THE ETNIC OF INDONESIA and MY EXPERIENCE

The House of Toraja

The etnic groups in the mountain regions of southwest and central Sulawesi are know by the name of Toraja which has come to mean “Those who live upstream” or “Those who live in the mountains.” Their name is in fact derived from the word Raja, which in Sanskrit means “King.” the society is hierarchically structured ( The noblemen called rengnge, the ordinary people to makaka, and the slaves to kaunan)birth determines which rank a person will occupy.

   The distinctive features of the traditional houses ( Tongkonan) of the Toraja are the “Buffalo horns,” the roof design and the rich decoration on the walls. The buffalo is a symbol of status, courage, strength, and fighting spirit. Designed as a respresentation of the universe, the tongkonan isn constructed in three parts : the upper world (the roof), the world of humans (the middle of the building), and the underworld (the space under the floor). The highly distinctive roofs constructed by Toraja have given rise to the various ingenious interpretations. Certainly the roof is something of deep significance for the Toraja, and even today they build “Modern” (in other words houses built with cement) houses with such roofs.

Interview With Tourist

  I had an experience when I stayed  in Senior High School.  At that time, I was given an assignment by my English teacher to interview a tourist who visited Indonesia and what was the purpose they came to Indonesia. On the 17th of April 2012. I went on Sunday  with my friends by bus. I left home at 7 am and arrived  at Jl. Jaksa at 9.30 am. I saw tourists in the Jl.Jaksa where was located in central Jakarta area.  In Jl.Jaksa, many Tourists lived  there.

Once I got around with my friends ended up meeting with a young tourist and his named was Mr. Edward. He came from Spain but he could speak English. When I did interviews, I asked the opinion of the tourists about Indonesia. The tourist said: "I am glad to visit Indonesia because I feel the people in Indonesia are very friendly. And I most like Bali, because Bali has beautiful beaches like heaven on earth”. And not only that I asked : “ Do you speak Indonesian?”.

  And He said : “ Iya bisa hanya sedikit. Having finally the conversation my friends asked for taking photos together with Mr.Edward.  I felt happy, because that's where I was able to speak directly with the tourist.