Rumah Gadang, Customs and Tradition Maintained from West Sumatra (Bilingual)

My journey to Ranah Minang (a term for West Sumatra Province) in February 2018, has many stories and experiences that I can tell. One of them, is the uniqueness of Rumah Gadang that exist in the area and make it a hallmark that is not owned by other regions in Indonesia. The shape of the roof is pointy and resembles a typical buffalo horn is called Gonjong.

Perjalanan saya ke Ranah Minang (sebutan untuk Provinsi Sumatera Barat) pada Februari 2018 lalu, memiliki banyak cerita dan pengalaman yang bisa saya pulang. Salah satunya, adalah keunikan Rumah Gadang yang ada di wilayah tersebut dan menjadikannya ciri khas yang tidak dimiliki oleh daerah lain di Indonesia. Bentuk atap yang runcing dan menyerupai tanduk kerbau yang khas ini disebut Gonjong.

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Pagaruyung Grand Palace. Photo by @zamzamiali was taken using Nikon D3300.

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How amazed I'm when I saw the design and architecture of buildings in West Sumatra, not only in traditional houses but almost all pinned Gonjong roof in their building. You can also see the shape of this Gonjong roof in Minang restaurants spread throughout Indonesia and even abroad.

Betapa kagumnya saya saat melihat desain dan arsitektur bangunan yang ada di Sumatera Barat, tidak hanya di rumah adat saja tetapi hampir semuanya menyematkan atap Gonjong di bangunan mereka. Anda juga bisa melihat bentuk atap Gonjong ini di rumah makan Minang yang tersebar di seluruh Indonesia bahkan sampai ke luar negeri.

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Pagaruyung Grand Palace. Photo by @zamzamiali was taken using Nikon D3300.

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The uniqueness of this curved and tapered roof of the Rumah Gadang has also inspired several architects in different parts of the world. You can see buildings that take the roof of Rumah Gadang's roof design concept like The House of the Five Senses in Netherlands, Nurul Iman's Palace in Brunei Darussalam and the Seremban State Mosque in Malaysia. Incredible is not it?

Keunikan bentuk atap Rumah Gadang yang melengkung dan lancip ini juga telah menginspirasi beberapa arsitek di berbagai belahan dunia. Anda bisa melihat bangunan yang mengambil konsep desain atap Rumah Gadang seperti The House of The Five Senses di Belanda, Istana Nurul Iman di Brunei Darussalam dan Masjid Negeri Seremban di Malaysia. Luar biasa bukan?

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Jam Gadang in Bukittinggi, West Sumatera. Photo by @zamzamiali was taken using Nikon D3300.

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Traditional Market in West Sumatra.

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Gas Station in West Sumatra.

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Garden Lights in Padang City, West Sumatra.

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In West Sumatra, it is so easy to find the shape of this Gonjong roof. Not only in the homes of ordinary people, ranging from the Governor's office and the administrative center, the Regent's Office, the Sub-district Office, the Customs Center and the police station also use this roof form in the building. In fact, the most trivial things like garden lights are in the design resembles the roof form Rumah Gadang. Indeed, this is one form of customary preservation is extraordinary and should be imitated by other areas.

Di Sumatera Barat, kita begitu mudahnya menemukan bentuk atap Gonjong ini. Tidak hanya ada di rumah masyarakat biasa, mulai dari Kantor Gubernur dan pusat pemerintahan, Kantor Bupati, Kantor Camat, Balai Adat dan kantor polisi juga memakai bentuk atap ini di bangunannya. Bahkan, hal yang paling sepele seperti lampu taman pun di desain menyerupai bentuk atap Rumah Gadang. Sejatinya, ini merupakan salah satu bentuk pelestarian adat yang luar biasa dan patut ditiru oleh daerah-daerah lain.

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Padang Grand Mosque in West Sumatra. Photo by @zamzamiali was taken using Nikon D3300.

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Office of the Governor of West Sumatra. Photo by @zamzamiali was taken using Nikon D3300.

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Office of the Governor of West Sumatra. Photo by @zamzamiali was taken using Nikon D3300.

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Miniature Rumah Gadang, souvenir from West Sumatera. Photo by @zamzamiali was taken using Nikon D3300.

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