TWELVETH MEETINGREADING: WAEREBO VILLAGE

The traditional village of Wae Rebo in the district of Manggarai on the

island of Flores, East Nusatenggara, has received the Top Award of

Excellence from UNESCO in the 2012 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage

Awards, announced in Bangkok on 27 August 2012.

This small and isolated village was recognized for its rebuilding of the

traditional Mbaru Niang. The traditional house was rebuilt based on

the spirit of community cooperation towards a sustainable tradition,

while at the same time improving its village welfare.

Wae Rebo is a small, very out of the way village. Situated on around

1,100 meters above sea level and approximately 3 - 4 hour travel by

foot from Denge Village. Wae Rebo is completely surrounded by

panoramic mountains and the dense Todo forest. This tropical forest

is rich in vegetation, where you will find orchids, different types of

ferns and hear the chirping of many songbirds. There is also no mobile

coverage in this village, and the electricity is only available from 6 to

10 pm. The air is relatively cold, especially in the dry season, so don’t

forget to bring your jacket if you’re planning to visit the village.

Founder of the village and, therefore, their main ancestor who built

the village some 100 years ago, was a man called Empu Maro. Today,

the inhabitants are his 18th generation descendants.

Wae Rebo’s main characteristics are their unique houses, which they

call Mbaru Niang that are tall and conical in shape and are completely

covered in lontar thatch from its rooftop down to the ground. It

appears that at one time such kind of houses were quite common to

the region. But today, it is only this village that continues to maintain

the typical Manggarai traditional house, without which these unique

houses would have been completely fazed out.The house has five levels, each level designated for a specific purpose.

The first level , called lutur or tent, are the living quarters of the

extended family. The second level, called lobo, or attic, is set aside to

store food and goods, the third level called lentar is to store seeds for

the next harvest, the fourth level called lempa rae is reserved for food

stocks in case of draught, and the fifth and top level, called hekang

kode, which is held most sacred, is to place offerings for the ancestors.

One special ceremonial house is the community building where

members of the entire clan gather for ceremonies and rituals. They

are predominantly Catholic but still adhere to old beliefs. In this house

are stored the sacred heirloom of drums and gongs. .

JAWABLAH PERTANYAAN DI BAWAH INI BERDASARKAN

BACAAN “ WAEREBO”:

a. When DID Waerebo get award?

b. Where is Waerebo located?

c. Is Warebo a traditional village?

d. How many hours to travel by foot from Denge to

Waerebo?

e. What is unique in Waerebo?

f. Who is the founder of Waerebo?

g. Why do you have to visit Waerebo?

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