Dozens of children crowd excitedly around Juwita Kristina Zebua, a 24-year-old Indonesian Red Cross volunteer in Nias. They watch with fascination as she demonstrates cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid using mannequins.

“What will you do if you see somebody is injured?” asks Juwita.

“Help him!” yell the primary school students in unison.

“Who knows what to do first?” Juwita asks.. The students compete with each other to describe what they know.

The children are participating in the Red Cross “Raise and be Aware” exhibition to commemorate the third year of the Nias earthquake. Watching the presentation with close attention, the students realize that first aid requires a lot practice and concentration.

“It is so interesting to see how the Red Cross volunteers help the people in need with first aid,” says 13-year-old Yarna Nias Zebua. “By seeing the demo, I realize that it is not easy to do this work.”

The Indian Ocean earthquake struck Nias Island on 26 December 2004 and created a 10 metre-high tsunami that left 140 people killed and hundreds homeless. Three months later, on 28 March 2005, the island was left devastated by an earthquake. This time, more than 850 people died and 6,000 were left injured. Hundreds of buildings were collapsed and 80,000 people lost their homes.

The Red Cross is using the commemoration to help increase the awareness and importance of disaster risk reduction amongst the communities on the island of Nias.

“I think it is a great strategy for the villagers to prepare themselves for a better future by informing them the essence of disaster preparedness,” says Harefa “We will never know when disaster comes. Being prepared is the best technique to reduce risks and casualties.”

The Indonesian Red Cross in Nias started a disaster management program this past February. Integrated with community-based first aid program, Red Cross volunteers spread the disaster preparedness information throughout villages. This programme will soon be expanded to 24 villages in Lahewa sub-district.

“Together with the communities, the Indonesian Red Cross will support them in reducing the risk and establish the early warning system locally,” says Rosmawati Harefa, disaster management staff of Indonesian Red Cross Nias branch.

Photos and text by Vina Agustina, International Federation information delegate in Banda Aceh.
Photo 1: The children watch with fascination as Juwita demonstrates cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid using mannequins.

Photo 2: The Indonesian Red Cross “Raise and be Aware” exhibition commemorates the third year of the Nias earthquake. By watching the presentation with close attention, the students realize that first aid requires a lot practice and concentration.

Photo 3: Jerry Talbot (first from the left), International Federation special envoy for the tsunami recovery, visiting Indonesian Red Cross Nias branch.

Photo 4: “Together with the communities, the Indonesian Red Cross will support them in reducing the risk and establish the early warning system locally,” says Rosmawati Harefa, disaster management staff of Indonesian Red Cross Nias branch.

(Source: Website of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Society)

Can you tell us the reason behind the formation of Nias Island Research Network ?

The formation of the Nias Island Research Network is to bring together the individual efforts of research of the Nias Culture, Art and Architecture. When we started to investigate the architecture, we only slowly found out about other people already having done documentation. To make the information and the people behind it more accessible we decided to form a loose network and establish a website, so that in future it will be easier to access the works of people and get into contact. Some of the researchers, who have been working on Nias for twenty years, have never met before. We also hoped to attract interest of Indonesian people who are interested or have worked on Nias themselves. We are happy that we evoked your interest with our initiative.

In the Vienna Declaration 2006, the declarators of the Network stated “their interest and concern about the cultural heritage and the wellbeing of the inhabitants of Nias Island“. What are the interest and concern of this NIRN on Nias culture and wellbeing. How do/will NIRN address these concerns ?

After the earthquake, we had long discussions about how we could help. We decided to do what we can do best - give input according to our professional experience as researchers. What we can contribute to the Nias culture is what our expertises are, and account for documentation and recording of what has survived of the unique manifestations. The documentation is essential, because it makes the particularity of Nias visible, and will hopefully contribute to the preservation efforts and further development. The results of the research efforts of international experts will in this way also be accessible for the Nias people themselves.

As we learned from NIRN website, NIRN is “a group of international experts from a wide range of disciplines of the cultural heritage of Nias …” How do you define “international experts” in this context ? Are there any measure (objective or otherwise) of expertise of the people gathered at the Vienna Conference ?

NIRN was founded as a platform for scientists who have interests in research on Nias. It is an open network created by the people who attended the conference in Vienna in October 2006 and we invite also other scientists and people interested to join the group.

The participants of the Vienna Conference were selected according to their work and publications, which evidence their expertises in ethnology, art history, arts, architecture, reconstruction and according to recommendations from different sides.

The aim was to bring together all the researchers who we were informed about. We also had invited representatives of BRR and ICOMOS Indonesia, but unfortunately they did not attend the conference.
Fr. Johannes Hämmerle was very important for us as a source of information. His long stay on Nias has made him an expert - moreover he represents one of the few accessible sources of Nias culture. His collection is doubtless very important.

Was the conference held in Vienna on October 2006 a scientific conference where papers were peer reviewed ?

The conference was held as a scientific conference, with the aim to bring together experts who have been doing research in Nias or who are still working there covering a wide range of disciplines. People have been invited either because of their extensive publication or because of recommendations. We abstained from peer reviewing the talks and papers as we wanted to provide a platform for people to show different aspects of research done in Nias as open as possible. In starting this initiative we want to create a network of scientists to exchange results and encourage discussions of already available data to improve the knowledge about Nias culture, art and architecture in the best way of co-operation. To begin an initiative like this with a peer reviewed selection did not seem appropriate for us.

The Conference theme was about “Traditional Architecture and Art in Nias …” Why did paper(s) not related to this topic such as that written by Prof. Kennerknecht appear in that Conference ?

In our opinion it is very important to include research of other disciplines into a research about architecture or art. That includes also disciplines, which are not related to the topic on first sight. As we understood Prof. Kennerknechts work it will provide new cognitions about the migration of Nias people. As migration movements are always influencing art and architecture, the outcome of the research will also provide interesting aspects for these fields.

Prof. Kennerknecht was recommended by Fr. Johannes Hämmerle. He was invited because the information on the genetics of the Nias people could perhaps bring important information on migration of the Nias population and cultural relations between maybe different ethnic groups. He had informed us beforehand, that he could only present preliminary results. We decided that in spite of that the topic was interesting. We think that it would be important for the interpretation of cultural heritage to know more about the migration patterns on Nias.

From our previous communcation you informed us that Prof. Kennerknecht finally modified the above mentioned paper. Why ? Which version of the paper was presented at the Vienna 2006 Conference ?

At the conference Prof. Kennerknecht held a lecture. The papers were collected within the following six months. After Prof. Kennerknecht informed us about the complaints, we immediately withdrew the paper from the web and he replaced it with a new version. We are sorry that some people felt offended and hope that the problems are solved with the new version.

As you may be aware, there were some “complaints” about Prof. Kennerknecht paper from Yaahowu’s visitors. Are you in the position to tell us whether there are ethical and other issues that should have been properly addressed by the authors of the paper (Prof. Kennerknecht and Fr. Johannes) before submitting and presenting the paper at the Vienna Conference ?

Before publication even on the website, all authors had to declare that they are aware of their responsibility of the presented material, including photographs. We cannot take responsibility about the work of other researchers, and are not in the position of moderation of a discussion.

What fascinates you about Nias architecture and culture ?

Personally I can only speak as an architect and think that Nias architecture is absolutely unique, worldwide. The aesthetics and quality of the wooden constructions are striking. We are impressed about the deep relation to the traditions.

We think that it is difficult to preserve the structures in the changing society and economic conditions, but that all measures should be taken. All the more documentation and information on these achievements are important. The culture on Nias is doubtless very interesting, and the rapid changes that have occurred within the last decades are for sure very difficult for the Nias people, who have to carry out a balancing act between modern world and tradition.

We were impressed that the Nias people accepted out efforts for documentation very friendly in a difficult situation shortly after the earthquake, and have experienced great hospitality.

Can you tell us your “interdisciplinary research project” on Nias architecture? What have been the outcomes so far and what will be the plan for the future?

The interdisciplinary research project we started in 2003 concerns the recording of the traditional architecture of Northern Sumatra and Nias. In 2005 we did intensive research on the different building types on Nias. We are sorry that we could not yet publish more of the findings of our field trip in 2005, but we carry out the research within the frame of our work at the Vienna University of Technology without any additional funding. So far, we have carried out tests for the wood and made virtual models with the help of our students. One of the South Nias house models has been tested by engineers to earthquake resistance. The results of this investigation will be published shortly.

Documentation was also carried out by photogrammetric measurements. We have documented all four remaining Omo Sebua by means of photogrammetry. These results from the field trip have to be processed. The other part of the project is a documentary film, which will be worked on as soon as our applications for funding will be successful. This project includes also the documentary work on the architecture, within the context of society and culture.

The next step of the project is the publication of the Conference papers in a book, which will hopefully be printed in spring 2008.

What aspects of Nias architecture which need to be preserved and applied to modern dwellings in Nias and the world in general ?

The traditional Nias architecture has many qualities, which should be transferred to modern building. It is in many respects well adapted to the environmental conditions, the earthquakes being one of the influencing factors. The inside climate of the houses is very comfortable within the hot and humid climate, and can serve as a role model for passive measures to achieve good inside climate. But we think as well, that modern living has to be introduced into building, so that the inhabitants have modern comfort as well. Other problems are the lack and the price for wood, and the remoteness of the traditional villages.

We think that preservation of the cultural heritage is an important asset of the Nias people, that they will have to share and care about themselves. What we can offer is to use our own possibilities for support on a scientific base, and hope that Nias people can make use of it.

Thank you for your time. Ya’ahowu.

On Nias Island, an Indonesian Red Cross initiative has mobilized and trained more than 800 new volunteers in just ten months.

When a community based first aid programme was launched on the Indonesian island of Nias in March 2007, there was little indication that it would go on to be a major Red Cross success story.

“At the beginning, there were no volunteers – so we had to start the programme completely from scratch,” said Indonesian Red Cross Society (PMI) health officer Mariani Gulo, who worked with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to develop the programme.

Today, more than 800 community-based volunteers are teaching first aid in 39 villages across the island, reaching people in need in even the remotest communities.

It’s a remarkable achievement for the PMI and the International Federation, given the remoteness of the island. Nias faced a number of challenges even before it was hit by the December 2004 tsunami and then devastated by the March 2005 earthquake that killed around 800 people and made tens of thousands homeless.

Thousands of families in remote villages were enduring daily health problems because they were unable to reach the island’s hospital or local medical centre. This situation led PMI and the International Federation to launch a community based first aid programme in several areas, to empower local people to respond to daily emergencies where health professionals are absent or overworked.

To deliver the programme and ensure that it was sustainable, PMI and the International Federation began to recruit volunteers in Nias, including some who had been inactive because there had not been any suitable activities for them to participate in. Initially, only five volunteers were available, although this soon increased to 35.

PMI and the International Federation then ensured that all the volunteers were trained to national standards and understood the nature of the voluntary work they would be doing.

Rising to the challenge

Once the volunteers were trained up, community leaders were invited to select new potential first-aiders from each of the 39 villages targeted by the new programme.

The location of many of these villages proved a fresh challenge. In many cases, it took volunteers nearly four hours to reach settlements that were inaccessible even by motorcycle.

To avoid wasting time and energy, PMI and the International Federation decided that all volunteers must stay for three days in a targeted area to deliver modules for village volunteers and to arrange activities in the community.

This decision has been greeted with warmth and appreciation by the villagers, who have expressed their gratitude to the volunteers who have travelled so far and given up so much of their time.

Follow their schedule, not ours

Community based first aid volunteers must complete a minimum of 52 hours of training. However, as most villagers are farmers and local traders with community obligations, this tight schedule wouldn’t work for them.

So a new approach was developed to suit the community. First, the training module was split into six parts and was delivered gradually. Each module consists of specific topics such as vector diseases like malaria and dengue fever; diarrhoeal diseases caused by poor hygiene conditions; nutrition and first aid. These, combined with disaster preparedness and disaster response topics, will encourage the formation of community based action teams and can then be used in emergency situations. The volunteers also received an induction on PMI and its work, and on the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s Fundamental Principles.

“We follow the villagers’ schedule as closely as we can, as long as we both agree,” said Dr Eka Airlangga, the International Federation’s health programme manager in Nias.

This flexibility allowed some first aid topics to be taught during community church services. Dr Airlangga added that the first aid trainers also used events important to the local culture, such as Maena (a community gathering with singing and dancing), to carry out training. Volunteers also organized a competition and provided a health message, which was then adapted into lyrics by village dance and singing groups.

To maintain the village volunteers’ capacity, they are regularly involved in first aid trainings held for selected audiences including primary school students, teachers, and senior citizens.

From zero to hundreds

Then programme has achieved a great deal in the ten months since its launch.

“The good news is that the training the volunteers have received is at the same level as the PMI standard – and in some cases even higher,” said Dr Jeyathesan Kulasingam, an International Federation health delegate with the Aceh tsunami operation.

The villagers are feeling the benefits most of all. When Nias was hit by a diarrhoea outbreak last summer, the villages supported by the community based first aid programme suffered less than others.

“In many cases, we can now save the money we used to spend travelling to the city hospital,” said Faolozisokhi Zega, a volunteer coordinator from Lolo’ana’a lolomoyo village in Gunung Sitoli Utara sub district. More important, he added, the villagers can now respond quickly and effectively if a family member or neighbour falls ill or has an accident. (ReliefWeb, 1 Febr. 2008)

George Junus Aditjondro

Stone jumping (hombo batu) and surfing are the two most well-known attractions for tourists coming to the island of Nias, 75 miles west of Sumatera, which only take place in Teluk Dalam on Nias’ south coast. Young Nias men jump over 2-meters stone walls for Rp 50,000, in the village of Bawomatoluo. Meanwhile, surfing was introduced and developed by foreign tourists on the beach of Sorake.

Coming all the way to Nias, however, tourists should not limit themselves to stone jumping and surfing, since the island — with a civilization dating back to the Dongson period of North Vietnam — has a unique traditional architecture adapted to the frequent earthquake tremors in the region.

Two original solutions were created by the Nias ancestors. Firstly, all houses were set on a series of vertical pillars (enomo) which are not anchored into the ground, but rest on stone blocks. Secondly, the vertical pillars were reinforced by slanting piles (ndriwa), which created a very resistant earthquake-proof three-dimensional structure.

While surviving earthquakes, Nias traditional architecture is presently endangered by two big challenges, namely deforestation and modernization. Nias has largely been stripped of its forests over the past 150 years since head hunting ceased and the population grew rapidly. This has nearly depleted the native efoa, manawa dano, and simalambuo hardwood trees, used for the pillars of the traditional clan houses (omo hada), chief houses (omo sebua or omo nifolasara) and large meeting halls (omo bale).

Secondly, modernization has reduced the strength of the clan (mado), with most Nias people preferring now to live in Malay houses, while the government has also forsaken Nias traditional architecture in all official buildings.

The billions of rehabilitation and reconstruction dollars channeled to Nias through the NAD-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Body (BRR), overlooked the need to revive this cultural heritage of Nias.

Fortunately, two European charities — the German aid organization, Johanniter Unfall Hilfe, and the British Turnstone Tsunami Fund — have assisted the rebuilding of remaining omo hada on the island. Johanniter cooperated with the Nias Heritage Museum (Museum Pusaka Nias) in Gunungsitoli, the capital of the Nias district, while the Turnstone Tsunami Fund cooperated with the Medan-based North Sumatera Heritage.

With Johanniter’s assistance, Museum Pusaka Nias has helped families rehabilitate 26 traditional wooden houses in 13 villages. In addition, with financial assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta and the Muenster and Konstant Municipalities in Germany, the Museum has rehabilitated eight more traditional houses in seven other villages. Then, with the assistance of other donors, the Museum has distributed funds — ranging from Rp 200,000 to Rp 5,000,000 — to 357 traditional house owners to rebuild their traditional houses.

The museum was trusted by all those donors due to the serious dedication of its director, Johannes Hammerle, OFM Cap, a naturalized German-born priest, to revive Nias traditional architecture. The Museum director has studied chief houses (omo sebua) since 1990, and supervised the construction of the museum compound — with its various wooden buildings — according to Nias traditional architecture, involving Nias and German carpenters.

In the museum compound, one can observe a South Nias rectangular wooden house, used as a guest house, where the author has twice stayed, and a North Nias oval wooden house, used as an office building. The oval house, called omo laraga, originated from Sinandraolo village near Gunung Sitoli. Owned by the family of Ama Jeni Telaumbanua, it collapsed during the 2005 earthquake.

The traditional house was rebuilt in the museum compound and modernized with an indoor toilet, with the financial assistance of Brigitte Ott and Guenter Ott and their colleagues from the German International School in Jakarta. The omo laraga was inaugurated on June 22, 2007, with the traditional house inauguration dance, Fameheu Omo, by high school kids dancing and jumping on the floor, to test the house’s structural strength.

Meanwhile, the Turnstone Tsunami Fund has rebuilt the chief house (omo nifolasara) in the village of Hilinawalo Mazingo, the oldest omo hada in Southern Nias. This magnificent chief house had survived nearly three centuries, but was in desperate need of restoration after falling victim to intense sun, rain, insect infestation, neglect, and finally, the March 2005 earthquake.

In 2005 and 2006, the Turnstone Tsunami Fund focused on training a younger generation of Nias men, ranging from 23 to 50 years of age, by the elderly village carpenter, Ama Liana, in four-week courses, supported by the Carpenter’s Company of the City of London.

Following two carpentry courses, all houses in Hilinawalo Mazingo and four surrounding villages had been fully repaired by mid 2006. In addition, this project also supported a reforestation education project with local teenagers, led by a Nias school teacher, Yamin, and using afoa seedlings.

Thanks to these massive programs, Nias will have much more to offer to tourists than swimming and snorkeling in Teluk Dalam, watching stone jumping in Bawomatoluo, and surfing at Sorake. It would be nice if BRR and all aid agencies contribute to reviving this unique cultural heritage.

As Roger Miall from the Turnstone Tsunami Fund suggested is his email letter to me, some help from BRR to build a road to the village of Hilinawalo Mazingo would encourage tourist to visit the restored chief house. Meanwhile, tourism agencies should incorporate visits and short periods of living in Nias’ omo hada in their packages, similar to tourism packages in Sarawak, East Malaysia, where tourists are encouraged to visit and live in Dayak long houses. Or in Mentawai, where tourists also can visit and live for short time in the indigenous people’s longhouses.

The author is currently researching the reconstruction of Aceh and Nias, and can be contacted at georgejunusaditjondro@gmail.com

Source: The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA–When Kuntoro Mangkusubroto dashed in to lead reconstruction of Indonesia’s Aceh in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, it was with little immediate help from his own government.

Despite leading an organization set up by presidential decree in May 2005, Mangkusubroto was forced to go cap in hand to Australia’s aid agency for the money to fly his team out to the flattened provincial capital of Banda Aceh.

“We were so grateful to the Australians, but at the same time it was very shameful,” Mangkusubroto told AFP in an interview at the modern Jakarta office of the Aceh-Nias reconstruction agency, known as BRR.

A former academic and one-time energy minister, Mangkusubroto has never shied away from robust criticism of his government.

With 168,000 dead in Aceh, and the added disaster of a massive earthquake on desperately poor Nias island, the grinding pace of Indonesia’s bureaucracy was always going to hinder the channelling of billions of dollars of foreign aid.

A generation-long separatist war and an entrenched culture of what he calls “pathological” corruption throughout the Indonesian state were not going to help either.

And so it was with an obvious sense of satisfaction that Mangkusubroto ticked off his organization’s list of successes recently, three years after the December 26 tragedy, one of the worst natural disasters in modern history.

Of the BRR’s target to build 120,000 new houses, Mangkusubroto said more than 100,000 have been completed and the remaining homes will be finished by April 2008, three months ahead of schedule.

A project to train teachers to replace the 2,500 who died in 2004 has seen startling success, with more than 20,000 trained. However, less than half the 2,000 schools planned have been built so far.

As of October, the BRR has overseen the building of 216 bridges, more than 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) of roads, 17 sea ports and 10 airports and air strips.

The key to BRR’s success has been its full authority over reconstruction — a fact bitterly resisted at the start by others in the Indonesian government, Mangkusubroto said.

“We didn’t have that kind of organization before in Indonesia,” he said.

“We would have to explain this to Jakarta people, that this organization has full authority, so don’t try to block us.”

This approach often irritated several ministers who could see their own power eroding, who would often shoot back with responses such as “Okay, Aceh is yours, Indonesia is mine,” Mangkusubroto recounted.

While the government was reluctant to even pay for his flight to Aceh in 2005, these days the BRR’s reputation for efficiency and lack of “systemic corruption” means it gets its way, he said.

Another key to rapid reconstruction, outside the BRR’s control, was a peace deal that brought to an end fighting between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian government, which had left almost 14,000 dead.

“I cannot imagine we could have achieved this (much) without peace on the ground,” Mangkusubroto said.

Provincial elections in December last year saw ex-GAM rebels sweep to power. The popularly elected government is more decisive, Mangkusubroto said, although it lacks a depth of experience, particularly in the bureaucracy.

“Overall I can say we have achieved the mission, achieved the objectives (of reconstruction) but when it comes to long term objectives, in this case local government capacity building, that is something that is beyond our specific mission,” he said.

Even under the most upbeat assessments of the BRR’s achievements, Aceh still faces serious challenges.

The World Bank and others have warned the province is in danger of an economic slump after major reconstruction ends with the close of BRR’s mandate in April 2009 and the handover of responsibility to the GAM-led government.

The risk is that as temporary construction jobs die off, so will go the economy — and, possibly, peace.

A major challenge for the new government will be creating conditions that are attractive to investment, Mangkusubroto said. If domestic investors can be lured, then foreign money will follow. (Source: AFP/23/12/07)

Keys to the new homes were presented to their new owners at a special ceremony in the Nias Island village of Silimibanua to people who had lived in makeshift accommodation since the Indian Ocean tsunami that struck on 26 December 2004, and an earthquake on 26 March 2005. A month later, UN-HABITAT’s Executive Director, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka visited the region to show her solidarity and pledge the agency’s assistance.

“We now have a place to call home,” said Sokifhao, a farmer and father of five on receiving the keys to his new home from the Nias Settlements Support Programme (NSSP), the joint programme of the Bank and UN-HABITAT.

Mr. Pieter Smidt, the Bank’s Head of Mission, said: “We believe that many lessons can be learned from the community-based housing process, in areas funded by ADB. We hope that the local government will also see the process as a potential resource to use community-based in regional development.”

The Asian Development Bank and UN-HABITAT have taken a community-driven approach to reconstruction and rehabilitation in the tsunami-affected areas. “Right from the start, UN-HABITAT advocated that the ‘recovery’ strategy must put people at the very centre of decision making so that reconstruction becomes part of a continuous recovery process. We call this process the ‘People’s Housing Process’,” said Mr. Chris Radford, Senior Human Settlements Officer UN-HABITAT.

Dr. F.G.M. Zebua, in a speech on behalf of the people of Nias, expressed his gratitude for the assistance provided.

Mr. Bambang Sudiatmo, Deputy Director for Housing and Settlements, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency, recognized the challenge faced by most of the reconstruction agencies working in Nias: “Project locations, which are often remote and isolated, has become unique challenges for both community and donor organizations, particularly material delivery and distribution.”

Under the “off-budget” programme being implemented by UN-HABITAT and four NGOs – Muslim Aid, German Agro Action, another German NGO called Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe eV, and Cordaid of Holland, the Bank is financing the construction of about 3,000 new homes and the restoration of 1,050 other houses across Aceh and Nias including Simeulue. One third of the new homes are being constructed by UN-HABITAT.

In the neighbouring island of Simeulue, the Asian Development Bank and UN-HABITAT are assisting with the reconstruction of 459 homes in five villages. (ReliefWeb site)

Banda Aceh, 31 October 2007- Director of the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Executing Agency for Aceh and (BRR) Kuntoro Mangkusubroto announced today that more than 100.000 houses have been built till the end of October 2007 for the victims of Tsunami and earthquake in Aceh and Nias region. “Alhamdulillah, at this end of October 2007 we can finish building the 100.000th house or to be exact 102.063 unit of houses for our families in Aceh and Nias,” Kuntoro said.

From the total of 102.063 houses, 90.610 houses are located in the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province while the rest of 11.453 houses are located in the Nias Islands, West Sumatera Province. Based on the 2005 blue print, the target of housings to be built by BRR was 90.000 houses and then revised to 120.000 houses based on the 2007 action plans.

Furthermore, Kuntoro explained that the agency will fulfill their target in providing housing needs by April 2008, or one year before the end of BRR mandate in Aceh and Nias in April 2009. “The BRR’s Housings development Program will conclude in April 2008. That means after that period, BRR is not going build any more houses,” stated Kuntoro.

Kuntoro adds that this achievement is due to the hard works by all parties involved in rehabilitation and reconstruction in Aceh and Nias. Because of that Kuntoro convey his highest appreciation to all parties including donor foundations, local and international NGOs, Red Cros, Local Government, private sector and other parties. “The highest appreciation belongs to all Aceh and Nias people for their supports that they give all this time for the rehabilitation and reconstruction processes in Aceh and Nias,” said Kuntoro.

Compared with other achievements in rebuilding other disaster areas in the world, the achievement in housing developments in Aceh and Nias is much faster. As comparison, it took four years to rebuild 48.000 houses that were destroyed by typhoon Mitch in Honduras in 1998. While in Bam Iran, it took three years to rebuild 25.000 houses that were destroyed due to the 2003 earthquake.

Despite that, Kuntoro stated there are many problems within housing developments that are still existed, such as houses with sub-standard quality, public facilities that were not built yet or other problems. “We admits that there are still many problems that we found in the field, but for all those problems, we are optimistic it will be solved by the end of housing development period by April 2008,” stated Kuntoro.

Progress and other challenges

Apart from housing sector, till the end of August 2007 a number of achievements in rehabilitation and reconstruction that has been finished are: 1.586km of roads (out of the requirement of 3.000km), 10 units of airports and airstrips have been built (from the total requirements of 11 units) and 822 school and its facilites out of 2.006 units that were required.

A number achievements have in fact goes beyond rehabilitation and reconstruction target such as 515 health facilities from 127 units identified, 63.923 hectares of farming land from the total requirements of 60.000 hectares and 17 sea ports from the total requirements of 14 sea ports.

Kuntoro explained that there are still many challenges that has to be solved in rebuilding Aceh and Nias better from it was before, including solving the investment and economic problems to push for more access for jobs and increasing people’s welfare.

Further Information:

Twk Mirza Keumala
BRR NAD – Nias spokes person
+08126989519

Source: ReliefWeb Website, 31 October 2007

Editor’s note: On 10 Augutst 2007 Yaahowu sent 9 interview questions to Prof.Dr.med. Ingo Kennerknecht of the Institute of Human Genetics, University of Munster, Germany, regarding his research on genetics of Nias People (see article: Merunut Asal-Usul Orang Nias Berdasarkan DNA/Gen). On 17 October 2007, Yaahowu received Prof. Kennerknecht’ responses. The interview questions were compiled by E. Halawa from Yaahowu and M.J. Daeli, a Nias elder and an occasional article contributor to Yaahowu. Both the interviewers acknowldge the contributions from Yaahowu visitors who left their comments on a number of articles displayed in this website which proved to be of a valuable help in making this interview possible.

Prof. Ingo Kennerknecht, it has been 5 years since Fr. Raymond, the webmaster of Nias Portal Website interviewed you. It has been 4 years since you visited Nias for the purpose of your research on the origins of Nias people based on DNA technology and population genetics. Can you tell us about the progress of this exciting research ?

A lot of population genetics work has been done through all over Asia giving now a rough idea of the general peopling of this continent and also of Australia. Yet, studies on single populations still remain a challenge. Well studied examples are the neolithic groups inhabiting the Andaman islands and parts of Papua New Guinea. The results are still a matter of discussion. Now, we want to study whether this increasing number of data already allow to trace the roots of Nias. This is a very basic research and the work is still in progress.

In your interview with Nias Portal, you expressed your relief that Nias people, who initially were reluctant to take part in your research as “blood donors”, finally supported you in your research by giving their blood to you for use in your research. What can you tell Nias people about your research and how can they benefit from this?

Like described by Sykes in his bestseller, “The seven daughters of eve”, which became the stem mothers of Europe also the South-East Asian - and perhaps the people from Nias will learn some day where they come from. The question were do we and finally were do I come from is certainly as old as mankind. This is the point where genetic and cultural heritage comes together. The study is population based and not individually. Hence, with the help of those many blood donors the Nias people will benefit as a whole.

You said in the interview with Nias Portal: “The main objective of the research on Niassan DNA samples is to investigate the origins of Nias people and the history of their spread over the island”. Are there any other objectives apart from this main objective ?

Whether we can trace the historical spread of the Niassian over their island is still an open question. At the moment one can only differ by molecular genetic methods between e.g. Indian, Central Chinese and South East Asian people - and this is only possible statistically and practically not for a single person. Single groups are only seen as distinct, when they are from very remote areas with next to no exchange with other ethnic groups around. Other objectives apart from this are the delineation of inborn errors and its genetic dissection. The rate of congenital diseases is world wide the same but the etiology and clinical manifestation of the given diseases is different between the ethnicities.

How do you explain to layman the relation between the population genetics and the oral tradition ? One of the oral traditions in Nias says that Nias people are descended from “heaven”. How would you relate this with the population genetics ?

As there is no longer doubt about that the origin of all modern humans is Africa, it is clear that from “heaven” means in this context just from “outside” (the island).

You are very impressed with the village of Sifalagö Gomo as the strong candidate “as the village of Nias ancestors” who landed in Nias from Asian mainland. Can you explain the logic of this hypothesis ? It would be more logical to imagine that Nias ancestors would have found a location near the coast where they landed and established a settlement there ? Why do you think they decided to go to Sifalagö Gomo instead and settled there?

First of all this is in accordance with the oral tradition and the myths which repeatedly refer to Sifalagö Gomo. When having been to this place myself, I was impressed by the lovely, fertile countryside, crossed by the river Gomo, and protected by the mountains. In former times with dense forests the rivers allowed the best access to the country side. On a high quality satellite photo I recognized by chance that Sifalgö Gomo excellently fulfills the criteria for a good settlement: Not too far from the sea, situated in a large valley, safely hidden behind a mountain range and good accessible by the river Gomo which has cut himself deeply through the mountain barrier. In turn of Hia, I would also have taken this place as a first choice in dangerous times.

Although not as intense as assimilation processes that occur in big cities, Nias society to some extent have undergone the assimilation with other ethnic groups. This fact raises the question regarding the collected blood samples of 620 (or 785 ?) Nias people. Do those samples truly represent the distribution of Nias population ? How do you know that the samples you collected are those from “genuine” Ono Niha ? How do you define the “true” or “genuine” Ono Niha and how do you distinguish them from those who have undergone assimilation?

You bring the difficulties of this work to the point. In contrast to the remote neolithic population of the Andamans, many ethnicities should have settled on the island of Nias during thousands of years. Hence, beside their cultural identity, it will be difficult to say whether one is from a genetical point of view an Ono Niha or not. Because of this admixture the genetic heritage from very ancient times is diluted but not necessarily lost. The aim of this study is therefore to look for putative ancient markers in the recent (modern) genetic pool. With the increase of markers from all over Asia it should be feasible one day to even trace different clans within a population.

Have you published any results of your research so far, albeit in the form of preliminary findings?

In 2006 an international group of people with common interest on the cultural heritage and wellbeing of the inhabitants of Nias island came together in Vienna/Austria. As a consequence a network named “Nias island research network” was established which is now accessible at http://www.nirn.org/ also giving preliminary scientific data.

Research is often associated with inventions or discovery. This is related to intellectual property rights of the inventor(s). Do you intend to lodge a patent application for what you have discovered so far in your research ? To what extend this rights are shared among the parties involved: Fr. Johannes Hammerle (Museum Pusaka Nias), Dr. Idaman Zega (Nias Public Health Authority), Nias people who gave their blood to you and even the Indonesian Government ?

The study was done with full informed and written consent of all subjects who volunteered. We also had the placet of the Nias Public Health Authority c/o Dr. Idaman Zega, of the Bupati Nias Binahati B. Baeha, SH, and of the local ethical committee of my home University in Münster/Germany. We have declared that there are no commercial interests and that no patents will be applied. As soon as we have valid data they will be published in scientific peer reviewed papers according to international standards and available to everyone who is interested in.

Apart from support from Museum Pusaka Nias and Nias Public Authority, have you obtained any formal support from the Indonesian Government (in this case the Indonesian Ministry of Research and Technology) for this exiting research ?

Until now the expenses of the ongoing study are almost only covered by my basic research money as given by my university. (brk)

He arrived from Medan with Panti Asuhan Al-Wasliyah orphanage principal Juharman Hairefa to join 50 other orphans at the AlBukhary orphanage.

Mahathir, who will be studying in Malaysia under the AlBukhary Foundation sponsorship until the age of 18, said his ambition was to become a doctor like former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“I want to become a doctor, InsyaAllah (God Willing), I will also be known as Dr Mahathir,” he said.

He, however, could not hide his sadness as this would be the first time he would celebrating Hari Raya away from his homeland and would be missing his friends dearly in Nias.

Mahathir became an orphan when his parents perished in the earthquake on March 29, 2005. He was sent to the Panti Asuhan Al-Wasliyah Orphanage in Gunung Sitoli when he was a baby.

He was named Mahathir by his foster parents who was deeply impressed with Dr Mahathir’s leadership.

His wish to meet Dr Mahathir came true on April 15, 2005.

Source: Bernama website, 10 October 2007