VILLAGE TRADITIONNEL DE TOLOLELA
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A traditional village on the slopes of the Inerie volcano, with seven clans and the possibility of staying on site.
Tololela is a traditional Ngada(Bajawa) village located on the slopes of the Inerie volcano near the village of Manubhara. A 45-minute walk from Bena along a beautiful nature trail, Tololela is distinguished by its two rows of wooden houses facing each other, topped with 4-sided straw roofs, similar to traditional Bena houses.
The village has seven clans, each represented by a pair of ngadhu and bhaga, as in other villages. The clans are Siga Dala, Siga Daku, Siga Lalu Bila, Metu, Be'a, Raba and Siga Pedhu Raga. A modern contrast is provided by a blue-tiled tomb. The porches are decorated with buffalo horns and pig jaws for the annual ceremonies.
Adventurous travellers can stay on site, with the opportunity to learn weaving, take part in traditional cooking with stone utensils and play the bombardom, a bamboo instrument. Its music tells the story of Tololela, Ngadhu and Bhaga.
The completion of a new or renovated house is celebrated with Ka sa'o, the traditional Tololela ceremony. Buffalo and pigs are sacrificed, and ja'i dancing accompanies a feast called meghe, which includes the meat of the sacrificed animals.
Attending one of these ceremonies will give you the chance to admire the deepest and most ancestral Indonesian traditions.