Nias

Ono Niha
Niasans call themselves ONO NIHA, meaning PEOPLE'S CHILDREN and they call their island TANO NIHA meaning THE LAND OF PEOPLE, which makes Nias Island what it is today. According to legend, the word NIAS originate from the word NIHA SI, There was once a time foreigners reached a beach near the territories of Teluk Dalam. Therefore the locals talk about these foreigners among their neighbours, calling them NIHA SI, meaning foreigners who come to their land. Thus, the foreigners hear this saying as NIAS. A long time ago Nias Island possessed a prehistoric megalithic culture, also known as the stone ages, where the people lived with guidance from stone figures. Their social statues are measured by placing big stone figurines within the compound of their homes. Interestingly, their megalithic background is known to be the oldest form of culture in Indonesia as published by Rumbi Mulia, an Indonesian archeologist in his [Photo] book. Its unique history appears to have no influence with any other culture, whether it be Hinduism, Islam or Buddhism, as established by Prof. Dr James Dananjaya, an anthropologist from the University of Indonesia. Also, it has been stated that the culture of Nias has been established since the Bronze ages in the book: "Manusia dan Kebudayaan Indonesia" (The people and the culture of Indonesia), this book was published in 1970 by Prof Dr Kuntjaraningrat, the first anthropologist in Indonesia.

The great Megalithic times of Nias are still preserved and this distinctive trait captures the world’s attention. Its unique stone carvings and other forms of traditional pieces are found in museums all over the world, especially in European museums ( Tropenmuseum - Amsterdam, Museum fur Volkerkunde - Basel, Kon. Musea voor schone Kunsten Musees Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire - Brussels, Rautenstrauch Joes Museum - Cologne, Volkenkundig Museum Nusantara - Delft, Museo Nationale di Anthropologia et Etnologia - Florence, Algemeen Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde - Rotterdam, Museum fur Volkerkunde - Vienna, Vereinigte Evangelische Mission - Wuppertal ). Fortunately, these historical artifacts are now exhibited in Museum Pusaka Nias, Gunungsitoli for both locals and tourists to learn and understand about the past social life of the Nias people.

taken from nias tourismboard.com
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