sections in length). Even though 'h

are saId to have housed hundreds of people, they only have one 11110 101

partition (Iawa teng'a or sawang [angkana), which strictly separates till' ""Ipublic, from the inner, private part of the house, The highest-ranking "'"""

ned gU'ls may have small sleeping rooms (goari) at their disposal h ,','.

In the La Galigo texts, these houses seem to have no furniture exr", 'I ,

:ori?llS, k,inds of wide, curtained divans (lamming). This is where high 11111"'g II1d,v,duals would sit during the day (with the curtains open) and I, I

"I night (with the curtains closed). There are up to seven layers of CUI I,,, It

(Illil/I/[JII, boca') made of colourful cloth, often brocaded, embroid"I 'l 'd ,

d 'cornted with applique motifs, Present-day nuptial seats used in pi "" , I

weddings attempt to reproduce this model, although they usually ma,,' "

f m dern beds. These lamming might be better represented by the m"oI, I

pelamillan ill the reconstructed Minangkabau Palace of Pagarruyung (IV, I

Sumatra), where princesses in ancient times would have taken their1'1",1

I,view of the striking similarities between examples of such couches/n''I''',1

seats among a great number of coastal Indonesian peoples, the archelYI" , I

such pelamll1an/lammmg might be oneand the same, and perhaps of ril'l"

or Malayu, Sumatran origin. Domestic implements, and baskets (11' " I ,

(pelli sabl/ro, taillmbll) made of sheaths of sago palm leaves and conl,,'''''"

lothes and textiles, are placed on racks (porn). Implements of foreig" ""

gin such as mirrors, jars, china plates, and various types of metalli V\"" , I

are imported either from 01' through the w,' sl ,' rn par t o ( the ar hil'I'/.1

('Malaju', 'Marangkabo', 'Jawa'), 01' (rom l"oIi" ('KI'liing').



The later evolutiol1 of Bugis al1d Makassar hOllses

It was perhaps in the second half of t1w n i l w ! l ' ~ ' l 1 t h ~ t ' l l l l l l - lh,)1 D ni,.'W hP11 I

building technique appeared, in which II1\' IIp'lI ... WI' Ii ' no IOl'lgl'I' dr'IVt'll 11111

1111llld hut pl.ltl'd on 4lonL' fOllntl ..: l l i o n ~ . This made it quit' e a I t l lTlOVt '

I I 1 11 1' hIght'" h O l l " ' l ' ~ from onl' plJ e to nnoth 'I', This new tcchniqll(', tOft!'lh

IIII lilt' 'portico' tl'(,'hniquc used for the cn ."Ction of the frame, m.IY h..l \ I '

1l111l1100;Vl'd from Iht' Mal.1ys, since this has been widely used in 1\11,11.1\.1

I I h,lillll1d. As it requires more precise carpentry than the p r e v i O l l ~ 0111' II

II I ,d'ltl h.)vc d pcndcd upon I'he availability of more sophisticat\.'d t .11111'11

111111, lhl)n those previously used. The other changes that pr gJ"p"'-l I \ I 'l \

,I 111111 t' ()l'lly affected the houses of the aristocracy at first, since l h i ~ gnH III

1111\ .-d liw privilege of innovations il) furniture as well as in other .11'1..,11-1 l'tll

11111 ", oll ly the nobil ity were permitted to use squared-off or 0 ''It.lglJl1,11

I Ill.,h'nd of rough-hewn ones, and floors made of wooden planks i f1l;lt'lld

, 1,/11 h,"nboo, whieh permitted the introduction of Clipboards, beds, Inbll'H,

. I, I ,, ,, ,, , Following the Dutch takeover of South Sulawesi in 1906, th e 1.11

UIlI\ I \ 'oIl ions were gradually adopted, and further promoted by tr'adc in

k i l l Ilh1de manufactured goods, diffusion of Western cultural n,od'ls,

I tllllhllivcs of the colonial administration. For example, the coJOniol gov

1l1l"llll'llcouraged the use of corrugated iron roofings for reasons of health

1.,1 IIloring was seen as a nest for vermin) and safety (the replaterTIenl of

II, h h\ mrrugated iron lessened the risk of fire).

,,1/1111111 of sell/elllellt pallents

1,1 Illl' hOl'S s, the patterns of Bugis settlements have also 1lI1,h-"f\llll('

1'ltlW' ovcr' the centuries. The settlements described in the La Galig( .., It' IN

1Illllllh'd on moderately high hil ls near dyer estuaries, on eillllJ. 'I MI'd

' I '" 1.1ke shores. A landing downhill is where people take th,,", .1.111\

III lInd where women do the washing_ In later t imes - arouJ'HI Ih, t' IiiII'

III j'nlh 'entury - it seems that seclil-ity considerations led peopletu .. '''1,111

II I III I IllbL'r of new, partially fortified settlements located on much l 1 " I ~ ~ I H ' 1I III summits, such as Sewo, Gattareng, and Bulu' Matanre in Sop pellg,

I IIIJlLl' Aruang in Bacukiki'.

III II", I"urle 'nth century, people began living on floodplains, when' i1wy

'wd lip r.Jin·fcd rice fields. One can gather from the texts of diversc'" l( ',11

'1111 !t'.. that their houses were sometiJlles isolated, or loosely gather . i, or

"lll'd lIl1t) t;ll1all clusters near cultivated land. These settlements, 11()\lVcvl'!',

II 11111 ,llholutcly p rll1ancnt, nnd the texts often m ntion as common l pll\u'

It t.ll'hl growlh or sudd 'n dl\"ll'l'lion, uS w II as the movement of I K.'oplt.'

'Ill I ' l d ~ t ' In pl.)CL', In Ihl ' Il1lddl(' of !l1usl d(H'l'l,lins 01' petty p ( ) l i l i e ~ ( l l l tl l/l ltI)

H dl'!I'IlSlvl' t ' n c l o : - . w · ~ ' s (1m/a) I ht"'l' c'nTlliihh'd <if ,111 ('"wtlwn I , l l t l ~ , """",ilh ,l

llill' ll Mhwk,Hh'hlll'pl\'lllt'lllt'd wllllll1l1l11Y .llllllh:J ('I'P 1('<.1 on i l r'idHt', '1.'lll'Nl'

I 1ll'lIdt' lilt' vnclo4ull,1 (II/I/II'''S 1)11111) 1,,\'1'1" lItll nih", III IIw Hid, I t'II"'11I' III

( 'III /'.11//11 1'1 II ,/266

sketches, which date as far back as the l\.ll"1y ~ l ' v \ ' l l l t ' t " l l l h n.'nlur , o,;hllW 111 I

sturdy wooden houses that fit the La 'i;1Iigo d t . . ' ~ c r i p t i o l 1 s . W' Lin ohldlll

more precise idea of how older models of Bugis and Makossar h o u s e " ~ '"') hi

have looked by examining examples of houses people say are 'hun,h,·d "

years old'. Three of them are situated in Karampuang, in the mount,,", ,I

the Sinjai regency in the southern Bugis area (Figure 8). Several otl1<'r ,. 01111

pies are to be found in Tana Toa, the traditionalcore ofthe Kajang don1.ll11 II I

a region where the coastal kOl1jo dialect of Makassar is spoken Thes . h ,, "

must conlply with a number of rules and prohibitions concerning pl°tltl il lor techniques considered by the people there to be technical innov,dllllll

introduced after the advent of Islam in the early seventeenth century. S,,, II I

also the case for a few houses in Cen,kang (Ussu', northern Luwu'), ,11.1",

l inked to the Bugis myth of origin. Even though one might doubt th .. t Ih,

houses could have survived intact over the centuries, one can prcsunw III II

because of their sacred status, repairs or replacement of parts would h,'

been done in accordance with the original.

These houses had their posts driven into the ground, and all inforlll,'"'

agree t ha t such was the case not only with these houses, but also wilh ,II

older houses. In Karampuang, the staircases in two of them lead up frolll II,

ground under the house to a trapdoor in the floor, and are provided wllh

heavy counterweight. There are no lower connecting beams in h O l l s ' ~ \ \ I I"

posts sunk into the ear th . Although the floor beams are fitted throuf\h II,

postsin both the Karampuang and Tana Toa models, informantsinsisllh,,' II I

fernler times the floor beams were tied to the posts with rattan b i n d i n g ~ , ,"Illthe rafters were tied to the truss in the same way. Such a technique cnll , I, ll

be seen in the houses of Ussu' , which follow the prohibition of not all"wII'

the ara.tel1g to pass through mortises.

Between the La Galigo period and the nineteenth century, though, " I, \

changes must have taken place. For instance, we know that at the turn "I II.

seventeenth century a few pieces of furniture began to find their way 1111

the richer houses of the high nobility, as evidenced by the Portugues ",,,,,I

borrowed to name them. It was at this time, then, that chairs (B., Mk. kad,.",

Port. cadeira) and tables (8., Mk. lIlejallg < Port. mesa) began to appear, illli ,I

ing the replacement of split bamboo floors with wooden floors, and '"111 ,I

openings in the outside wall sometimesbecamereal windows (8., Mk./I/I,d, I

< Port. jane/a).



2h9

", III ,1 1I'IId,llon,,1 U l l g i ~ house is distributed according to gcndl'r: llw

I I 01 I II I IH ' hOW"l' it" considC'rcd the men's section, and the ba k P<Ht lhv

I' \VII.'lll'Vl.'rpossibl', each of these sections has its own entran c,with

.1 llll' j l l l l l l fOJ" 111t,'I1, and 011 at the back for women. In actual fart, tlh 1

d 111111 I I I 'ClI '11!1011Iy lIsed by the women of the house, women kinfolk, .1I'Id

Illlli'" wlwn appropriate , but the back door is seldom used b n1l'l1,

111t\ Ill\' l11('n of the family, and almost never by outsiders. The WCH'I'I 'Il

olio 1\ ',I.ly in the front part of the house , but avo id it when unr ~ 1 ~ 1 h . ' d", I, ,11,' visit ing. onversely, although the kitchen at the back is Ih,'

" "',,1m, Ihe men of the family do sometimes come here, especially tn

110, II <I,lIly meals. A specifically feminine part of the house is the atlie,

," " " s to red. Even the men of the family seldom climb up there.

I h- 111\ l,..ion of space according to gender is most visible during visits by

1111 "",I",,: they are confined to the front part of the house along with the

_ II IIII' (lunily, and the women avoid the area unless they are bringing in

I '" "1I,,,r refreshments. The men then eat aJone in the f ront par t o f the

"HI Ihe women - including female guests - eat in the kitchen or th

t I "I ,,' the house. When a big feast is given, honoured female guests may

.. 110,· honl part of the house, because the kitchen will be crowded with

I II I iltlking and making pastries; although themen and women remain in

II I l l ' ~ ; r n u p s , the segregation is not so strict. After the meal is finished, the

" I <'I "I ' ,md go to sit elsewhere (for example, on the balcony, oron rattan

I, til II", lounge in the front part of the house, where they may driJ1k coffee

I , d'HI "l11oke cigarettes (formerly, they would have chewed betel).

III Iltlll 'lhll'y, rather than a strict and permanent distribution of space, one

.0101 I""tk o( a flexible scheme in which women benefit from those areas

II I"" t I'"rt, the attic) that are protected from the intrusion of those male'

I " I" , who would normallyonly have access to the'male' section ofother

'1'" houses. At a more general level, one can say that the house is the

I ,,' ' I l l 01 women, not men. It is indeed usually iJl.herited by the youngesl

1 1 I 1 ~ l h l l ' l Ilowever, the Bugisman is not a visitor in the house of his wife 01'

,II ... , ,lI1d (ecls genuinely at home there. This is in contrast to the situalion

Illtlllf. nlhl'r Indonesian etlmic groups such as the matrilineal Minangkabtlu,

'I I II \'1'11 l,mong lhe patrilineal Batak and the bilateral Acehnese.

IJIIIlI Il'l.'ently, certain peculiarities of the houses were related to lht'

II I I' ",Id('l' in the so ial hierarchy. The Illost conspicuous one ha I to do

1111 110 .. numb 'r of pan I Ih,ll m,ld,' lip the gable (til/lpn' Injn', Mal"y t"'Jl/1'

,,) 110,,,,, h.ld to be Iwo sll< h 1'.111,,1, roll II", 10WN nobility, th,,· ,· (or 1111'

lliddh I\llbdily, ( j V l ~ for tlw IlIghl'l IIlIhlllly "I,d '"It'Vl'n (or Ih ' l'uh.'rs of tlw

1111111 Ihl)jl I..lngdnrn... Mi l h . l ~ j 111\\'11 1llIIIIl W,IIO', SOPI'W"hl M\l l Sid"1l1l1l1g,

CIlI/'I/111I1 "l'l,,168

the word, noreven fortified settlement:;, but Wl'l"l' l'..lthl'l' prot· ll'd .1It .1

the people of the wanua could come and take helt '[in as \ or w.\I

Such areaswere not completely built up. They included (ields, 1,1",,1 ,I'

gardens, coconut and other fruit-tree groves, and of course J It'W II I III

tlements. These settlements usually harboured one of the lord's H' hi. II

where the domain's regalia were kept, and after Islamization Willlhl I

have included the local mosque. There were neither shops nor WI \I I 1" I

Trading took place at marketplaces scattered around the v a r i O l l ~ (III I.

of the wnnun, while art isans used to gather in specialized settlen"'''1 ", I \I

smiths (as in Massepe, Sidenreng), pot-makers (as in Kampiri , W"I" I

boat-builders (as in Ara', Bulukumba). When he visited Tosora (11w 10, ,,'

ancient Wajo') in 1840, James Brooke described it as 'a large str"m.;I"'1

greatly in decay; the ancient boundary of which is marked by a (01'111" ,,,

which embraces a space of severalmiles in circumference, and 0 CLIpI I'" I,· I

eastward a slightly elevated ridge, and to t he westward sinks 10 " ,." ""

(Mundy 1848:55). His description, of course,was correct, but not hi" 11,1, 'I '

tation: the fact that the area was only partly settled had nothing 10 .I " "

decay - it had probably always been so. Some other settlements in '10, '"

area were quite important: in 1840 Brooke's estimate of Lagosi, the ''''1''1 ,I

the Pammana wanua, was 'at least a thousand houses' , which aCC('lldlll I

him corresponded to around 10,000 inhabitants. But this, too, was Ill"',extended cluster of villages than a city in today's sense of the word.

The factors that favoured the mobility of Bugis settlements and Illl' I, .. t

cities a swe know t hem i n the West were indeed generated by the v e , ~ , "

acteristics of the Southeast Asian house, of which the Bugis hous' j, .. I I

ieal example. The necessary building materials (wood, bamboo, and v"I,' I

covering such as palnl1eaves, sugar palm fibre, Imperata grass, 01' IMllIl"

tiles) were readily available, could be processed everywhere eaSily, "nd , "

inexpensive. The construction of these houses was a progressiv IHpl1

since up until this point they were made of interchangeable parts and,""IIbe gradually enlarged quite easily. One could thus begin with a vcr)' \1"1 I

bamboo hut, then replace it with a sti ll simple bu t slightly mor "1"1,,,, ,I

wooden house that could be improved bit by bit. Even big houses co"ld I

taken apart and reassembled elsewhere, since they were construcled "1111" I

by jointing and binding. The smaller bamboo houses could even b,' '"' ' ,.1

without first being dismantled, but because the posts of the bigge, wood, "

houses were sunk into the ground, these first had to be cut off at t1wi,' 10" ,

in order to move such houses intact. 1n the 1960s, such method" w,' " , .1111

being used on some of the surviving old houses.



271

III IIIl M ~ I L t " ' j , t l .\1\',1, Ilw 111111""'" 11.'\ I I 1\ hit II l' .11>"1 I n l" lh ' d i ll t ht ' 1ll,11Il 1l(l'.1 (/If'/lII'II,,\

I I I lll.'d 11f"''' lit/Uri. II\\' III I,d 11,\\,,11 .111. tl I"M I "111/". ,\lid till' hU,I!'!' .1.1\.d IIf'f I III /1"',,\

,hll,I"·,,. h"Il'.'· •• lIId hll,ll ,11.' "II, "II 1.111. J h' 1'1 11\ t l , ~ h l ' I I I ) \ ' ~ 11" 'lll ..,l 111,11. 1,IHII lI '1 , I"

I I I ' M,1l'king of the 'navel' post (posi' bola) with blood by the bride'sfather on

11ll' eve of his daughter's wedding, i.n Balannipa, Sinjai (1978)

1.1 JIll' IJl1ivcrse to the 'land's navel' (posi' tana, which can still be fot.md in

llutlu1j pf I3Llgis wanua' or territorial cOmJllunities), to the 'heaven's navel'

/,,'111'11, ,1 ,pecial decoration that hangs from the middle of the canopy

,I" 1""lt'"ly bridal settee (lamming)), to the post barJlga (the middle postof

,. ' ''1"1rdry halls that were formerly built, and are still built , by the few,II 1I11lng hisslI priests for the perforn1ance of solenm pre-Islamic rites), and

,I" 1,,,,,1'. navel' (posi' lopi, a hole in the bot tom ofthe hold used in impor

" ,It", th.ll lake place before a boat is launched)8 As is the casewith all of

""v"l.: the post bola i s the house's main spatial axis, and the place of

01, ", .. "f the main spirit guardian (pallg'onroallg bola), whose vital force

11'. ",') is ",sential to the prosperity of the building and to the well-being

II 1111 IIp.lIltS. For this reason, when the frame of a house is erected (an

"OI' <lftl'n equaled with Ih" h,",,,". birth),9 at weddings of the family's

27U

Many noble houses could also be r ogl1l/l'd hy 11ll' p J ' C ~ l ' n C l ' ,II liw 1"1

the gable of eithera buffalo or stag had, 01' i l wl)odl'n represl'nt,ll HHI I II I

the middle and higher nobility had the r ight to have thei,· ,IJin d"

lengthwise instead of the usual crosswise, and only the higher nobilih .. ,

certain domains the leading nobleman, had the right to use an inclj, ll 'd I,j 01

of bamboo (B., Mk. sapana) instead ofan ordinary staircase. In en h d ..", ,

polity, or kingdom, specially appointed officers were in charge of pn'\" "'01

people from using symbols inappropriate to their rank.

The cosmic aspec ts of Bugis houses were no less importanl th.OI' II

social ones. According to the Bugis pre-Islamic worldview, whi h ,Iill I"

vails today among many of them, there is symbolic eguivalenc' h..t\ ,

five socia-cosmic realities: the universe (alang), the territorial COl11l1l1l1llt

(wanua), the house (bola), the boat (lopi), and the human body (ate 11111). \ "

correspondences between their respective parts both vertically and hili I •

taBy.? Thus, in the house there is a symbolic equivalence between lh, .,11

(rakkeang) and the upperworld (langi'), and the space under the hou" I"

bola) and the underworld (peretiwi) (both of wh ich a re the abode s f Ih, i"

Islamic gods (dewata) somepeoplenow consider to be jinns), while til<' ,,,,

floor (salil1/11) corresponds to the middleworld (lino) where hlUnankind Ii ,

When complete rituals are performed at home, offerings for the upp'" \ ,., I

are brought close to the house's navel in the attic, while offerings Ii 1I II

underworld are submerged in water in a big basin set near the enll,lll'.

ritual post (the post supporting the staircase).

Horizontally, the internal terms of orientation are the front (%nIlN, '11111

also of a boat), the back (mllnri, 'aft' ), the side closest to the entranet' " . .,

(toddang, 'foot'), and the side opposite this (ulu, 'head'). Formerly, the ,,, ,,,I,

the house had to face inland (a}a', which now means west, its opposill' ii, 101

alall', which now means east), but nowadays mos t houses face till' "" I

Rainwater must flow under the house from the 'head' side to the 'fOOl' , ,.I

which accounts for the entrance door being located at either the lefl 101 "t I,side of the front. The core of the house (ate bola, 'house's self') iscomp"'.,·" , I

the nine posts adjacent to the comer diagonally opposite the entrann' di l l I

in the middle of these is the house's main post or posi' bola Chouse', n,II' I

which can be found in all houses, and not only those belonging to til<' ", ,I "I

ity, in contrast to what prevails among theToraja. The sguare portion ,, ' , I""

(su' bola, 'house's corner') situated between this post and the corm',' ..I 110

house is one of the most sacred spaces within the living quarters. Tlw P \ II I

and his wife should sleep there on their firsl night in Ih house.

The house's navel is comparable to t1'll' o ...mil" r'n'l' linking till' Ihlt'l' II

7 l1H:'rt.· j <In (,XCl'Il(,1l1 dcscriplHltl \ll Iht' ".IIIh' hllll I Hili 1'1111 .. \ Illholl"111 (hIlU"I' ,. I I

1'<1oI1 .IS il hOlN') for Hulon I l l ~ ' Sl\lIlhnn liN 1'1



II III PW">l'ntation of food offering ... to a spirit's house (lHJ/a 1>01/1 tll/u"l/a) hy

II (IIIYO (ritual practitioner) in Tonrangcng, P ~ 1 n : . ' i - r J r ~ (1973)

1111 f'rJ/llltrJIIlowar(/s IIco-traditional Bugis and Makassar houses

>l1"d"111 c"volulinn of B u ~ i s and M a k a s ~ a r h o u s C ' ~ i inl'xtricably n'l,lled

, I d It l l I llP",. Or$' of t h l ' ~ ( ' is the ~ ( ) ( , ' i ( ) political hanAl's nee-oml ,lI1ylllH

I , I"" IP,I- of hi'lory, n,lnwly 1101, h 11111' (II/Or, 10 1'141), II", ),11""""'"

II 1111 10 n1e that the most important symbolic equivalence fol' h O l l ~ l ' ' ' 'II P 1$1 hOJIs - is with living beings. This was c1cnrly expr sscu b sor..,\.'

1IIll111lllints, who equated the rituals accompanying both 111(.' ('I\.'(!iOr1

III l l l i l lfw'ri !1nvel post and the plugging of the boat's navel with l h o ~ \ '"I ' II 'viII>; Ihe cutting of a chi ld 's umbil ica l cord. The h o u s ~ and bO,'1

I I"'" I I I" "WI'S (re!.pectively the sOl1ro bola and SOIlYO lopi) were ("IU,ll"d

",,, .. mlt/' (midwife) during construction and in thc first year (ollowinhI 1 1 1 I 1 l 1 ~ 1 tlw housc, and with a sauro pn'bllra (healer) for the periodic rilu

111'01,,, 111 subsequently. The t r a d i ~ o n a l pre-Islamic rites p e l ' f o l ' l 1 1 ~ d by

"",,/10/11 .11"(. often interspersed with Islamic rituals, just as <.\1'(. tlw ritt.·"

IHI 111'rllwml'd fol' l iv ing b ings.

( I" I 111111 I', 1,,1272

daughters (Figure 9), and on olh 'I ' OlT<l!'oipll"l, It l ... tlw 'oI l\ ' nf 1l11pOl'l'l111 I l l l

which include smearing it with the blood of oJ t h l ( ~ l ' n il l ul" lh' l ' to ... t l l · l l ~ .1

its sumange'. Similar rites are also performed for the hOLlSl"S s{'('on"!.ll \ I

guardian, who is considered to reside near the entTancc, ell Ii'll' pll',l "l

which the staircase rests.

The att ic is also an especially sacred part of the house. In till' lillll ,

some traditional Bugis there is often still a place where the ricedeily S.llIl '

Serri isworshiped in the form of the 'rice mother', This is a r ic e 111.01111.' 1111

up of the first and last rice sheaves, which have been ritually cui Jnd ,'111 I

broughtback and welcomed home. The area behind the front gabl" i, .11', ,II

important part of the attic. ntis is where a plaited bamboo tray (mil ,,') " II

and upon which offerings to the ancestors are laid on certain occasioll II

often alsowhere the earthen pots arehung thatare used to keep theaII,'" '" I

and umbilical cords of the children who were born in the house. 1\11",,1

level in many houses - even those of practising Mus lims - a bOUle " ' "II

contai.ner of water is hung at the top of the house's navel in order Il> I'"

fires .1O In the a tt ic s of houses belonging to a number of tradition,,1 1"'''11

structures in the shapeof miniature beds (palakka)," or miniature hou"," IIbola a'karame'kelIg) complete with small mattresses, pillows, and b d nil' ,It

can be found. They are considered to be the temporary residences uf '1'"11,

beings, and where offerings are broughtwhen thesebeings are summll'" d

the occasion of certain ritual celebrations (Figure 10)12

By now the reader will probably have been struck by the facl lh,'1 ' " "

terms for house par ts are similar to those for boat parts, such as afll"", ,

('bowsprit of the house'), timpo' laja' ('opening of the sail'), oloollg ('10",

IIl1myi ('stern), and kotobal1g ( 'deck' ). This is not to suggest that til" II"

house can only be compared to a boat. There is in fact symbolic COI'I \"q II 111

ence between several levels of reality. A house may beseen as being syll,l" I

cally the same as a boat, a l iving being, and the universe; likewise, " h",01 ,

be seen as being symbolically the same as a house, a l iving being, .111.1 'I

universe. I suspect that the same k ind of reciprocal symbolism hold, I", IIhouses of many other Austronesian peoples.

well as traditional Bugis and Makassar people, their respective births are marked by ,I p.IHt

treatment of their pas;' (navel). Although this treatment varies according to tht, typt' 01 I ' ,

child's umbitical cord iscut, the house's main post iserected, theboat's hole in the ki.'I,II'II,llI

up), their symbolic equivalence ismade clear by the similari ty of the rituals aCC0l11p,ItI\-1t1t II

operations (the same kinds of offerings, burning of incense, and smearing with bluod)

10 If a house bums down, many people say it is because it has been abnndorlt 'd h\' It

guardian.

11 Those found inMakassar houses are called plilltasn'. According tn M.1Hhl'''l, ..mil ·,1111' II

areconsidered to be where theancestors rest when tht,y vi ..it t i l l ' hou,;(' tm hid,IY \' \'1'1\111

12 Other miniature houses ar(' broughl as 0(( ' r i n ~ .. to J numlwr nf 'h I ( l'I·d pl,lI 1 I,

throughout the BUgl'l r ( ' ~ i o n , In giVl' thanks IlH' htlvin}.; h\'\'n "hll' tn hudd ,I Ilt"W 11,,11' "



7'>

'llih · l I l , I W C ' ~ i i t ~ c 1 ( , onu' Ilw rl'lwllion was put down and SCClIl'it

,1,1i I",d "nder the ew I'd 'I ' regime, people began to rebuild tlwil'

jll ,I i l Ion' 'm dern' way, although only a few of the innovationR tht'

I" I \ 'I' ll ' 10 last for any length of time. The influence of civil adminislra-

I I 1l1111' 11H.'l'casingly important, especially through voluntary campaigns

I rI 1"'I"'oving the villagers' welfare', Peoplewere encouraged to build

III hllwl'r cubicles and toilets behind their houses, and corrugated iron

, II ' !'l'tll11oted to replace thatched roofs. Villagers were encouraged

II " " "lIie floors, which were considered unhealthy because they PI'O-

I I I I I .Hl' (or rats to nest. Furthermore, new harvesting techniques were

Ii " ,. " wh 'reby paddy was shelled as soon a s i t was harvestedand then

1i"I,·ly pl'ocessed in rice mills, which eliminated the necessity of keep-

I

tdtl, hundles in the attic.II'Ilhl'" Ctlll1paign was ainled at knl11arisasi (1.), the division of the house's

'I 1j11dlh.'l's into a number of separate rooms for the parents and the chil

I \ 1111 II I"lcparate l iving room and a separate kitchen. Sometimes the area

I, , II", wooden floorwas enclosed with brickwalls in order to provide the

,'I\1i ,1 ground floor and the possibility of having more rooms.

II,. ,. 'h,1I1ges led to the loss of the house's cosmic symbolism, the aban

III III tl ( rituals, and the adoption ofnew socialbehaviours and new modes

I to, ,,1Ioration based on gender. At the same time, new kinds of furniture

". 1"ll'l'd, such as dining tables and chairs, tea tables, lounge chairs, TV

,II pill abinets, mirrored wardrobes, and spring beds, which showed

,"w"'g affluenceof the villagers. What was considered to be bettermate-

I III olh4.'1" words, not only Bomean wood but also corrugated iron - was

I 1,,, w"lIs and gables, and glass windowpanes (mostly of the 'louvered'

,I< 1\ ) wl'rc installed. Other innovationsin the layout of houses included the

I Iii '"' ' 01 halconies (either at the front or on one of the sides), and doubling

111111';1' ilrl'[l by building twin houses with no separation between them.

," t",ditional Bug!s and Makassar houses have increasingly adopted,oll l lt t l l l ~ l i l s that can be said to have become symbols of a supra-ethnic,

,,,.d (h)wlandSouth Sulawesi) identity, notably the crossed barge boards

II,,',l"l'l1tly multi-tiered gables as well. However, completely new models

11\l l l l 'n houses havenot appeared inSouthSulawesi. This is in contrast to

hll,ly I'l\ninsula, where deviations from the recognized South Sulawesi

' ' ' ' I ,. I"tl 'd before the 1920s. These included such fea tures as 0 hipped

II ,1,"lI,II' to th Malay bUII/buJlg lima in Parit Sayang, and in K ~ m p L l n gIII 'h, tl'pl\.l ing piles with stud w,l ll s t make a walled ground floor.

II, " ,'I I!Ie l'nd o( the 1920s, wl'dlthy Illlgis pl"nlers began to adopllhe new

1,1,\0111 11 'Anwl'i ,1n-slyh" fI,lI g,llllhH'IIOofll1g. 1his wns snn1l.'linll's u"ol'd

274

occupation (1942 to 1945), the struggl ' (01' Indonesi,H1 indl'!' 'ndl'lI, I' II

to 1949), the South Sulawesi Rebellion (1950 to 1965), and the Nl'" II ,

regime (from 1965 to 1988). These time periods have all contl'ibull'd I" II r!

ing the power o f t he former local political organization, and 10 " ",,11

transformation of traditional social structures.

The main turning point was between 1950 and 1960, when 1111' ',,,,,

Sulawesi Rebellion was at its height. Most of the rebelswere not only ,Ii

isfied former fighters for Indonesian independence, they were aIso "" " 10 I

ist Islamistswith strongly anti-feudalistic opinions, who blamed the 1ll,'I' 'I I

of Bugis and Makassar nobility for having associated themselves", 'III II

Dutch colonial authorities, and later with the puppet Eastern Indlllll I

State. Because they were strongly opposed to any hierarchical symh,,1 .1

rebels burned down almost all the noble residences. They also d ,. ,1,,,

many traditional houses considered by them to be nests of superstil",,' "

they threatened anyone indulging in un-Islamic practices (such as 1'1'11,,"

ing house rituals, bringing offerings to the dewata or to Sangiang 51'1,1 '"

keeping palakka or bola-bola dewata in their attics) with the death pen"I"

the same time, the Indonesian national army t ried to bring villagers 11I1;"'1t

in areas it controlled, destroying the villages of those who did not "I;'" I

such a move. Asa consequence,much of the architectural heritageo( 111,· I'

was annihilated. Nearly all the best models ofhouses have disappean'r! "

those that did survive have been divested of many of their former s 1111,,,1

The architectural character of even the simplest villages has been altl·II·r!

Meanwhile, the Indonesian government had also pu t a n end to tl1l' I,,,

system of administration it inherited from the colonial period, in whil II II.

Bugis and· Makassar nobility still exerted a degree of power as "1')'''''''district, or subdistrict heads. As a consequence, once law and order W,ll I

established, very few people returned to the custom of displaying sy"rt" I

of rank on their houses, while some commoners adopted features ( l I l lul I

reserved for the nobility, now tha t the only penalty they might incur ",,,,,,be the reprobation of a few traditionally minded people.

In another context, in the Malaysian state of Johor (on the southwI' ,I. I

coast of theMalay Peninsula), I was able to survey a small number (11""

of Bugis emigrants that still retain either the original or a modif ied II" I

style. Of these houses, all bu t one have staircases s et a t right angle,. I" lit

fa<;ade. This is in fact a clear manifestation of the egalitarian, anti-hiel"" I 1111 I

trend thatprevailed among these Bugismigrants from the beginning 01 II""

migration (between the late nineteenth century ond Ih early '19305). M" I I

these emigrants held stronger Islamic views Ih"n 11""p in Ih h nwl,H'd 1111

left behind. Moreover, their emigration pl,\n·d Hwm outside th ' tr..ldII It l l I ,I

Bugis political sphere, outof reach of Ihn c' III h . l I ~ I ' of ~ u p t ' r v i s i I 1 A 11ll' .111 I

enforcement of traditional ruh.''''



The COil temporary /1/utatioll: brick alld COllcrete house cOllstructioll

belonged was (British) Malaya (Tal/alt Mf'/IIl(II) t hi \\,.1 IllI'Il II ni l 1111 1IIIIw MI11,ly 1','nm.... I,1 ,Ill I

was nO! yel port or M.lla .. in, whirh 1I,(llId,' ,110m . l , 11 1. 1 1 1' ,1 11 In 11I1IIhwl''lIt'1Il B\lllll'\!

II II 1\ modern brick hOllse on a hOllsing estate near P a r ~ - P a I ' 6 . It r('t<ltllloj 1 "1 ) I

II III 1'!I'll1l'nts in its roof decoration (alljoJlg. kalluku) and a three-tiered g ~ l b l l ' {lllllill

II " hllll'S, and the development o f n ew professions (bricklayer, plumlll'l

l l l l l l ln). It also harnpers the continuation of former rituals, which CUll 1111

I 1I jl'l lw linked to house symbolism,

III II I...lllying and stonemasonry in South Sulawesi are techniqucs thol ,111

I I I IIl 'W as one might imagine. Sincc the sixteenth century, brick forlifirdI '11 III h'l1 supplemented with cornerstones, have been built to rcpla ,('<-U III

"1111,,,I,ons. A thorough study of this was recently conducted by l),lV,d

I ,,11,,·\ (1996). He shed light on the fact that, from the mid-sixteenth 10 Ihl'

lllo"'l1lh c 'l1lury, the skills of Makassar engineers developed cumulalivl'l\

>Ill Ilwi!' own experience, This technical kl1 wledge was disscmin.ltl'd

1111 1 1 l ) ~ h o l l l l h c entire area by thousands of workers (quite a number o( whom

h •.1 /1"1'11 rl' ruited from the l3ugis arC'n) wh o I11ddc hUl1dreds o( thous.lI'\l1

, It l" """ ,1I) t built w"lIs that were kiloll'leln.'.... long (2,2 km ell Stllll".lbol1t.', .7

' I l l II 1.1110', <-lntl 3.8 km at K;l! CO,], .nnong others), I 0:1('11" o( mnsl/lil's WIth

I II \\.dls .H'H.lI..) d i . ) t i l 1 ~ tih.' l ~ o \ ' ' ' ' r ' l ' d ruof (rI1l1'll· . Wt,'I't.' hudl.lll nVt'1 Ilw lllt',1

111111)', till ... \ ' . l r ly p('riod o(hl'ick l '!Hl'ltIIH lUll) Al Il'll ..t \'lI'W nltht"ll' 1110'\lllll"'j

111111\\11', \'·...1 hlldl of IIi'l,... lllllt' ()thl'l •• !tlIH'\PIl+.;lru"IUH\ II'ltludt'd Itullh'

Chn'll/flll /11'//11276

on houses with waUed ground floors, but I11Llinly on mulliplc-ridhl'd hi l i 1with floors lower than in traditional models. There were also cen\t'III 1"1

for the wealthiest ones, a Malay-style alljollg (front room), and sonWIi"h

entrance veranda at the frontl and a separate kitchen lower than lIw II I

body at the back. Nearly all Bugis v il lagers in the s ta te ofJoh r now h .II.

this model , which seems to have origina ted in the Riau Archipcl"l ;l I "

which by the 1960s had become the so-called standard 'traditio,,,,l' ~ ,I

house throughout the entire peninsula.

However, although their details differ considerably from both Bug" '"

ancient Malay houses, contemporary Malayan wooden houses simph "I

resent a new development in a continued tradition. Thus, even in ft.'1 \ l ' ll t l

Islamic Malaya, itwasnot so longago that some rites were (and perh"I' I I

are) performed whenbuilding and erecting the frame ofa house. And "II.

some Malaysian Bugis still hang a bottle of water at the top of the na\.,1 I"

(in Malay the tiallg sri or 'main pos!') to protect the house from fir. I" , ,, .

traditional houses in South Sulawesi, offerings are still made to the '1"'1" ,

entities of the uppenvorld, altllough they are now set on top of a cup""'" ,

rather than in the attic , which has now been eliminated.

Needless to say, the settlement pattern has also been strongly infllll"'" ,

by administrative intervention, along the lines of what had been 51,1110 I

before World War II by the colonial administration. People have been I" •

suaded to leave isolated hamlets - even though the houses there were. I.,

to t he ir f ie ld s - a nd to g ro up thell1selves in large settlements near the 1I1i1ill

roads. Most of these settlementshave adopted a grid-based street plan, "I. "'Iwhich the houses are set in parallel rows behind uniform fences, with II" IIfront gables facing the street. The administrative offices, school, health ",,",

and mosque are usuallylocated in the middle of the settlement, occasio,,,,11

along with an open field for ceremonies, which takes itsinspiration fronl ,I"

Javanese ohm-alun.

In addition to tile evolution from 'traditional' to 'neo-traditional' houses, ,I"

main architectural change occurring nowadays in South Sulawesi and otl" ,

parts of Indonesia and Malaysia- namely, the shift from building wood "".Ibamboo raised-floor structures to brick and concrete buildings at grmll'"

level- is not evolution but technical change. In ffc I, it is ba ed on comph'"

Iy different building principles, which lead lo ,ww living habits, new Sl " ,.,1



staircase

world

cast (etymologically, 'towards the sea')

core of the house (literally, 'house's self', 'house's

body')<:In individual (literally, 'human sclf', 'hLlman

body')roof ridge (synonymous with bllwlmgellg)

house post

plaited bamboo tray that hangs in the attic behind

the fronl gable, and upon which offcrings to th t

ancestors aTC laid

pillowroof decorations (literally 'bowsprits of the hOllS(")

placed al bolll ends of the ridgethe front l"Dom of a Malay house

floor beams

house post

rack f wooden grating (also called para), c,mlilt,v

( 'red from the outer wall under the roof Cdgl'

roof, roofing

the p.ll'l lIndl'!' tht, house ,11 ground kv d

dow

lh l l lT 1II'It ' I ' I"H

hO\I'o('

dt'l. llllI 'd 1111 1ll'11 (1lIlIhlllldll"'lH)

Illll"H (Il.),,,,I,. ( II )

I IUl l llh (M. l l . )

(" )

I " I1 l 1 ~ 1 ' 1 l ~ ; (B.)

, ' l l )

I til)

,III, I

I III I

I illtl"" U.: Dugis; E.: Embaloh; I.: Indonesian; Mk.: MakasS<:1.r; Md.: Mandnr;

I 11\ I ' lld.: Portugllcse; Tm.: Taman; Tr.: Toraja.

,II J

"I I

ItI,lll\ Ihilt ,Ill' M'ldllr110pl'IWd, Ml Ihlll 1111' lUI lllr-<Idl' Iii 1111i'1l 1111111

"11110111.1" lillIe if tillY ,,'ffnrl 1141'1 bl'l'l1 I1hHh' lo ndl11'1 thl', Ill'\'\-' lilld III

I ,11111 Ip I t) \ 1\ I (ond I t i o n ~ .H'1d 11 f l ' l l l YI l' , 0" In rOl1w 1Ip wl l h /,l,lIINt.h It 11 \

I'll 11\ IHI,lpling lin'l' honolln:d ll'c!1nilILH.'S to Ilw nt.'w ...Hl l i l lHII I

I •.tll It 1111 , tll Iht, snml' timl' ,1 Il'nd"'11 y ".II ' lw n b ~ l ' l ' v l ' d ill holll 1I\l'

• h ll ,' ( IiIH' of offici",1 buildings (l1KI pl'iv,lIl' hCHlll'S 10 includl' ,I lillll!l'd

I I III 1)'1I'1Ii l'k'l11l'nl:-> found in llll' womkn huut{ ':-;, Thih'''lfl hc' ( ) h ~ I ' l ' v l ' dII1I ,III.IWt'si, as well dB in Ih rest of Indonesia and Jlso Mal,'y:ooi,l, 'I h":'1P

In h .\14 Ihi.' gable roof, th e I'os:-.ed hnl'gc h041rds at lhl' l'l1d of Il w

11.11111' I'nulti tiered gabl' are tdk 'n Olll of context, and ar' 111 '."11 I tl hl'

III. l . l l l t l l l elf f..'lhni ,or mOl'c often regional, idcntity (Figures II and 12) .

. '"""II 'I l ', Ihis only payA token homage to Bugis and Makassar culture',

,dl'll houses arc incrcasingly being abandoncd as reli s o f t h e pas t.

I I

I, (II)

1'1III)

, II I

I I 1 ' · l l l l l d l 1 ~ i (Ml .)

( 11,,',11'''' /1.111178

and the very peculiar funeral chambers that housed the graveA 01

high-ranking persons. Other funeral monuments were either py,',,",loI I

cubical in form, with domed roofs - known as kobbang - and W('I',' 11I11.!

bricks or freestone until the late nineteenth century.

However, the introduction of shops and colonial-style hOllses (01 11111

and bureaucrats that reflected both Chinese and Middle Easlcrn illlll'"

belonged to a new, unprecedented architectural tradition ThcAc' W,,, ,introduced in Makassar, and then also in secondary adminigll..l 1 l \ 1 ~ t.

after the Dutch takeover of the area in 1906. By progressively in"" I'''' ,I

other elements, they have evolved into a new k ind o f lndon ' Si .Hl , I ll III

ture, which I do not intend to analyse here. Suffice it to say Ihol IIt,,\ ' I

have features that are much less well suited to the c1imale Ih,lI\ lit"

the former wooden houses. For instance, instead of having ,,1e'v.,I,'oI II

they are buil t at ground level, and often have no crawl SpaCl\ ilnd 111,1 I

lack a foundation. Because they are frequently located in (11'(',1" '111 I I I I

to flooding, many of them are flooded cvery year dlll 'in!\ till' ,,1111\

Likewise, instcad of having nJlural vl'nlil,l!iCln, Ilw ,1I"l' h"' l l1wllI , l l I \

Figure 12. The South Sulawesi provincial house of representatives (DPRIJ) bioI

in Makassar. Common South Sulawesi stylistic elements are the doublc-pllllll.1

with crossed barge boards (although this last feature was mainly limited to till ,

and Makassar areas of the western coast) and the elevated floor (1979).



ht'd t l l l ""1

t ' ll 'Vllll 'd pl,11 Inr 1111, d i v , l t l ~ 1111 IIh' l ly, 111,.,11 r , H l ~ f l 1 n ullll "I ll ,I

(ill 1 1 " , ' l ~ ' l iming II", dilY (Willi 1111' I 1III1Itl J I

,lnd sl('pt on tlWlllllll"lIghl (wllh 1111 1IIII l l l ic1osl'd); 2. d l V . H " ~ , l I N ~ ' d 011 lllht'l n,h It· 1111 1111 I,

lil's il'! b i / ' l ~ l I l'itullll'I;;\, div,mH. UNt·t! III Illi • ,I I

dIng ritulll .... of Ihe nobility Wh( ' l l ' llt 'wly\ '!'d Hilt

sl.lll'

upperworld

princely n ' ~ i d ( ' n ( ' l . 'pnrtition f'lCpnralinl) the fronl or ' o l l t ' l l d ~ " 1'.111 III

thl' houtie (rom the bnck or 'inside'

stnircnsc Innding with ben /1('$

do r f lap

middl world

table

table

door opening

staircase Innding

staircase landing

miniature bed kept in the attic as a resting pia ('

for the spirits

flo r beams

open-air platform between the main house and

the detached kitchen

pillow (synonymous with kallongang)

miniature bed kept in the attic as a res ting pIn ('

for the spirits

head carpenter

rack of wooden grating, cantilevered from the

outer wall under the roof edge (synonymous with

a'tallreangeng)

small open platform above the hear th where pro·

visions of firewood and salt ar e stored

upper and lowerconnecting beams

upper and lowerconnecting beams

bridal settee used by new-Iyweds to si t in state

underworld

' nave l o f the baruga' , o r main pos to f a ritual

pavilion of the hisslI

'navel of the upperworld': a special decoration

that hangs f rom the middle of the canopy of tht.'

prin ely hnd.ll ~ { ' t l ''n.lVrI ~ l 1/11' hOll'l\"', its main p o ~ 'III(' 'htllil' 1 l 1 1 \ . ' ~ ' I ' , II hole in Ihe bottom of I Il l ' lwld

llNI'tl III 11111\111.1111 I i h . " ~ bdnl'c lilt' b<>.11 i IdlilldH'd

'1l11vl,11I1 1111' 1,11111, tl1(' syrllbolit· u'llin ' (I{ 1111

, . . . I ll (II,)

,ill

I ". , (II.)

'lOY, (Mk.)

I (MI.)

I III Mk, I.)

I ' ' ',1( II )

ng II (13.

i, W' (II,)

I ,I, ·hu' (Mk.)

,II Mk)

H' (II, Mk.)• fI 'II/I.)

I,,, (M k.)

I '''k (Mk.)I "I (II.)

I , (II )

,I" (Mk)

I III)

tlllill (M!.)

, (II )

'IlH,I (U.)

I ,I, (II )

I 'I" (1\ )

., ,, ' (Mk.)

11l11t'IlH (13.)

I I I l I I i I ( M ,)

I '" (I , .)

1 I 1 1 1 1 1 ~ ( II. MI-.,)

( II""tl l 'II 11 JI,/

roof p r o l l ' ( . l l l l ~ ; tI ll ' Hlllln",I/'ll' lInd Inndlllg

house

1) brick; 2): (ort ificalion Inad I ()f bl'k"

fortification (made of cnrlh, brick, ur " IPl l I I

house post

small room

(generally transvestite) priest in ChMgI' pI 1·1t

Islamic rites

bed-curtain

house

house

roof protecting the staircase and land Itlfo

miniature house for spirits

miniature house for spirits

detached kitchen (outbuilding)

hipped roof

roof with hovo inclined planes and a : ; I I ' . , j ) ~ h l I

tral ridge

roof ridge

roofridge (synonymous with nlekke')

chair

extension of the tamping, with its QWI1 111111

curved roofing (synonymous with jO/lgAf' I

hearth

floor made of split bamboo (synonyrnnu'l \ I II !

dlisi!rE')

staircase landing with benches

attic beams

small extension at the back of the holl'it'

covered gallery on one s ideo f the how1\' III 1111

slightly lowered floor

raised covered walkway between the hOll I ,

the annex at the back

window

window

extension of the tamping, with i ts own ",ltflll

curved roofing (synonymous with dAo)

chair

core of the house (literally, 'house's h l l d ~ )

pillow (synonymous with pahl1lgaJlX)

division of the house iJltO scpnrnlc rl:'lOIWI

1) boat's deck; 2) jointed plank floor

rafter

mattress

small open platform above thl' hCMth ..... hl ..

visions of fin.'woQd ,mel salt ill'!.' stoll 'd

bt'ick pr' stOllI' h l l i l d i n ~ ~ , with d d{11l11'd I t l l l t II I

,Illy l l ~ l ' d 101 !l1l1"l ill"!

dego-dego (Mk.)

dodoso' (Mk.)

gajah menyusu (MI.)

jambang (Mk.)

bumbungang (Mk.)

buwungeng (8.)

cadeira (Port.)

ceko (8.)

jambatang (8.)

dapureng (8.)

dapara' (Mk.)

balla'-balla' tuka' (Mk.)

banua (Tr.)

bata (8., Mk.)

bentOng (8., Mk.)

benteng (Mk.)

bili' (B., Mk.)

bissu (8.)

boco' (8.)

bojang (Md.)

bola (8.)

bola-bola a'deneng (8.)

bola-bola a'karame'keng (8.)

bola-bola dewata (8.)

bola dapo' (8.)

bumbung lima (M.)

bumbung panjang (M.)

jandela (8., Mk.)

janela (Port.)jOl1gke' (8.)

280

kadera (8., Mk.)

kale balla' (Mk.)

kallongang (Mk.)

kamarisasi (1.)

katabang (B., Mk.)

kaso (8., Mk.)

kasoro' (8., Mk.)

katu pepe' (Mk.)

kubbang (B., Mk.)



{Iii' Malny hOl/se; { ~ e d i s c o v e r i n g Malaysia's illdigcl'lo/./s slldler sY5lclIl.

1'1I1LH.I Pi nang: Insl'itut Masyarakat.

' l l t l ' n'construction of Proto South Sulawesi', ArchipellO:20S-24.

11/'010 South Sulawesinntl Proto Austrolll.'Siall pllollology. lPhD t h c s i ~ , UniV\'l""lit of Michigan. 1

I 1I111ll'YNil i l i l t i rw of /11('1//." III UIl/II/'O 1/1/(1 Cdr/w', dOl/III 10 lIlt' eJrc/I!Jfllioll (!{ I n/ll/(II/;I I'll/II Ifl/' jOIfI'l/I//'i 0111/11/1',,, Ifwok,', 10,,111111: MUI'l\'y. 'I \lVn v\\I ....

t 1111/1111111

'1,\ rHlll'lon bllhtl-l; Pili III'''' llllli hill". 1'1 IIlIH thillN', Ihie' dll ~ r / { I I 'lId

' I IlulI N,l'tll

II""Sj'/wltll, 1/mwlt Irml, .. io/wl MI'/nyu ,';1'I1II'IIIII1II111S M"/I I I I 1.1 I II II I

I 1I1111Hlr' D,lIuJrikir,

1111 1"1

A'li,H'lIOnlsof tl1(' Mlil"'g<hYi A lingui-;tic pl'rspl'<.:livl",HlldIllS"1I till d.

IIII/f , I,(/Iul I'll Vofkl'ltk,tllrll', 151 :325·56.

l1ofl'll'n as ,1 crossnMds for ol11paralivc Austronesian IIngldl'4lh "

in 1\ Bl'Jlwnod cl Ill. ( l ' d ~ ) , 'I'lle Alistro//I'sinw;; 11iC:loricnl (IIItlI'CIIIIIII//(/

//0" fJt'rslll'c!ive,", pro 75-95. anbcrra: cparlmcnl of A n t h r o p n l p ~ , y ,1 { 1 ' ~ l ' l l l ' c h School of Pacific and Asian tudics, Aust-ralian Ni1lioll,ll

lJllivl'rsity.

111\'111

'('tll'lslr'llction, hblOl'yand significanceof the Macassar fortificalions'.

1',lpl1r, International seminar On South Sul awes i hi st ry and cullure,

111"l1gpandal1g, 16-19 December.

01 I I . t! ld S, Charpentier

'No!l.'s sur I'habitation sur pilotis en Asic du Sud-Est', Asic rill S l l d - [ ~ II't MOl/riL' IUSlllilldicfl 5-2:13-24.

H/II/lla Torain; IIm/gillg pattems in architecture nlld symbolism nl1lOllg II/('

SrI'dall Torain, Slilawesi, Indonesia. Amsterdam: Royal Tropical InstitLlte.

t lI!l1I

Milkl1s!'narscll-llollnlldsch woordellboek //let Ho//nndsch-Mnknssnnrsclll'

lI'(I(Jr(il'lIliist, ofJgave VIll i Mnknssnarsclle pll11lfel1lll1l11en ell verklarillg VI11I el'1/lell o/lheldrrillg bijgevoegdell etJmographischen ntlas. Amsterdam: Muller.

I J I ~ ' S i l l l ' l ! . c : c l t - H o l l a l l d s c l l woordel1boek met Hollandscll-BoegillCesche 1000r-

dl'/Ilii."I, ell verklarhlg vall eeu tot oplzeldering biigevoegdel1 etllllogrn

,,111'" hell atlas. The Hague: Nijhoff.

II I

11/1' house if! Soulh-Casl Asia. Singapore/Oxford/New York: Oxford

University Press. IImages of Asia.1i\ IlIW.1 Imrc, Hetty Nooy-Palm,Reimar Schefold and Ursula Schul7

III

I I ' t

B l l g i ~ d ~ l I n ~ l l l l (tiltH/fill)

'navel of Ihl' hOll'-"", li s IlMin P ( ) ~ Ithe 'boat's I1<lVCI', a hol e in the bollol1l ulllil

used in important rites that take pklc,- 111'1,," I

boat is launched

'navel of the land', the symbolic ccnln' til II ..

Makassar domain (pa'rasnngnflg)

attic

wall

protected area, literally 'inside the cnch"jult

wall

wall

floor made of split bamboo

gable panels made of split bamboo matllt'''' HI

wooden planking, forming one or mon' 1,,11 jill

slopeshouse

house (koMjo dialect)

partition separating the front or 'outsid..·• 1',111

princely residence from the back or 'insid.

partition separating the front or 'outsid," I' , I ll

the house f rom the back or ' inside'

cantilevered platformat the back of the IWI! '

house

'house's comer', th e square space bCtw('I'll 111

main post and the corner of the house

cantileveredplatform at the back of the hOIl I

covered gallery on one side of the house willi

slightly lowered floor

door flap

gable panels made of spli t bamboo mailing II I

wooden planking, forming one or mol'C pill,lIl. I

slopes

window opening

raised covered walkway between the h O l l ~ I ' III I

the annex a t theback

main post of the house

gable panels made of split bamboo m a t t i , , ~ ~ 'IIwooden planking, forming one or mon ' p.II,III. I

slopes

window opening

staircase

bed-clll'tain

attic b ~ [ I I 1 1 ' 4

tiang sri (MI.)

limpa' laja' (B.)

tellongeng (B.)

tete (Mk.)

tala-tala (Mk.)

tamping (8.)

sao (B., E.)

sapo (Mk.)

sawang langkana (B.)

tange' (B.)

tebar (or l ibar) layar (MI.)

poci' butta (Mk.)

poci' balla' (Mk.)

poci' biseang (Mk.)

282

simbang tang'a (Mk.)

rakkeang (B.)

rerning (8.)rilaleng bata (B.)

rinding (Tr.)

riming (Mk.)

salima (B.)

sambung layang (Mk.)

somong mpawoi (B.)

soo (Tm.)

su ' bola (B.)

tontongang (Mk.)

tuka (Mk.)

ulampu (B.)

ware' (B.)



Monde [ns!llindien 6-2:61-100.

1993a 'Rumah bugis; Fungsi, struktUf, aturan, bentuk dan simbal;

perbandingan dengan rumah melayu semenanjung menurut

Jeroi-gouThan', in: Wan Abdul Kadir and Zainal Abidin Borhan

Fenomena 2, pp. 98-143. Jabatan Pengajian Melayu, Kuala L

Universiti Malaya.

1993b 'Textiles and weaving of the South Sulawesi Muslim peoples; A .liminary report', in: M.-L. Nabholz-Kartaschoff, R. Barnes and

Stuart-Fox (eds), Weaving pattems of life; Indonesian textile sympo--.

1991, pp. 397-418. Basle: Museum of Ethnography.

1996 The Bugis. Oxford: Blackwell. [The People of South-East Asia and

Pacific.]

Salim, Muhammad and Fachruddin Ambo Eme (eds)

1995 I La Galigo menurut naskah NBG 188 yang disusull a/eh Artll1g PallO

Toa (1). Jakarta: KITLY.

Southon, Michael

1995 The navel of the PerallU; Meal1i/1g and values ill tile maritime trad,

economy of a Butonese village. Canberra: Department of Anthropolog"

Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian Nati

University.

284 Christian Pelras

bugis and makassar houses variation and evolution

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