Anyone who has lived on Lombok knows the berugak – an open-air structure which is separate from the house – as a venue for receiving casual guests, but they may not know that the berugak is part of the philosophy of life of the island’s indigenous Sasak people.
A berugak usually is square or rectangular with a thatch (alang-alang) roof, timber floor and either four poles (sekepat) or six poles (sekenem), often of jackfruit or coconut wood.
For Lombok people, the physically-separate berugak is a major part of the home for family activities including meals, other gatherings and for welcoming guests. Traditionally, the berugak is the meeting venue for issues concerning customary life.
Large communal berugak are intricately linked to the term sangkep, which means deliberation. “The concept of sangkep makes the berugak, after mosque, a venue for deliberation on the question of religion,” said community leader Darmawan, of the Gerung district of West Lombok.
Customary understanding is that resolutions to problems or other decisions determined at a meeting in the berugak must be respected. At the least, infringements will result in customary sanctions and it is commonly believed that violations will attract the curse of the berugak.
Berugak construction requires special skills as the structure’s horizontal and vertical pieces of timber usually are joined without nails, but in a way that makes the berugak sturdy.
In West Lombok regency, many berugak crafters come from the Gunungsari area, about five kilometres north of Mataram. Gunungsari villages that are centres for berugak production include Tamansari, Mambalan, Ranjok, Dopang and Midang.
Berugak are purchased by Lombok families and businesses such as resorts and restaurants that want to enhance their grounds with traditionally-styled relaxation places for their guests and sometimes their staff. There is solid recent demand for berugak for lesehan dining, a traditional style of eating in which diners sit on the floor.
Fifty-year-old father of six Mahsun, from the Dasan Geres community of Renjok village in Gunungsari, has been building berugak for about 35 years. “I have made berugak since the price for a unit was only Rp85,000 whereas now it is millions of rupiah,” he said.
Mahsun sells a standard four-pole berugak – usually 1.5 x 2 metres to 2 x 2.5 metres with an alang-alang (grass) roof – for Rp3.5 million if it is made of jackfruit wood and Rp3 million if it is made of coconut wood.
Less traditional berugak, probably known to people like Mahsun as “artificial”, are popular with international markets including Australia, Japan, and Canada. Price is around Rp6 million plus shipping.
Mahsun also is a specialist in making six-pole berugak (usually 3 x 6 metres to 3 x 8 metres) and bale balaq, or stilt houses, which generally sell for more than Rp40 million.
“Besides making berugak for business,” said Mahsun, “I want to preserve this unique customary structure of our ancestors and its associated traditions.”
The berugak does continue to play an important role in social life on Lombok where it is used for daily activities including prayers, meditation and general relaxation as well as dining, socialising and meetings.
The berugak is said to reflect the open, friendly and inclusive nature of Lombok people because anyone using a Berugak, which is outdoors and without walls, can be seen by others from all directions.
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