Manifesting Locality and Identity in Traditional Houses in Response to Environmental Change

DOI

10.2991/assehr.k.201009.014How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Identity, Locality, Settlement, Bent Pole House, High Pole House, Environmental Responses, Tana Toa Kajang, Bitombang

Abstract

Houses manifest particular spatial identities that reflect the character of their owners and/or occupants. Thus, they offer a medium for exploring diverse values, technologies, forms, and ornaments, which are located within the framework of traditional systems that are perceived as a perfect for ensuring occupants’ survival and for environmental sustainability. Among the Tana Toa of Kajang District, Bulukumba Regency, such locality is manifested in the Pasang ri Kajang philosophy that guides the local people in their individuality and social lives. This uniformity has created a new locality, a collective identity with unique characteristics that distinguish the settlement from others. This locality is a manifestation of residents’ physical adaptation to their surroundings, including their ability to prepare for the worst-case scenario, thus offering a means of cultivating knowledge of sustainable development. As such, this study seeks to understand the manifestation of locality and identity in Tana Toa Village, Kajang District, which is known for its curved piles, and in Toa Bitombang Village, Selayar Islands Regency, which is known for its tall piles. Applying a case study approach, this article qualitatively explored the history, geographic conditions, customary laws, and architectural components of the houses in these settlements. It shows that the horizontal and vertical planning of houses in Tana Toa and Toa is influenced strongly by customary values that embody traditional philosophies. Meanwhile, their architectural forms have been achieved through trial and error to maximize comfort, safety, ease-of-construction, and social cohesion. These villages’ localities are manifested in their materials, construction systems, and layouts, which have—through synchronicity and harmony—created specific forms that have been through environmental change for centuries.

Copyright

© 2020, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.

Open Access

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Wasilah
AU  - Andi Hildayanti
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/10/10
TI  - Manifesting Locality and Identity in Traditional Houses in Response to Environmental Change
BT  - Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Dwelling Form (IDWELL 2020)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 132
EP  - 136
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201009.014
DO  - 10.2991/assehr.k.201009.014
ID  - 2020
ER  -