Siwaluh Jabu traditional houses : implementation of local wisdom role of communities

Abstract

Tanah Karo in North Sumatera, Indonesia, about ten years ago has a mainstay tourist objects, The Village of Lingga. The village has a legacy of the traditional houses named Siwaluh Jabu (a house with eight rooms) which are over 250 years old. Currently people in Lingaga affected by anxiety, given the existence of the traditional houses which is also the historical evidence of community Karo village is getting defective and could be vanished in the next ten years. The destruction process is due to two major things, first because of limited natural resources and economic capabilities of the settler, secondly because of changes in living patterns. Originally, traditional houses of Karo made of wood and inhabited by eight families, are not equipped bedroom, living room even bathroom. All family members sleep in 'Jabu' or room without partition. The only space in the house is a multi function room, where cooking, eating, gathering places as well as family bed. The small size of the window and the amount of smoke generated during cooking has made the house stuffy, cramped and unhealthy. For that reason, the residents began to leave the house so the house abandoned, neglected and decay. This paper will explain the role of community, home owners and village heads in their limitations to cooperate with the government, so that the traditional houses in their villages keep inhabited as a primary requirement to keep the continuity and the preservation of traditional Karo house.