Nias Stone Jump Tradition, Global Local Wisdom

It will be nonstop when we talk about cultural heritage in Indonesia. One of the cultures that has become global and known to many people is the stone jumping tradition practiced by the Nias Tribe, in North Sumatra Province. Nias people call the Stone Jump Tradition, in the local language, as Fahombo. The tradition is only practiced by Nias men.

The tradition of stone jumping is usually carried out by youths by jumping over a pile of stones as high as 2 meters to show that they are fit to be considered physically mature. Besides being displayed as a traditional event, the Stone Jumping Tradition can also be an interesting show, especially for tourists who come there.

This is Bawomataluo Village, one of the traditional villages in South Nias Regency which is very thick with the Stone Jump Tradition. Bawomataluo, in Nias language, means hill of the sun. In accordance with its location on a hill with an altitude of 324 meters above sea level, it was built centuries ago.

As a form of attention to the existing culture in Bawomataluo Village, the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) provided a Local Wisdom Program assistance of 50 million rupiah to help preserve the traditional culture of stone jumping. The assistance was directly handed over by the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK), Muhadjir Effendy, some time ago.

For the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Local Wisdom Program aims to create harmony among local residents so as to prevent social conflicts from occurring. In 2021, the Ministry of Social Affairs allocates local wisdom program assistance to 200 community groups with a nominal value of 50 million rupiah each.