Holiday Ayo - Hilisimaetano Village is one of the tourism villages in Indonesia. It is located in Maniamolo District, South Nias Regency, North Sumatra Province. The village is among the top 50 in Indonesia Tourism Village Award (ADWI) 2022.

Hilisimaetano Village is one of the oldest heritage areas in South Nias. The village still preserves its unique cultures and traditions to this day. You can see it from the moment you enter the village. There are Megalithic stones that the ancient people of Nias used as tools during the Megalithic age.

source: kemenparekraf.go.id

There are 50 traditional houses that are still maintained to this day in Hilisimaetano Village. The government system of the village is also very traditional. Here, the power is hold by Si’ulu or a king that comes from Nias noble family. The Si’ila or the scholars act as advisors to the nobles. The common people are called Sato or Fa’abanuasa.

There are various arts and traditions you can see at Hisilimaetano Village. Among them are Mogaele Dance, tiger dance, and stone jumping that is also called fahombo. This stone-jumping tradition is usually done by the young men of the village. They will jump over a 2 meters stone. This act will prove that they are worthy to be seen as adults and become a symbol of pride for their family.

source: kompas.com

The tradition of fahombo attracts a lot of attentions from tourists that come to Hilisimaetano Village. They even manage to impress Indonesian Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno.

“I see the richness of history and culture. I can see that this is our main point of attraction. The culture and traditions will promote the tourism and creative economy of South Nias,” says the minister, during his visit to the village.

source: kompas.com

Another interesting tradition at Hilisimaetano Village is the tiger dance or famadaya harimao. This ritual is done once every 14 years. The villagers will parade a statue that looks like a tiger as sanctification and reclamation of the traditional laws in Maniamolo. After that, the ritual is followed by reciting ancient prayers.

The village has some interesting traditional crafts like hats, sculptures, and even swords. It also has the biggest rice fields in South Nias, which has a large potential for agrotourism.