Rumah gadang

West Sumatra

A rumah gadang is the family house of the Minangkabau people, in the highlands of West Sumatra, Indonesia. The house and its land descend through the mother’s line, and the bilik along the rear lanjar increase as daughters marry. The parts named on this screen — gonjong, anjuang, bilik, ruang, lanjar, singok, tonggak, rasuak — are Minangkabau words. Where the author was not confident of a name, the part is named in Indonesian rather than in a guessed-at Minang word. The sun in this model is computed for Bukittinggi, 0.30° S and 100.37° E.

There is no single canonical rumah gadang. Variation between nagari and between lineages is real, and this model is one house the rules permit — not the house.