Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

Vol 25, Aug Suppl. Issue, 2019; Page No.(S151-S157)

SUMBA WISDOM IN ITS ECOLOGY AND SEMIOTIC MEANING OF REBUILDING STEPS OF UMBU NDENDO CLAN’S TRADITIONAL HOUSE IN WEWEWA, SUMBA ISLAND, INDONESIA

Magdalena Ngongo

Abstract

This paper aims to describe Sumba local wisdom in its ecology and semiotic meaning of rebuilding steps of Umbu Ndendo Clan’s traditional house in Wewewa society. By applying observation and interview, data were garthered. Data collected were identified, classified, and then analyzed qualitatively. Based on the analysis, it was found out that Sumba wisdom in its ecology of building traditional house were specified in the consistency of choosing and using natural materials taken from forests and home garden. They could identify and differentiate various kinds of natural resources. The main house’s construction such as floor,wall, roofing were used as natural resources, like wood, bamboo, string, coarse grass, palm tree. The fourma in big posts made of specific wood, and so were the king post, trusses, etc. By using their local wisdom knowledge, they could also build traditional house that could sustained for years. It was also found out that before the house was built people conducted four times of ritual called Zaiso. This ritual aimed to ask their ancestor which forest was proposed and what kinds of natural resources was going to be used. This factimplied that people still believed Marapu as their religion. Therefore, there were nine steps be followed in rebuilding the traditional house, such as (1) ratanakalerre-tongnguparii‘takecordage-pullposts, (2)patomandibarrainabarraama‘ bringtho sematerials from forest to mother and father (ancestor)’, (3) pariwo wikalapawi‘clean those material using coconut milk’, (4) kondawelli-konda parii ‘dig hole’, (5) pandendepariibotipatenga‘setposts, etc. All these steps used paralelism and they had metaphorical and semiotic meaning,such as the four big posts represented sub group of people from this clan. Two doors set in front of the right side represented guest and the left hand side represented the host, etc. The house did not have windows. It could be concluded that Sumba local wisdom in its ecology of building traditional house was influenced by their cultures; and the semiotic meaning was influenced by both culture and belief of Marapu.

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