Visit Bena Traditional Village, Flores Indonesia

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Bena traditional megalithic Village on the island of Flores in the Aimer District, Ngada Regency. Bena is a village located directly at the foot of a Volcano called Inerie.  Bena is about 15 kilometers to the south of Bajawa and is a unique historical landmark in Flores.  The houses are all built in traditional style and the roof of the homes display a traditional vernacular style of architecture that is native to this area of Indonesia.  The village is located about an 8 hours drive from Labuan Bajo.  Taking a trip to to learn and see Bena Traditional Village is something to be remembered.  It’s traditional houses and artisans will make you feel like you stepped back in time and learning about the unique ancestral shrines and stone formations is incredibly interesting to anyone who wants to learn about the history of the famous village.
When visiting this magical place you will see that is was built at the bottom of a gigantic volcano called Mount Inerie.  As with many cultures around the world, who live close to Volcano, the local village usually believe in higher power connected with the Volcano.  The people of Bena believed that the volcano was connected with the Yeta God, whom would protect their village.   The village has over 40 houses with 9 tribes that live in the houses.  The traditional homes are built very unique and each is built around the center of the home which is the kitchen.  There are 28 boards that are used to build the center of the homes, and that is related to the Females monthly cycle.  As with many cultures the kitchen was the center of the home and even the wood carvings could only be carved by a certain linage of the family.  Some of the different tribes in Bena are; the Deru Solamae tribe, the Ngada tribe, the Wahto tribe, the Dizi Azi tribe, Deru Lalulewa tribe, the Dizi Tribe, the Ago tribe, and the Khopa Tribe.
Another thing that makes Bena Village unique is that all the traditional homes are laid out in a large U shape with the court yard in the center.   The center consists of different rock slabs that are actually tombs for different ancestors in the village.  The bigger the stone the higher rank that the ancestor was in the village.  For example, a chief would have the biggest tomb.  Each roof has a slightly different decoration as well, depending on what linage the family is from and who has lived in the home. There are also small building in the center of the courtyard that represent the male and female ancestors.  These very small buildings are used at ceremonies to gather around and take part in ceremonies such as drinking the traditional drink and to communicate with the ancestors.  The Nga’du resembles an umbrella with spears at the top. This represents the male ancestors and the Bhaga has a shape like a small home with a large open air opening.  The Bhaga represents the female ancestors.

If you would like to take a Bena Village Tour, contact us and we can accommodate a tour that works with your schedule on a Tours of Flores.   If you are debating whether or not to visit Bena Village, we highly recommend it, as learning about the culture and traditional ways is incredibly interesting and rememorable to experience.

​Other areas to visit of Overland Tours of Flores, Indonesia include;