Orchid Island Series 2 - Traditional Building
BY SCARLETT CHANG APRIL 30 , 2018
Traditionally, every Tao family on Orchid Island needed to have three kinds of building, the vahay, the markarang, and the tagakal. These are the main building, the place they work, and the pavilion. There are many rules and taboos regarding these buildings.
The vahay, or main house, is the place where they sleep and cook flying fish. The vahay is a kind of underground house. The Tao built this kind of structure as protection from the strong winds on Orchid Island. There was no shower or bathroom in the vahay, because the Tao considered sewage to be very dirty. They used stone and wood to build the Vahay. Since it was underground, the Tao dug a hidden ditch to let the rain and water run into the river. If that water would go through another house, the family would cook a big pig to apologize. The Vahay is a tilted building. The Tao designed it that way for sleeping and eating. The Tao believed that if the head is higher than the body, people will become healthier. In their tradition, while sleeping, the living person’s head has to face the sea. You only face the mountain when you are dead.
The markarang was the working building. It was the place where Tao people worked or did some handicrafts. It was also the place they normally hosted guests. They would only invite very close friends or honored guests into the vahay. Unmarried sons would also live in the markarang. When the season for catching flying fish arrived, married men would also sleep in the markarang, because according to tradition, they could not sleep with their wives during this season. Sometimes in the summer, the whole family would sleep here, too, because the Vahay was too hot to sleep in during the summer. (They designed it with a small door to keep it warm and for defense against enemies.)
The tagakal was the pavilion. It was the place where the Tao people rested and passed along their oral traditions. To keep it out of reach of pigs and other animals, the tagakal was always built 60-90 cm off the ground. It is important not to wear shoes on the tagaka. Usually, the elders would sleep on the tagaka during the day time. Also the children liked to sleep and watch the sea on the Tagaka.
Those traditional buildings are really special and full of ancient people’s knowledge. Here are some things to remember when you are on Orchid Island.
- Remember to ask local people before you take photos.
- Remember to take off your shoes before you go into a building.
- Remember to ask if you can enter the tagaka. (Not every tagaka on Orchid Island is open to the public.)
