Religion and Architecture in Premodern Indonesia : Studies in Spatial Anthropology.

Print version record.

In Religions and Architecture in Premodern Indonesia Gaudenz Domenig presents a new approach to the study of indigenous religions and their influence on vernacular architecture in Indonesia.

Religion and Architecture in Premodern Indonesia; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; List of Maps; Preface and Acknowledgments; Introduction; Decorating altars to receive spirits and deities; Spirit attractors and spirit ladders in timber buildings; Landtaking, sacred groves and 'soul lands'; Anthropology of space and architecture; The word 'spirit' used in a wide sense; Myths and ideas associated with rituals; The geographic scope: Indonesia; Contents of the chapters: an overview; The past and the present situation; Illustrations; Translations and orthography of Indonesian words.

PART ONE: DWELLING SPACES OF GODS AND SPIRITSIntroductory notes: The landtaking ritual as a key to understanding indigenous religions; Chapter One: Land-clearing rituals and sacred groves; The ritual procedure in opening up land; A clearing ritual of the Thai-Lao of Northeast Thailand; A land-opening ritual from eastern Flores; Fighting the local spirits; Examples from Halmahera; Expelling spirits from a building site in eastern Sumatra; Clearing land on Nusa Penida (Bali); The transformation of non-specific spirits into local deities; Village founding in an area already opened up.

The distinction of external and internal free spirits (Nage)Legends regarding the human origin of forest spirits; The division of the land by Batare Guru Sakti; Chapter Two: Sacred groves and tabooed mountains; Sacred groves of various kinds; The human component in guardian spirits of Karo villages; Stories about founding villages (Karo Batak); Sacred groves of the Karo Batak; Mountain spirits and Karo rituals for opening up dry fields; Sacred groves of the Pakpak Batak; The sombaon worship of the Toba Batak; Sacred regions as standards of house orientation.

Chapter Three: The soul land and the place of deified ancestorsThe Land of the Dead or Soul Land; A land of the dead in the mountains of East Sumba; The vertical and the horizontal view in Sa'dan Toraja cosmology; Local gods on mountains and deified ancestors in the sky; The rice deity dwelling in the mountains of Mamasa; Earth spirits emerging in the mountains; The earth spirit paradox: Earth spirits arriving from above; Ancestor spirits as intermediaries to a higher god; From founding ancestor to supreme being; A different view advocated by scholars of religion.

PART TWO: ALTARS, SPIRIT LURES AND SPIRIT LADDERSIntroductory notes: Deities and spirits called to offerings; 'Evil' spirits or 'angry' spirits?; Free spirits, spirits of the dead, and ancestor spirits; Chapter Four: Temporary altars and the attraction of fresh leaves; Decoration as an old principle of architecture; Plants used for decoration; The reed altar of the Sa'dan Toraja and its mythic prototype; Pamona altars with crossed spirit ladders; A square altar without a platform (Minahasa); Simple sticks supporting an offering.

English.

Includes bibliographical references.

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