Kompas Waerebo (Unofficial/for education purpose)

Main ideas / lessons conveyed

• Wae Rebo houses are inseparable from identity and life: the home is described as part of the people themselves—protective, capable of keeping warm, and spiritually/communitarily meaningful.
• Environmental adaptation and durable materials: smoke from fires helps preserve house-covering materials (e.g., alang-alang / grass), improving resistance to dampness/rot and pests compared to other traditional structures.
• Cultural preservation through controlled access and traditions: the village is remote and uses cultural rules to prevent outside influence from “contaminating” their way of life.
• Village layout and worldview (center-circle concept): the settlement and the house share a central circle pattern—life and guardianship of integrity are symbolized by the center.
• Community cohesion and shared labor: housebuilding involves collective participation of different age groups and roles, with ceremonies before key construction stages.
• House structure as a multi-purpose system: the seven-level/compartment design organizes daily life (living, guest space, storage, offerings, livestock/weaving areas).
• Ceremonies required for legitimacy and safety: multiple ritual steps accompany construction—from permission to build, to completion, to blessing for habitation.
• Threat of extinction and modern rescue efforts: traditional houses faced severe decline; architects and residents initiated a foster home / rescue program to rebuild and sustain living heritage.
• Architectural significance (earthquake/structure values): the video frames Wae Rebo as resilient Nusantara architecture suited to Indonesia’s environmental risks (e.g., earthquakes, wind, rain).

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Concepts and step-by-step methodology shown

A) Visitor access / entry process and cultural welcome

• Travel route to the village:

  • Start from Labuan Bajo (West Manggarai Regency capital).
  • Drive to the nearby village of Denge.
  • Continue on foot because motor-vehicle roads to Wae Rebo are absent/avoided.

• Information/intro stop in Denge:

  • Visitors begin at an information center building (and library) that explains Wae Rebo before entering the village.

• Meet the guide:

  • Visitors must contact the tour guide Martin, who accompanies them and provides logistical and cultural explanations.

• Formal ceremony for outsiders (Surung):

  • Outsiders are welcomed with ceremonial music.
  • Guests wear required clothing (described as white clothing, a black woven sarong, and a headband).
  • The ceremony proceeds from the village gate to the center.
  • Guests are then invited into the Gendang house (described as the oldest traditional house).

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B) Agriculture and market routine (subsistence model)

• Historically, they cultivate corn, sweet potatoes, taro, and other crops.
• In recent years, they focus more on coffee due to higher selling value.
• Weekly market pattern:
  • Every Monday, villagers go to a market in Dintor (about 13 km away).
  • They sell coffee and buy necessities such as rice and fish.

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C) House worldview: center-circle and integrity symbolism

• Both the village and the house follow a central circle pattern:
  • Houses stand around a center pile of old stones arranged in a circular form.
• The center—referred to as a guardian/integrity center—represents the core of life and protection for the village/house.

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D) House layout: “seven” traditional houses / main house (Drum house) and seven functional levels

• The video emphasizes seven traditional houses, with one designated as the main house:

  • Drum house: larger than the others; the main setting for many ceremonies.

• Within the main house, the structure is described as having levels with distinct functions:

  1. Tenda (ground/living area): where people live together; includes a kitchen.
  2. Nolang (residents’ area) and Lutur (guest area): split within the first level.
  3. Lobo / attic: storage for daily food and items.
  4. Lentar: storage for seeds (e.g., corn, rice, beans).
  5. Lempare: food reserve for crop failure or prolonged drought.
  6. Hekang Kode: storage for langkar (woven bamboo offerings container).
  7. Ngaung (basement area, ~1 meter high):
     • Used for raising livestock or weaving typical Manggarai weaving.

• Sleep orientation rule (as described):

  • In the Niang house rooms, the head faces the wall, and feet face the opposite direction.

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E) Construction methodology for a Wae Rebo house (sequence + rules)

1. Pre-building requirement: permission rituals

   • Before cutting trees / major work, the community holds a ceremony (described as Robang) to ask permission from forest spirits.

2. Divide labor clearly

   • Tasks are assigned among residents, such as:
     • selecting materials
     • cleaning/preparing land
     • weaving
     • carving poles
     • construction execution

3. Digging and pole-depth rules

   • Digging depth depends on pole function:
     • Hiriaung pole (base): minimum 80 cm
     • Hirimehe pole (main pole): minimum 100 cm

4. Offerings before erecting main poles

   • A ceremony described as Wimbaru with offerings (e.g., chicken/pig eggs) to seek help from God and ancestors.

5. Erect poles and protect wood from rot

   • Wooden parts are planted/erected.
   • Parts in the ground are coated with plastic and palm fiber to strengthen and slow rot.

6. Balance and framework formation

   • Place top beam components called tangang (seven pieces with different lengths).
   • Erect hirimehe main pillars (described as nine pieces, made of worok wood).
   • Add balancing ropes/structure elements (pengga) in four corners (slanted).

7. Build floors upward using a repeating pattern

   • Upper floors follow the same pattern as the lower ones.
   • The outer circular frame is formed using kenti wood arranged into rings/frames.

8. Install outer walls and roof skeleton

   • Use:
     • ijuk (fiber/roofing material)
     • alang-alang (thatch grass)
   • Bamboo outer framing is installed first to tie the roof materials.
   • Doors are made at the stage needed for workers’ access.

9. Create storage/functional interior structures

   • Rangkung (storage space) with multiple levels and a symbolic pillar.

10. Install flooring boards

    • Ground/first floor: mainly ajang wood
    • Second floor: partly torang wood (and other wood in some areas)

11. Create rooms and stairs

    • Niang room creation: private sleeping/storage spaces for multiple families.
    • Stairs installed using wooden planks.

12. Roof finishing and durability maintenance

    • Roof thatch is combined with palm fiber.
    • Emphasis is placed on inside roof smoking/cooking activities as critical to durability:
      • if roof maintenance fails, the house lifespan shortens.

13. Restricted labor rules for roof installation

    • Roof installation is done by a specific workforce:
      • described as ~40 people
      • criteria include:
        • must be native to the community
        • must have expertise / an “artistic soul” (as stated in the subtitles)

14. Completion rituals

    • Raket Bopong ceremony:
      • White chicken on top floor.
      • White and red chickens on the first floor.
      • Blood is poured on the top and first-floor areas.
      • Purpose: ask God and ancestors for strength, prevent rot, and mark construction completion.

15. Final entry/blessing ceremony

    • A further ceremony (described as Ze ceremony) where additional chickens and pigs are sacrificed so residents may enter and inhabit the house.

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F) Restoration/rescue methodology after near extinction (2009 onwards)

• Crisis described:

  • In January 2009, three houses were lost due to age (four remained, but two were no longer suitable).

• Intervention:

  • A team of young architects led by Yori Antar created a foster home program.
  • Purpose: save traditional houses while working directly with residents.

• Fundraising rationale:

  • Even though wood exists in the forest, rules require using wood sold in markets, so costs increase.
  • Residents had to pause farming work to rebuild.

• Restoration principles:

  • Reuse leftover materials from older houses when usable.
  • Repeat required traditional ceremonies during dismantling/rebuilding to respect heritage and lineage.
  • Maintain living culture so it does not become a “dead monument.”

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Speakers / sources featured (as named in subtitles)

• Blasius Monta — person in charge/explainer of the information center building in Denge
• Martin Ango — tour guide accompanying visitors
• Alex (likely Alexander Ngadus) — elder/custom explainer (appears as “Alex” and “Alexander ngadus” in different parts)
• Frans Mudir — resident explaining participation/provisions for roof installation
• Yori Antar — leader of young architects; explains the rescue/foster home mission
• Josef Priutomo — expert in archipelago architecture; visits and comments on the construction
• Unnamed interviewer/presenter figures — the video includes a questioner/host voice in places, but no clear name is given in the subtitles