Sundanese traditional house refers to the traditional vernacular houses of the Sundanese people, who predominantly inhabited the western parts of Java island (West Java and Banten provinces), Indonesia. The architecture of a Sundanese house is characterized by its functionality, simplicity, modesty, uniformity with a little detail, its use of natural thatched materials, and the quite faithful adherence to harmony with nature and the environment. [1]
The Sundanese traditionally maintain the knowledge of their ancestors and their traditional lifestyles in close harmony with nature, which extends to their construction methods; using local materials of timber, stone, bamboo, thatched materials and palm leaves. [1]
Sundanese traditional houses mostly take the basic form of a gable roofed structure, commonly called kampung-style roof, made of thatched materials (ijuk black aren fibers, hateup leaves or palm leaves) covering wooden frames and beams, woven bamboo walls, and its structure is built on short stilts. Its roof variations might include hip and gablet roof (combination of gable and hip roof).
The more elaborate overhanging gablet roof is called julang ngapak, which means "bird spreading wings". Other traditional Sundanese house forms including Buka Pongpok, Capit Gunting, Jubleg Nangkub, Badak Heuay, Tagog Anjing, and Perahu Kemureb. [2] The ornamentation commonly includes the "o" or "x" shaped roof edges that called capit gunting, which is very similar to a certain "x" design of Malay houses' roof.
Next to houses, rice barn or called leuit in Sundanese, is also an essential structure in traditional Sundanese agricultural community. Leuit is especially important during Seren Taun harvest ceremony. [3]
Compared to Javanese houses, Dayak longhouses or Minangkabau houses, Sundanese traditional houses are much smaller, consisting of only three parts or rooms for a single nuclear family. A more traditional house of the Baduy people, a sub-ethnic of the Sundanese people, is called Sulah Nyanda. It is commonly regarded as the blueprint of common Sundanese traditional houses. It is made from wooden frame, woven bamboo wall, and dried palm leaves roof. [4]
The traditional Sulah Nyanda house is divided into three parts: sosoro (front), tepas (middle) and imah (rear) rooms. Each room functions according to the family requirements.
The veranda-like front of the house, commonly called the sosoro, serves as a guests' reception area. This is because guests are usually not allowed to get into the house. Other functions including a place to relax and weave for women. The front is shaped to the side with an opening gap as the entrance.
The middle room is called tepas, used for sleeping quarter and family meetings. While at the back of the house or commonly called as imah used as a place to cook and store the produce of fields especially rice. Each room is equipped with holes on the floor for air circulation. [4]
Sundanese house architecture reflects the culture of the Sundanese people. Unlike Javanese houses, which adhere to such social hierarchy reflected in the stratification of roof types in their houses, Sundanese houses are more egalitarian with a touch of uniformity; the common similarly designed small-sized houses clustered together in their kampung (village). This layout can be found in numbers of Sundanese traditional villages.
The houses of the Baduy people are examples of traditional Sundanese architecture that still strictly adheres to traditional life, rules and taboos. The Baduy people are well known for their hermit-like self-imposed isolationism which rejects the modern way of life and outside influences. For example, it is forbidden for them to apply masonry technique, such as using earthenware or terracotta tiles for roof, nor using bricks, sand and cements as building materials. It is also forbidden for them to excessively alter the terrain or level the topography. [4]
Examples of Sundanese traditional houses can be found in numbers of Sundanese traditional villages, such as Kampung Naga in Tasikmalaya Regency; [1] Kampung Ciptagelar on the southern slopes of Mount Halimun, Sukabumi Regency; [5] Kampung Urug; [6] and Kampung Sindang Barang in Bogor Regency. [7]
After the era of Javanese expansion during the Sultan Agung of Mataram era in the 17th century, the Sundanese began to adopt Javanese architectural themes more extensively. Thus, the limasan, joglo , and tajug pyramidal roof more commonly appeared in Sundanese settlements and principalities. Nevertheless, traditional Sundanese architecture was still commonly abundant in rural western Java.
The era of European colonialism of the Dutch East India Company and Dutch East Indies after the 17th century brought European architectural techniques, including stone and brick masonry. There was gradual adaptation started in this era to create a colonial architecture in Preanger. Yet, the architectural influence went both ways, as numbers of colonial architecture began to adopt native architecture including Sundanese traditional styles. The Halls of the Tecnische Hogeschool in Bandung, now the Bandung Institute of Technology, designed by Henri Maclaine Pont, has its roof inspired by vernacular architecture of Indonesia, with influences possibly derived from Batak Karo houses, Minangkabau Atap Bagonjong of Rumah Gadang , to Sundanese Julang Ngapak roof. [8]
Today, there is a steady decline in the number of traditional Sundanese houses, as modern families began to adopt and construct houses in modern style and techniques. More concrete masonry houses were erected in Sundanese cultural areas, and those of truly traditional wooden and bamboo structure, with thatched roofed Sundanese houses, were only left in rural areas.
West Java is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to the west, the Java Sea to the north, the province of Central Java to the east and the Indian Ocean to the south. With Banten, this province is the native homeland of the Sundanese people, the second-largest ethnic group in Indonesia.
The angklung is a musical instrument from the Sundanese people in Indonesia made of a varying number of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved to have a resonant pitch when struck and are tuned to octaves, similar to Western handbells. The base of the frame is held in one hand, while the other hand shakes the instrument, causing a repeating note to sound. Each performer in an angklung ensemble is typically responsible for just one pitch, sounding their individual angklung at the appropriate times to produce complete melodies.
Baduy people are an indigenous Sundanese ethnic group native to the southeastern part of Banten, specifically Lebak Regency, Banten, Indonesia.
The Sunda or Sundanese are an indigenous ethnic group native to the western region of Java island in Indonesia, primarily West Java. They number approximately 42 million and form Indonesia's second most populous ethnic group. They speak the Sundanese language, which is part of the Austronesian languages.
Malay houses refer to the vernacular dwellings of the Malays, an ethno-linguistic group inhabiting Sumatra, coastal Borneo and the Malay Peninsula.
Rumah Gadang or Rumah Bagonjong "house for the Minangkabau people" are the traditional homes of the Minangkabau in West Sumatra, Indonesia. 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. In the matrilineal Minangkabau society, the Rumah Gadang is owned by the women of the family who live there; ownership is passed from mother to daughter.
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The architecture of Indonesia reflects the diversity of cultural, historical and geographic influences that have shaped Indonesia as a whole. Invaders, colonizers, missionaries, merchants and traders brought cultural changes that had a profound effect on building styles and techniques.
A rice barn is a type of barn used worldwide for the storage and drying of harvested rice. The barns' designs are usually specialized to their function, and as such may vary between countries or between provinces. Rice barns in Southeast Asia appear quite different from rice barns found in other parts of the rice cultivating world. In the United States rice barns were once common throughout the state of South Carolina.
The Kasepuhan Banten Kidul are a traditional Sundanese community of approximately 5,300 people, who live in the southern part of Gunung Halimun National Park, in the Indonesian province of West Java. Gunung Halimun National Park is located within the borders of the Sukabumi Regency, Bogor and southern Banten province. The Kasepuhan is called "Kasepuhan Banten Kidul", their main village is Ciptagelar in the Cisolok subdistrict (kecamatan) in the western part of the Sukabumi Regency. The current head of the community, Abah Ugih, inherited the position of leader when his father, Abah Anom, died at the age of 54.
Kampung Naga is a traditional Sundanese hamlet located in the Neglasari Village area of Salawu district in Tasikmalaya Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia.
Sunda Wiwitan is a folk religion and ancient beliefs adhered to by the Sundanese in Indonesia.
Rumah adat are traditional houses built in any of the vernacular architecture styles of Indonesia, collectively belonging to the Austronesian architecture. The traditional houses and settlements of the several hundreds ethnic groups of Indonesia are extremely varied and all have their own specific history. It is the Indonesian variants of the whole Austronesian architecture found all over places where Austronesian people inhabited from the Pacific to Madagascar each having their own history, culture and style.
Seren Taun is an annual traditional Sundanese rice harvest festival and ceremony. The festival was originally held to mark the new agriculture year in the Sundanese ancient calendar as well as thanks giving for the blessings of the abundance rice harvest, and also to pray for the next successful harvest. Seren Taun demonstrates the Sundanese agricultural way of life, and is held in high regard in Sundanese traditional villages, as the festival draw thousands Sundanese villagers to participate as well as Indonesian or foreign visitors.
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Banyumasan or Banyumasan Javanese is a collective term for a Javanese subgroup native to the Indonesia's westernmost part of Central Java. At approximately ±9 million people, they are concentrated in Banyumas, Cilacap, Kebumen, Purworejo, Purbalingga, and Banjarnegara regencies. The Banyumasan-Javanese speak Banyumasan dialect of Javanese language, a dialect which is often called "basa ngapak-ngapak".
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The Grand Mosque of Bandung, previously known as the Great Mosque of Bandung, is a mosque in Bandung, the provincial capital of West Java, Indonesia. The mosque received the status of provincial mosque of West Java Province in 2004. It is located on the east side of the alun-alun of Bandung.
Leuit is a type of vernacular rice barn found in the Sundanese architecture of Western Java, Indonesia. It used to store rice after harvest for future and daily use. A leuit is an essential part of Sundanese agricultural tradition, especially during annual Seren Taun harvest ceremony. In Sundanese tradition, leuit symbolizes sustenance and livelihood.
Ciptagelar is a traditional Sundanese hamlet in Sukabumi Regency, West Java. Founded in 1368, the hamlet is the largest village of the Kasepuhan community which retains traditional Sundanese social structure and strictly adheres to adat to this day. The village is also known for its Sundanese style houses which value simplicity and harmony with nature.
