Chapter culture of Spain

Settlement patterns

Rural settlement

Nearly half of Indonesia’s population lives in rural areas. Because volcanoes play a major role in soil development and enrichment, there is a strong relationship between agricultural development, density of population, and location of volcanoes. The greatest concentration of active volcanoes is on Java, and the greatest population densities occur in areas such as those to the south and east of Mount Merapi, where the soil is enriched by volcanic ash and debris. The same pattern occurs on Bali and in northern Sumatra, where the rich soils are directly related to flows from volcanic eruptions. The islands of Java, Madura, and Bali have a highly systematized rural structure that is based largely on wet-rice cultivation. Other areas of high rural population are found in parts of Sumatra and Celebes. Most of the rest of the country is sparsely settled by small communities that engage in subsistence agriculture.

Java, Indonesia
Typical rural housing, Bogor district, Java, Indonesia.
On Java the most common settlement is the rural village, with its rice paddies that spread across the flatland and in many places rise up the hillsides in terraces. Scattered throughout the countryside are clusters of coconut, palm, and fruit trees, which indicate the location of villages. In the heavily populated areas of central and eastern Java, there are thousands of such settlements, some of which have sizable populations.

Bali, Indonesia: rice paddies
Farmer (lower right) tending terraced rice paddies, Bali, Indonesia.
The people of each village form a group that is homogeneous both in economic conditions and in social interest and outlook. In many cases, particularly in irrigated areas, there is much mutual exchange of labour. Overpopulation in the densely populated areas has led to a decrease in size of the average farm and to an increase in the numbers of landless rural inhabitants, who work mainly as farm labourers, sharecroppers, or temporary workers in the cities.
Each Javanese village has a stream or a well as its source of water, a mosque and an elementary school, and a network of swept-earth paths. There is little formal commercial activity; goods are obtained from peddlers and small shops (warung) or from the market towns, which often are also local government centres. Houses are well separated and are normally of frame and bamboo with roofs of red tile or coconut fibres; houses constructed of locally made bricks are increasingly common, especially among the wealthier families. Goats, chickens, banana and papaya trees, and a host of small children are characteristic of village life.

North Kalimantan, Indonesia: longhouse
Kenyah (Dayak) longhouse in North Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Rural structure varies considerably from region to region. Some Dayak settlements in Kalimantan, for instance, have maintained traditional multiunit longhouses, often alongside the newer single-family homes—the construction of which has been strongly encouraged by the government. Balinese villages are clusters of walled family complexes with Hindu shrines, public buildings, and larger temples. The Batak villages around Lake Toba in northern Sumatra, the Minangkabau villages in western Sumatra, and the Toraja villages in southern Celebes all have their characteristic structures and building styles as well.

Toraja
Temporary housing in a Toraja village, constructed for guests and relatives attending a funeral, on the island of Celebes (Sulawesi), Indonesia.(more)
Like settlement structure, rural social patterns vary considerably across the Indonesian archipelago. On Java there are few organized groupings above the level of the household, while villages on neighbouring Bali have an array of groups related to working, dancing, and other functions, many of which are associated with Hindu festivals. Many Dayak communities use a system of reciprocal labour to work the rice fields during particularly labour-intensive phases of the agricultural cycle (e.g., clearing, planting, and harvesting).
The rural mode of life is controlled by the growing season and by the productivity of the land. Farming practices range from the shifting agriculture of many inland groups through small-scale farming (of sago, cassava, rice, and other crops) to the mechanized agriculture of large plantations. In some cases these activities are combined with some form of cottage industry. Most rural Indonesians are small-scale farmers who operate at or near the subsistence level and sell some produce but usually do not accumulate substantial capital. In general, the villages are small, independent, and largely self-sufficient.