Rumah Gadang Minangkabau

Traditional House
Minangkabau Traditional house is called 'Rumah Gadang' that means big house or Rumah Adat that means customary house. It is called Rumah Gadang, because of its big size, but it refers to the big function of the house it self. Rumah Gadang in Minangkabau belongs to all members of relatives along the mother's line called 'kaum'. The function is as the place for all traditional ceremonies like wedding party or inauguration of a head of clan. The original traditional house is made of wood and bamboo for the back wall. The roof is made of palm vibe. It is about 12 to 20 meters long and 6 to 8 meters wide the position of floor is two to two and half meter above the ground.


The location of a traditional house stretch from west to east, while the numbers of the rooms are 3,5,7,9 & even though 17. The construction is expended up with a horn shape roof. The roof looks like the horn of buffalo with 4 to 6 points stretch along the house and a point in addition forward for the front door and ladder. For the expanding form of the construction, there is no any right angle connection to the pillars with the horizontal bars of the house. Both, the upper and lower horizontal bars of the building.

The inside of the house is divided into 4 parts. They are living quarters along one side of that house, which consist of five or more rooms; another side in front of the rooms is a hall for meeting. In some houses, the meeting hall made with a raised floor as the place for the household in a meeting. At both ends of the house are rooms with a higher floor called 'Anjuang'. The rooms at Anjuang are used only for a special occasion, and usually used by a newly married daughter of the family.
The Traditional House is difference based on their clan:
1. Bodi Chaniago traditional houses.
2. The house has smooth floor and doesn't have anjuang.
3. Koto Piliang traditional houses
4. The house has anjuang.

The traditional house based on their shape:
1. Rumah gadang Rajo Babanding.
 Consists of 5 rooms, 30 poles, 4 slightly horn shapes

2.Rumah Gadang Rajo Maharam.
Consists of 40 poles. It is called Gajah Maharam because the whole shapes look like elephant that sitting on the floor with the legs together and bent back beside the body.

3.Rumah Gadang Sarambi Papek
It is smaller than Rumah Gadang Rajo Babanding and consists of 3,4,5 rooms coinciding with the numbers of pole and there is no "paserek" and bedroom here.

In front of the traditional house stands rice barns used to keep food supply namely:
Sitinjau Lauik
Located on the left side with 6 poles and functioned as paddy storage to provide the common traditional need of expense.
Sibayau-bayau
Located on the right side with 6 poles and functioned as paddy storage for daily need.
Sitangka Lapa
Located on the left side with 4 poles and has function as paddy storage for disaster.

The traditional house wall and the rice barns are adorned with colorful carving, that very interesting and has a special meaning reflecting to Minang Philosophy "Alam Takambang jadi Guru" means the whole nature becomes the teachers.