It is an island almost as big as Bali and is situated 125 kilometers off the west coast of Sumatra.
Excellent beaches, ideal for surfing and an ancient megalithic culture combine to make it one of Sumatra’s most exotic destinations.
From Medan, it took us two hours by propelled airplane to reach Gunung Sitoli, which is situated northern coast of Nias.
We firstly visited Museum Pusaka Nias which has woodcarvings, including the halimaw – which is the local name for a tiger, stone sculptures and other ceremonial objects.
The guide told us that despite the absence of writings, oral traditions would tell that Niassans are the descendants of gods who came to earth and settled in the central highlands.
Scientists attribute them to the Bataks of Sumatra, the Nagas of Assam in India, the aborigines of Taiwan and various Dayak groups in Kalimantan (wherein head-hunting was part of their virtue).
They cultivate yams, rice, maize and taro, despite the thick jungle, and raised pigs as a source of food and a symbol of wealth and prestige.
The indigenous religion was thought to have been a combination of animism and ancestor worship, with some Hindu influences. It would appear that the dominant religions are Christianity and Islam- overlaid with traditional beliefs.
The Niassan villages were presided over by a village chief, heading a council of elders. Beneath the aristocratic upper caste were the common people, and below them the slaves, who were often traded.
The architecture of Southern Nias is interesting. Traditional villages, with their very wide, straight, cobblestone, streets and rows of ship-like wooden houses, remain a striking testament to the past.
Built on high ground with defense in mind, villages are typically surrounded by stone walls and reached by dozens of stone steps. The preferred material for almost everything, stone was also used to carve bathing pools, staircases, benches, chairs and memorials.
While the houses of northern Nias are free standing, oblong structures on stilts, the houses of the south are built shoulder to shoulder on either side of a long, paved courtyard.
Emphasizing the roof as the primary feature, southern Niassan houses are constructed using pylons and cross beams slotted together without the use of bindings or nails.
Bawomataluo is the famous, and the most accessible, of the southern villages. It is also the setting for stone jumping . It is believed that 1.8 meter high stone jumping is practiced to ascertain the capability of warriors.
It is perched on a hill about 400 meters above sea level. The oldest and largest house is the chief’s house.
Outside are stone tables where dead bodies are allowed to decay.
Thereafter, we visited Hilisimaetano, Botohili and Hilimaeta where a two (2) meter high stone penis is built near a cross. It is suggestive of the biblical statement “Go and multiply.”