The Celebration of Roofing

I’m standing on the edge of a cliff in Ratenggaro Village, one of the most indigenous villages in Sumba Island. A circle of gigantic tombstones in the center of the village designate the living-megalithic culture of Sumba. I get a little anxious as time seems to stop in the Stone Age. There is an almost finished traditional house standing behind the tombstones. It’s Uma Katoda Kataku, the main house of the village. It’s the day to celebrate the last phase: roofing. Alang-alang is used as the roof as an act of fidelity to their ancestor as they are not allowed to use other than natural materials. They tie a number of these tall coarse grasses into a bundle only by rattans and kahikara roots. Thousands of bundles are waiting to be assembled at the top of the house. A group of men works hand in hand to assemble the roof. Some are on the ground, other are footing on the timbering of the roof.
At the point when I think it’s going to be another typical way of building a traditional house, one of the Sumba men yells out a long strong shout of a yo-heave-ho. The fading echo is immediately answered with a “Wooo!” by the others. The next thing I know, the people of the village repeatedly yelling at each other back and forth. Not only goes as a sign to start the work, this also means to summon up strength as they work together. The way they work as a team is what makes the process extraordinary. It’s quite a performance. Well-known with spear throwing and horse riding, Sumba people use the same technique working on the roof. They throw alang-alang as if they’re throwing spear in the back of a horse. Bundles of alang-alang are flying in the air as they passed rapidly from one person to another.
They keep shouting every once in a while. Just like everyone else in this village, I get carried away by the vigorous gestures that creates a sort of adrenaline rush. It sort of fills the anxiousness I have been feeling. A small clue on how to understand the spirit of ancient cultures.