Advertisement

7 unique villages to visit in Indonesia

Throughout the archipelago, there are countless villages that have preserved their respective cultures and heritages.

The Jakarta Post Travel picks seven unique villages that are ready to welcome tourists with their community-based tourism. Here you can visit, stay with and experience their rituals, ceremonies or even taste their local delicacies.

1. Baduy village, Banten

The Baduy village is located on the hills of Kendeng Mountain, about 75 kilometers south of Rangkasbitung, Banten. This traditional village is the closest traditional village to Jakarta, which can be reached by train from Tanah Abang station to Rangkasbitung station. You can then take public transportation to the village.

Visiting the village is like taking a step back in time. The local Baduy people live traditionally without electricity. Houses are made from bamboo and local wood. They use oil lamps and wood for cooking and speak a rural form of Sundanese.

The Baduns daily life is based on their natural surroundings. They harvest fruits, vegetables and rice, and also produce their own woven clothes.

No electronic devices are allowed inside the village, not even a camera.

Trekking to Baduy village is one way to escape the city life of Jakarta. The mountainous view, the bamboo houses on the hill and the fresh cool air among the rainforest slopes are what greet you there.

2. Tenganan village, Bali

Tenganan village in Karangasem is one of only a few remaining communities in Bali that offers the authentic experience of being able to see what life was like on the island decades ago.

Although the village is now rapidly catching up with modernization, you can still see glimpses of the traditional way of living. The current villagers in Tenganan are descendents of those who lived on the island well before the Javanese arrived in Bali in the 15th century.

Their presence, dating back to before the exodus of Javanese from the Majapahit Kingdom, earned them the name "Bali Aga" or "Original Balinese". Besides Tenganan, several other Bali Aga villages can be found across the island. The exodus is a significant chapter in Bali's history as it marked the starting point of Balinese Hinduism.

As you enter Tenganan, you will notice the ancient houses preserved by the villagers that offer a view of the past.

Visitors can enter the village from its southernmost point and from there, you walk your way up to the north along a rocky road about 500 meters long.

Tenganan holds an annual festival called the Usaba Sambah, which normally takes place in May. By the way, Tenganan people use the lunar calendar.

During the festival, you can watch the village men fight each other with pandan leaves in a match-making ritual, while the girls watch from a traditional Ferris wheel.

3. Bayan village, Lombok

Located in North Lombok district, the village is set at the foot of Indonesia’s second highest mountain, surrounded by a vast rice field, numerous waterfalls, a well-preserved rainforest and it’s only 20 minutes from the beach.

The villagers follow a philosophy called Wetu Telu, which mixes elements of Islam with ancestral worship.

“Wetu Telu is not a religion, it is actually a life philosophy that is practiced by the Bayan tribe,” said Raden Anggia Kusuma, one of the Pemangku or Bayan tribe leaders.

The Bayan people believe everything comes in threes. Life cycles have three stages; birth, life and death. Humans are created from three elements - mother, father and God. All living organisms are born either from wombs, eggs or the earth. They also honor the concept of the Holy Trinity; the sun, the moon and the stars, which they see as a representation of heaven, earth and water.

Their culture hails from the Majapahit Hindu Kingdom of the 14th century. There are similarities with the Balinese Hindus, seen from their traditional costumes and textile patterns.

The highlight of the village is the Bayan Beleq Old Mosque. This bamboo-structured mosque was built in the 16th century after the fall of the Majapahit Kingdom. Unlike most mosques, this mosque is only open during the big Islamic festivities.

Bayan cuisine is unlike any other cuisine type in Indonesia, Most of the dishes are very organic, created via simple cooking methods. They use a lot of exotic leaves, simple spices that are rich in flavor.

4. Wae rebo village, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara

Before 2008, this isolated village deep in the woods at a height of 1,100 meters above sea level was not well known. It is the only village in West Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara that still has traditional houses called mbaru niang- circular cone-shaped houses.

For the Manggarai people, visiting Wae Rebo is a pilgrimage.

Comprising seven conical houses neatly placed in a circle on a small lawn, Wae Rebo is crafted out of the top end of a giant landscape that begins with jagged peaks at one end that gently roll into a green carpet to the sea at the other end.

The Manggarai people believe that the circle is a symbol of unity. That’s why the village is arranged in a circle, the floors of the houses are circular and the village altar is called kompang (Manggarai for center).

All the materials to build the houses are from the surrounding jungle. Wae Rebo has the only remaining examples of authentic Manggarai houses.

The roofs of the houses are made from alang-alang measuring 10 meters high.

There is a meaning behind each element. For example, all houses must face the kompang. The founders of the village wanted only seven houses. That’s why any new house is built separately from this compound.

Now you can visit the village, stay with the locals in their authentic mbaru niang, and experience their daily life.

5. Sanjay village, West Sumatra

Makan bajamba, or eating together is a traditional custom that unites the Minangkabau (the tribe in West Sumatra) community.

Women prepare the food on a long carpeted road next to the rice field and the whole village will eat together.

The tradition is usually carried out during festivals, weddings, among other events.

But in Sanjay village in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, the villagers can organize this traditional activity for tourists as a part of their community tourism program.

The village is famous for its culinary traditions and cooking is what brings the villagers together. It is where Keripik Sanjay (Sweet and spicy cassava crackers) originated-- crackers you can find at every corner in West Sumatra.

The village is also gifted with a scenic rice field at the foot of Mount Merapi.

6. Matotonan, Ugai, Butui and Madobak village, Mentawai

Matotonan, Ugai, Butui and Madobak village are four traditional villages on Siberut Island, Mentawai, West Sumatra where the indigenous Mentawai tattoo culture is still practiced.

The tattoo, painted using the traditional technique, represents a clan and also acknowledges the bearer’s life story.

Using the sharp splintered rib of a palm leaf and natural ink made of sugar cane syrup and coconut shell charcoal, a Mentawai tattoo artist, or sipatiti, meticulously draws a simple design on his client's skin.

He then attentively etches the design into the skin using a mabiau hammered down rapidly with a lili 'pat.

A mabiau is a pointed needle made of animal bone or sharpened wood attached to a wooden stick, while a lili 'pat is a long wooden stick

It hurts and bleeds and can take a long time to heal. But the sipatiti has a special herb from medicinal plants to stop the bleeding

The tattoos are closely associated with Mentawai's ancient animism belief called arat sabulungan, According to arat sabulungan, the tattoo reflects one's initiation into adulthood.

7. Lamalera village, East Nusa Tenggara

Lamalera village in Lembata regency, East Nusa Tenggara, is known for its whale hunting ritual.

The village is located on a beach that faces the Sawu Sea in East Nusa Tenggara province.

Ancient local custom states that upon hearing the call, a lamafa (harpooner) must muster a troop of matros (oarsmen) to quickly set out on the Sawu Sea on their traditional peledang wooden boats.

The tradition of whale-hunting in Lamalera stretches back at least to the 16th century, as evidenced in several old Portuguese records that tell the story of a traditional whaling community on the island of Lomblen, Lembata's old name.

This practice differs from the rampant commercial whaling in countries such as Norway or Japan, because whaling in Lamalera is about providing for the villagers' sustenance and it is filled with religious rites and taboos.

Local custom stipulates that the meat of a whale should be equally distributed among the villagers so that no one is left hungry.

Custom dictates that only sperm and pilot whales can be hunted. Hunting blue whales is especially restricted, as it is believed that the giant sea mammal had rescued the villagers' ancestors a long time ago.

The best time to visit the village is during whale hunting season, from May to October each year. There are several religious rituals carried out before the hunting season, such as Tobo Nama and Iye Gerek.

Besides whale hunting, you can see traditional weaving by local women and buy some Ikat fabrics or souvenirs made from whalebones.

Read also:

Original Balinese life in Tenganan village

Minangkabau: M to U reasons to visit West Sumatera