 If divorced, possession of the house is granted to the wife, although the husband may be compensated by being given the rice barn which can be dismantled and reassembled.A "tongkonan", however, is never removed, in part because of the large number of placentae buried on the east side of the house (east is associated with life).The "tongkonan" is traditionally seen as the navel of the universe and a miniature cosmos; and in those some regions, it is the meeting place of the north-south and east-west axes.