One of such historical inheritance is Lengge, or the rice storage buildings, which were built hundreds of years ago in Wawo Village, Wawo Sub-District, Bima Regency, whose function is still preserved by the local people until today.
Even after being declared as an historical site since 1995, the community activity after harvest can still be observed in Lengge. This local wisdom is absolutely an interesting phenomenon for the visiting tourists.
The Lengge buildings were built in 1890, and still function until today,” said the Head of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Bima Regency, Drs. H. Nurdin.
The Lengge site is located about 2 kilometers from the Village Office of Wawo with around 96 buildings of Lengge tidily arranged, the distance of which is 1.5 meters in between each building.
The Lengge site is located about 2 kilometers from the Village Office of Wawo with around 96 buildings of Lengge tidily arranged, the distance of which is 1.5 meters in between each building.
Each building was made of wood, with the sides of 4 x 4 meters, with thatched ilalang (tall grass) roof, and the height of 7 meters. Similar to the other traditional buildings in Bima Regency, Lengge was also built like a stage propped up by four wooden poles of 1 meter high.
On each of the wooden pole is a seat without wall, and a little bit upward around 1.5 meters is a wooden walled room for storage. To reach the upper room, a bamboo ladder is provided for use at any time.
In the past, Wawo people took Lengge as houses as well as a food storage, which they named “Uma Lengge”. However, due to a big fire, the whole complex of Lengge caught fire which annihilated all goods and food storage. When they renovated Lengge, they decided to separate Lengge with the housing complex.
There is a local wisdom which coexists with the existence of the Lengge buildings, namely the gotong royong (mutual cooperation) spirit of the local people. It can be clearly seen during the harvesting time when the local people help the harvesting family without request until all harvest yields were stored in the respective Lengge of each family which was inherited from the old generation to the next.
“During almost every harvesting time in Wawo Village, the Lengge complex gets crowded with all sorts of activities. The harvest is carried out in the traditional way using ani-ani (the traditional harvesting scythe) by preserving the stalks, so that the rice can be stored by being tied and hung in Lengge,” explained Nurdin.
The gotong royong spirit can also be observed when one of the community members is having aparty, the neighbors will surely come for help to take down rice from Lengge and pound husked rice with alu and lesung (the traditional rice pounding tools) into plain rice or rice flour.
Unfortunately, the gotong royong sight can now only be observed during the feast, as more members of the community prefer storing food in more practical way, i.e. by storing rice at home.
As a result, out of the 96 Lengge buildings existing in the complex, only around 12 are still functioning, while the other 84 have been modernly modified into what is called Jompa.
However, the Lengge tradition is still preserved in Wawo Village. Among the preserved rites is the selection of the Lengge keepers, in which the community selects 3 keepers for a three-year term.
However, the Lengge tradition is still preserved in Wawo Village. Among the preserved rites is the selection of the Lengge keepers, in which the community selects 3 keepers for a three-year term.
Not every one can be selected as the Lengge keeper. They must possess martial art skills. “The keepers are not paid with money, but they get a share of the harvest yields such as rice, corns, soybean, or other yields,” said Nurdin.
Along with the tourism progress in Bima Regency, now the Lengge keepers also receive some additional income by guiding guests or tourists who visit the complex. (SS Lelono)
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