Some time ago I visited the Aceh Museum. Here we can see the Aceh house. Aceh house or in Aceh language called Rumoh Aceh is a traditional house typical of the Aceh tribe in Indonesia. Rumoh Aceh is not just a residence, but reflects a belief in God. When built, the side of Rumoh Aceh faced west. This is because the house always faces the Qibla (Mecca) as a symbol that the occupants of the house always carry out the commandments of Islam.
Rumoh Aceh is made of strong wooden boards and the roof is made of thatched leaves. In Aceh itself, it is rare to find Rumoh Aceh, many Acehnese people have changed the original structure of Rumoh Aceh or built houses with more modern forms. Each part of Rumoh Aceh is not nailed with iron, but on pegs or using palm fiber and rattan ropes.
The lower part of the house stage called Yup Meh is usually used to raise livestock. In addition, this part is also used by mothers as a place to make songket or pound rice. In the past, the supports on Rumoh Aceh functioned so that wild animals could not enter the house.
To enter the house we have to climb the stairs. Uniquely, the stairs are made in odd numbers. The odd number of stairs is considered a religious form of Acehnese society.
Once you climb the stairs, there will be some decorations such as paintings mounted on the walls. The number of decorations on the wall indicates the social status of the homeowner. The more decorations or paintings on display, the higher the social class of the homeowner. And vice versa.
The interior of Rumoh Aceh
Rumoh Aceh is stage-shaped and divided into 3 parts, namely the front room, middle room and back room.
Front room
The front room is usually used as a guest room, religious activities, or as a place for family meetings.
Middle room
The living room is the connecting room between the two bedrooms. The living room is used exclusively for the residents of the house and relatives, if there are men, they must be familiar with all family members.
This is called Rumoh Inong or the master bedroom also called 'Juree' in Acehnese is the most important and sacred part of the house where Acehnese people live. It is used as a sleeping place for husband and wife. If there is a traditional ceremony such as circumcision, marriage or death, it is also held in this room. This room is never entered by other people except parents and children. This main bed has been decorated with cloth and tools used during the wedding ceremony.
In front of this room is a room facing each other, usually used by other family members such as girls.
Back room
The back room is used as a place for family members to gather, take care of children and do daily activities for women; such as sewing, weaving mats and so on. The back room also functions as a kitchen, of course there are various kinds of cooking utensils. There is also one bed that serves as a place to lie down to unwind or put the children to sleep.
None of the parts of the house describe where the boys rest. This is related to the Acehnese culture where boys do not sleep in the house but in the Surau/Musholla, a place for worship.
Boys usually gather in the surau to recite the Quran and worship, then sleep there and then go home when the dawn prayer is over. Therefore, Rumoh Aceh usually only build rooms for girls.
This tradition is carried out by the local community to protect and respect women, while giving boys the confidence to live independently.
However, this does not mean that boys cannot sleep in the house. There are times when a boy is sick, he can rest on the front porch. In addition, some families also place boys on the front porch as bodyguards for the whole house.
Color philosophy
As we can see, there are patterns with various colors on Rumoh Aceh. Rumoh Aceh does not use just any color, in each color there is its own philosophy.
Yellow color: For Acehnese customs yellow means strong, warm while giving a bright impression.
Red: The color red means emotions that fluctuate and rise and fall. It reflects passion, joy and enthusiasm.
White: The white color used is neutral white which means pure and clean.
Orange: The use of oranges is intended to give a meaning of warmth, health of mind and joy.
Green: The use of green color means coolness, fertility and warmth.
That's a little explanation about Rumoh Aceh. Are you interested in coming and seeing how Rumoh Aceh is and what do you think about this house?
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