Flores::: Bena traditional village

Near Bejawa there are many traditional Ngada villages. The most famous is Bena. Built in steps up the side of the mountain, each house/hut is owned by one family- the whole family lives within the hut as well.

view upon entry
the stone slabs are meant to commemorate ancestors- and many are the actual graves

of the victims of land dispute-battles

while human sacrifices took place in many parts of indonesia (even up to the last century), now many tribes and groups only hold animal sacrfices. the ngada people sacrifice buffalo during special rituals....dont worry the puppy is not a sacrifice and the "blood" is actually spit from the women who chew an addicting betelnut- which bleeds red juices, rots your teeth, and gives a buzz like nicotine

our new friends and I

nghadu (male structure) representing fallen soldiers of land dispute battles

bhaga (female structure) representing ancestors fallen to battles and also showing stones for animal sacrifices

the ngada people worship a combined religion of animism and catholicism, the dead are celebrated through both kinds of rituals and burials

horns placed on houses show prominence of the family residing within

some sort of strange voodoo on tops of the homes
they have no running water, no vehicles, they worship the dead....

but they have a satellite dish!!!!
a view from the "top of the town"
view of the Gunung Inerie volcano in the backdrop of ngada houses
verncular construction techniques