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Buoyant Hope in the Floating Village of Bajo Torosiaje

Name: Buoyant Hope in the Floating Village of Bajo Torosiaje
Uploaded: 2022-08-16T04:52:32Z
Duration: 20 min 32 s
Description: Jootje designed the floating house measuring 11 by 20 m as a homestay in 2012. At that time, the Torosiaje village head for the 2005-2011 period was asked by Tourism Ministry officials to provide lodging.

Jootje designed the floating house measuring 11 by 20 m as a homestay in 2012. At that time, the Torosiaje village head for the 2005-2011 period was asked by Tourism Ministry officials to provide lodging.

ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

· 8 minutes read

For more than a century, the Bajo people of Village, Popayato district, Pohuwato regency, Gorontalo, have lived perched over the sea. They catch fish, build houses and now accommodate tourists. The hope of residents for a prosperous life floats in the water.

Mangrove trees welcomed visitors at the Torosiaje pier on 14 July. The blue sky that afternoon gave fresh air to the visitors, who had traveled for about seven hours, more than 250 kilometers, from Gorontalo city. The landscape of the sugarcane and corn fields in the journey has now changed to the ocean.

Torosiaje, among other things, can be reached by renting black plate cars. The rate for renting a car is around Rp 700,000, including the cost of gasoline and driver. The route follows the Trans-Sulawesi road to Central Sulawesi.

Upon arrival at the pier, visitors must cross the sea for about 700 meters by boat at a rate of Rp 5,000 per person

to get to Torosiaje. From a distance, wooden houses with colorful walls, fishing cages, fishing boats and school buildings stand above the sea. This is the floating village of the Bajo Torosiaje tribe.

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Settlements on the water are a magnet for tourists. On Friday evening, Jootje Repi, 79, reluctantly declined visitors' requests to stay at his house. The four rooms at his Mutiara Laut homestay were full for the next three nights.

The two available bathrooms are also tiled and clean, without mold.

The homestay rate is Rp 150,000 per room per day. The room measuring about 3.5 by 3 m contains a mattress, table, fan and mirror. The sheets and pillowcases smell good. The two available bathrooms are also tiled and clean, without mold.

"No need for luxury, the important thing is cleanlines," he said.

When Torosiaje tourism developed in 2018, the local government and the community prepared 11 houses as homestays. There visitors also live with the owner of the house. Jootje, for example, has a room for his family in the back.

Visitors can chat with residents on the terrace, living room, sitting room, watch television, wash clothes or cook. Tourists can go to the kitchen if they are hungry in the middle of the night.

"The governor's wife (Idah Rusli Habibie) once ate in the kitchen," said Jootje, pointing to the wooden dining table.

However, now, there are only two residents' houses that are used as lodging. Besides Jootje’s house, there is also Mikson Yapanto's house with a capacity of four rooms plus bathrooms inside. The rate is Rp 250,000 to Rp 400,000 per night, according to its size. However, the owner of the house does not live there.

One house still accommodates more than one family.

Many homestays have failed, however, because not all homeowners are ready to meet guests’ standards, especially regarding facilities. One house still accommodates more than one family.

For Jootje, Mutiara Laut Homestay helps his finances. Previously, he relied on a pension of Rp 2.6 million per month. Now he earns extra income from lodging. Moreover, the September-December period is the "peak" of tourist visits. “Almost every week visitors stay overnight. Maybe because of it’s the end of the budget [use period],” he said with a laugh.

The majority of his customers are from the state civil service agencies inside and outside Gorontalo. Last month, there were also visitors from China staying there.

The homestays leverage residents' businesses, from food stalls to boat taxis. “During Lebaran, I can earn Rp 300,000 per day. Gasoline costs Rp 20,000. Compared to catching fish, the capital is Rp 100,000,” said Aman Latif, 40, a resident of Torosiaje Jaya, a neighboring village of Torosiaje.

Marine identity

Going for the first time to Torosiaje, Kustami, 50, a resident of Sragen, Central Java, was amazed at the floating village.

"I'm curious as there's a village on the sea. I thought it was just a few, it turns out that there are many houses,” said the tourist who came with nine members of his family.

His four children were even reluctant to go home.

Ahmad Ikram, 39, Kustami's son-in-law, said the residents of Torosiaje are friendly. His four children were even reluctant to go home.

"Here, they take care of us. It's safe," he said.

The sea makes the relationship between people closer. When building a house, they work together. During the celebration, residents borrow equipment and boards from neighbors, free of charge. If there is a dispute, residents resolve it amicably, except for criminal matters.

"The attitude of the Bajo people is called Sama Bajo or cooperation," said Husain Onte, a local community leader.

Bugis, Makassarese, Javanese and people of Chinese descent make the village their home. They are now family.

Not surprisingly, 13 tribes have mingled with the residents. Bugis, Makassarese, Javanese and people of Chinese descent make the village their home. They are now family.

The close relationship of the Bajo tribe is also reflected in the meaning of the word Torosiaje. "Some say Torosiaje comes from the Bugis language a'korro sijita, which means 'there is our family there,'" he said. Bugis and Bajo people are indeed known as master sailors.

Other versions say Torosiaje comes from two words, namely toro which means peninsula and siaje, a nickname for people who have the title of haji. That is, the peninsula was discovered by a haji.

"Haji can also be a title for people who have high religious knowledge," said Husain.

The Bajo tribe is estimated to have inhabited Torosiaje since 1901, or 121 years ago. Initially, they lived on a boat. The area in Tomini Bay is protected by a U-shaped island so it is safe from storms. Residents began to settle on the sea, although not far from the mainland.

The floating village is the identity of the Bajo tribe, not housing on land. Their livelihood also comes from the sea. Today, Torosiaje is inhabited by 437 families or 1,489 people. They inhabit 347 houses that line the water and form the letter “U”.

The village stretches for about 3 kilometers. There is a little plot of land that is used as a place for residents to exercise. Clean water flows there. Elementary and junior high schools, small health centers and a badminton court with a wooden floor are available there.

For Husain, the various facilities in the floating village of Bajo residents are a form of independence.

“We in Torosiaje have not had electricity or water for several decades. Now we enjoy it,” said Husain, who makes ice in his freezer to chill fish.

The residents are also developing Alo Cinta, a wooden bridge with a length of about 300 meters with a heart-shaped end. The wharf is painted colorfully.

The head of Torosiaje village, Uten Sairullah, added that the floating village had also attracted tourists. The residents are also developing Alo Cinta, a wooden bridge with a length of about 300 meters with a heart-shaped end. The wharf is painted colorfully.

Visitors can enjoy the sunset there. The residents are also developing diving spots and places for watching sharks. The location is on Karang Island, about an hour by speed boat from Torosiaje. However, there are no diving equipment rental services there yet.

“On weekends, almost 100 people travel to Torosiaje. There will be more during the Idul Fitri holidays," he said.

However, the infrastructure in the village is not adequate. The wooden bridge has been damaged in several parts. The flow of clean water is sometimes not smooth.

Shipments of household waste from the mainland also threaten the Torosiaje settlement. Uten admitted that local residents still needed education related to environmental sustainability, even though trash cans were scattered in many places. He ensured that fishermen did not use bombs to catch fish.

Uten also criticized the local government for equating Torosiaje with an area on land. For example, residents were once asked to pay land and building taxes. In fact, they live in the sea and do not yet have a building rights certificate like the Bajo people for the floating settlements in Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi.

Other developments include watching whale sharks in Botubarani village, the Lombongo hot springs, Otanaha Fort and Soekarno Landing Museum, Bongo Religious Village, Minanga Beach and Bolihutuo Beach.

The head of the Gorontalo Provincial Tourism Office, Rifli M Katili, said the local government had built a guesthouse in Torosiaje to develop tourism. Financial support will be provided. Other developments include watching whale sharks in Botubarani village, the Lombongo hot springs, Otanaha Fort and Soekarno Landing Museum, Bongo Religious Village, Minanga Beach and Bolihutuo Beach.

"Torosiaje's local wisdom at sea is maintained," he said.

Rasid Yunus, a lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Gorontalo who has studied Torosiaje, said that in the 1990s, the government encouraged people to live on land. Houses and farming tools were prepared. However, most people did not stay, returning to the sea.

"If it's like this, the identity of the Bajo tribe can be lost. Don't let the village be considered advanced only if there is a land culture," he said.

(This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo)

Editor:

NASRULLAH NARA

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