page_title: Nias people
section_title: Village and architecture
hierarchical_section_title: Nias people / Culture / Village and architecture
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Repronegatief. Paalwoning op Nias
context_page_description: Nias people are an ethnic group native to Nias, an island off the west coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. In the Nias language, the Nias people are known as Ono Niha; which literally means 'descendants of human'. While Nias island is known as Tanö Niha, where Tanö means 'land' in the Nias language.
  The Nias people are a community that continues living within the norms and practices of their indigenous culture. Customary law of the Nias people is generally referred to as fondrakö, which regulates all aspects of life from birth to death. Historical evidence of megalithic structures and carvings of stones that are found in the interior of the island proved that ancient Nias people practiced megalith culture. The caste system is also recognized in Nias society, whereby the highest level out of the 12 levels in the Nias caste system is Balugu. In order to reach this level of the caste, one must be able to carry out big festivals by inviting thousands of people and slaughtering thousands of pigs for several days.
context_section_description: Nias people lives in highly organized villages. Nias villages often possess impressive stone monuments and large houses which stood on earthquake-resistant timber pylons. Most of these villages have lost its old houses because of their deterioration and difficulties in maintaining the ancient wooden structures from rot, insects and wear, and hence replaced by other more generic structures. Other reasons why not so many old houses were rebuilt because of the over-harvesting of the forests. 
  In the past, Nias villages, especially those of South Nias, were strategically built on top of a ridge or hill and were surrounded by ramparts and security gates. Entry into this village was provided by only two gates via steep staircases. The gates lead to a straight paved avenue which run through the village center, with row of traditional houses on the sides of the avenue. Close to the main square of the village was the house of the village founders, the omo sebua. In Nias villages, the space in front of each houses was the property of the inhabitants. This "front courtyard" was used for mundane activities e.g. drying harvests before storing.
  Villages in Central Nias was usually smaller than its southern counterpart. The houses are also positioned farther away from the main avenue.
caption: Omo hada', the traditional house of Nias.
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