Indonesia, 1978 AD., Republic, Forestry for prosperity commemorative, 100 Rupiah, KM 42.

Indonesia, Republic, Forestry for prosperity commemorative issue, 1978 AD.,
100 Rupiah (28,5 mm / 6,93 g), copper-nickel, 7,00 g. theor. mint weight, mintage 907,773,000 , medal alignment ↑↑ (0°), reeded edge,
Obv.: BANK INDONESIA / 100 / SERATUS RUPIAH , a Minangkabau "Rumah gadang" house.
Rev.: HUTAN UNTUK KESEJAHTERAAN / 19 - 78 / Rp. 100.- , the legendary "Tree of Life" - "Batang Garing" of Palangkaraya.
KM 42 .

Year / Mintage
1978 / 907,773,000

Rumah gadang (Minangkabau: "big house") or rumah bagonjong (Minangkabau: "spired roof house") are the traditional homes (Indonesian: "rumah adat") of the Minangkabau. The architecture, construction, internal and external decoration, and the functions of the house reflect the culture and values of the Minangkabau. A rumah gadang serves as a residence, a hall for family meetings, and for ceremonial activities. With the Minangkabau society being matrilineal, the rumah gadang is owned by the women of the family who live there - ownership is passed from mother to daughter.
The houses have dramatic curved roof structure with multi-tiered, upswept gables. Shuttered windows are built into walls incised with profuse painted floral carvings. The term rumah gadang usually refers to the larger communal homes, however, smaller single residences share many of its architectural elements.

Palangkaraya’s famous symbol is the Batang Garing, meaning the Tree of Life. (Palangka Raya is the capital city of the Indonesian province Central Kalimantan, population 170,761. Kalimantan refers to the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo.)
The tree tells of the belief of the indigenous people of Central Borneo that in the beginning human beings arrived as a ‘fruit’ of the tree. The original tree of life stands in a pot to show as if the tree had grown out of that pot. The name of the capital city of this province, Palangkaraya, means “the holy pot” in the language of Dayak Ngaju, one of the many Dayak dialects.
The Dayaks believe that the holy pot has created a living tree that bears the fruit of life which are man and woman, and all the male and female of each species. The Dayaks cremate their dead and store the ashes into the same pot from one generation to the next. The pots can be very big and also hundreds of years old. They believe that the spirits of their ancestors and families are there in the pots and every year, they go and celebrate for a month to release the spirits.
New life comes out of the pot and the first life was the Batang Garing. At one point the Dayaks believe that the Creator God had left them and abondoned them and the world was ruled and nurtured by a female god, called the Panglima Perempuan or the Female Commander, who had great powers and was a shape-shifter. The female god sometimes shape shifted herself into a hornbill and sometimes into a human woman with supernatural powers.
In the original version of the Batang Garing, you will see that the tree of life grows from a pot and hornbill birds are flying (sometimes sitting) at the top of the tree.