Prailiu village, East Sumba

Prailiu is one of the many traditional and exotic villages in Sumba. It is located in a suburb area of Waingapu, the capital city of East Sumba District about two kilometers away from the city center.  Despite rapid development, traditional tall houses with sharp leaf roofs are still apparent here.  However, you can now see many zinc roof houses with different designs.  The local government, assisted by the World Bank, is currently reconstructing local traditional houses in this village.
   
Although most of the local inhabitants are Christian, they still follow local traditions based on their original religion of Marapu.  Tall houses and burial processes, for instance, are closely related with their traditional beliefs. Their traditional houses have three parts, representing local cosmology i.e., underground as the home of the dead, the middle part as the home for the living, and the roof as the home of the Gods.
   
In addition to traditional houses, Prailiu also has a number of original cemeteries.  You can also find the famous traditional woven fabric and its weaving process here.