Transformasi Rumah Panggung dan Perubahan Sosial Masyarakat Pesisir Tanjung Luar Lombok Timur, 1998-2024

Abstract

Stilt houses represent both ecological adaptation and an important social space for the coastal community of Tanjung Luar, East Lombok Regency. Since the late 1990s, however, this dwelling type has increasingly shifted toward semi-permanent and concrete houses. This study explains the historical roots of stilt houses, the factors driving their transformation, and the resulting social changes during 1998-2024. It employed a qualitative historical method consisting of heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. Data were collected through observation, documentation, village-profile records, and interviews with ten informants, including village officials, community figures, fishers, a builder, stilt-house residents, and other coastal inhabitants. The findings show that stilt houses were rooted in the migration and traditions of Bajo, Bugis, Mandar, and Makassar communities that settled in Tanjung Luar before the establishment of the nineteenth-century colonial port. Housing transformation was mainly driven by the high cost of durable timber, limited material availability and logging permits, growing household size, demands for additional rooms, and preferences for modern comfort and appearance. The shift reduced the function of the underfloor area as a gathering place, storage space for fishing equipment, communal kitchen, and locus of mutual assistance in house construction. Nevertheless, social relations did not disappear entirely, while the nyelamaq di lauq maritime ritual continues to retain a traditional stilt house as a cultural symbol. The study highlights the need for adaptive conservation that preserves elevated construction and communal space while accommodating contemporary housing requirements.