Waruga, the Archaeological Relic at Minahasa
When I travel to North Sulawesi, I visit not only Bunaken at Manado but also archaeological remains at Sawangan village, Airmadidi, Minahasa Regency. The people call the relic ‘Waruga’. The word waruga consists of two words: waru (means a house), and ruga (means body). Therefore, it means ‘the house for the body that backs to the heaven’. From its meaning, may be you guess it as a cemetery. Yes, you are right, but it is a unique burial place for the ancestors of Minahasa.
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Waruga looks like a small stone monument with roof on it. It consists of two parts, the first is cubical stone with hole in it. The hole is the place where the dead body is placed. The stone is about 1 meter in width and 1 to 2 meters high. The second part is the roof, it is made from stone as well. The roof is on the cubical stone, just like a house for the living people. The oldest Waruga was built on about 900 BC.
Characters are carved on each roof but not on the oldest. The carved object represents the work of the dead during their life like midwife, carpenter, hunter, etc. 104 clans are buried there. Together with the body, jewelry like ring, necklace, earring and bracelet that belong to the dead are also buried there. However, it cannot be found in the Waruga now, the government has saved them in the museum to keep it away from thieved.
How to Get there?
The location is about 24 kilometers from Manado. The government has provided easy access to the location. It is avalable car and minibus to the Sawangan village or taxi to be more private.
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Nggak ngerti bahasa inggris….