The area of the island of Papua, which is twice the size of the island of Java, means that the tribes living on the island inhabit their tribal lands separately. Papua is also known as a region that has a variety of cultures.
But unfortunately many of us don’t know him. It could be because many provinces in Indonesia have their own culture in each region. However, this time, let us expand our insight into various types of traditional houses, one of which is the traditional Papuan house.
Ebai Traditional House
The Dani tribe is a tribe that lives in the traditional ebai house. However, the unique thing is that the traditional ebai house is only for women. The word ebai itself comes from the word ebe which means body, and ai which means house. This meaning is pinned to this house because in this house women teach their daughters.
This house is called an ebai because women are the bodies in life. The size of the ebai house is slightly shorter than the traditional Honai house but with the same shape.
Honai Traditional House
The honai traditional house is also one of the houses inhabited by the Dani tribe. This house is reserved for adult men. Honai itself is taken from the word hun which means man and ai which means house. The shape of this house has a conical roof so it looks like a mushroom. The roof of the honai house is made of straw.
While the walls are made of wood with a height of up to 2.5 m. This house has two floors with only one door but no window. On the inside of the honai traditional house, there is a room measuring 5 m in a circular shape which is used as a place for bonfires.
Kariwari Traditional House
This traditional house is the traditional house of the Tobati Enggros tribe who inhabit the shores of Lake Sentani. The materials used for the manufacture of the Kariwari traditional house are wood, sago leaves and bamboo.
There are three rooms in it and it is a two-story building. This traditional Papuan house is commonly used as a place of worship and school. Boys who are teenagers use this house as a place to study.
Rumsam Traditional House
The Biak Numfor tribe is the tribe that inhabits this traditional house. With a height of up to 8 meters, it has a square building shape and a roof design similar to an upside down boat.
This house, also known as Rumsam, is a home for teenage boys to learn and get life experiences taught by those who are older. Women are not allowed to enter this house.
Traditional House on a Tree
This is a unique house in Papua, a tree house. This house is inhabited by the Korowai tribe. As the name implies, this house is built on a tree with a height of up to 30 meters. It’s quite unique too.
It will be even more unique because the roof is made of wooden leaves and walls, you can imagine how cold it is in this tree house at night. This tree house was built by the Korowai tribe to avoid wild animals.
However, it is very unfortunate because the remaining population of the Korowai tribe is not more than 3000 which has an impact on the increasing scarcity of tree houses there.
Those are some types of Papuan traditional houses. Hopefully it can add to your insight.
