‘DAWUH’ CONCEPT AS STRATEGY OF SUSTAINABILITY OF AKUR COMMUNITY DWELLING CULTURE IN WEST JAVA

• Main Author: Dwi Adisaputri, Yunita
• Format: Dissertations
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/64841
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

The perspective and understanding of dwelling culture in vernacular architecture, especially in the settlements of the Sundanese indigenous community, has so far paid more attention to the physical signifiers of settlements and the formal appearance of the house, changes often ignored. Seeing how indigenous communities live today, this perspective is no longer relevant. Many traditional villages were vacant, abandoned by their inhabitants, especially the younger generation. Preserve their tradition rigidly threatens the sustainability of their community. This study tries to see it in a new way through a controversial case related to its ambiguous status as an indigenous community, namely the Adat Karuhun Urang Community (AKUR) based in Cigugur, Kuningan, West Java whos chose to synergize with the changes. This communities which hold Pikukuh Tilu as their guide in life, choose to maintain their ancestral traditions despite experiencing discrimination and political pressure from various ruling regimes since they were initiated in 1870 AD. This condition forced them to change according to the socio-political conditions they faced, including adjustment their dwelling culture. The AKUR community relies on the dawuh mechanism in order to make decisions in changing, which believed as the instructions from the ancestors that were passed through Rama Sepuh (their respected leader). At present, their territory is present in a 'vague territory' which was originally approached in previous studies by exploring the liminal space in the sérén taun ritual. The study found the concept of puseur-waréh in the construction of networks that formed the 'vague territory' of the AKUR Community but could not explain why the territory became ‘vague’ (Adisaputri and Widiastuti: 2014, 2015, Adisaputri: 2015). This research provides a new way to look at the dynamics that occur in the AKUR Community and the decision-making processes for change based on a dawuh mechanism which make their settlements are present as ‘vague’ as they are now. How do they maintain their presence in the disguise. This research conducting qualitative-explorative with symbolic interaction approach. Symbolic interactions are explored to identify and map the changes that occur within the AKUR Community. Then, it is analyzed to see patterns of change and decisions made based on dawuh. Basic cosmology as community spatial consciousness is explored and then seen how this spatial consciuosness is dynamically translated through dawuh. This research framework is made by elaborating the symbolic interaction approach using the basic premises of Mead (1934), the five basic methodological principles of Blumer (1969), and the seven basic methodological principles of Denzin (1987). Ritual exploration specifically conducting the analysis of the symbolic procession of Turner (1969, 1974, 1987). Overall, it can be concluded that dawuh is a 'truss of information about change' that is obtained through the ngadapur process. The descent of the dawuh becomes the point of the dawuh becoming in time and space (manca tengah) in the cosmic consciousness of lulurung tujuh. Dawuh is the regulator of the saturation of the AKUR Community's 'vague territory' where new concepts emerge in an effort to maintain the tension of relations in the sadapuran network, dapur network, and balé network that reflect today's ‘vague territory’, including their settlements in disguise. This concept is expressed in their gunungan of wayang kulit, Sri Resi Komara Tungga relief in Paséban (their communal building compound), as well as tumpeng sabogana and sarandu in every ritual. The position of the dawuh towards the cosmic consciousness of lulurung tujuh ngabandung ka dalapan keur disorang is the 'chapter of change' of the whole story that goes through the manca tengah process in the Buwana Panca Tengah. The liminality of time-space and of the status of the members is realized and maintained by regulating saturation through dawuh. Thus, the AKUR Community no longer maintain the formal appearance of the house and prefers to live mingle with others. The liminal conditions that are maintained and guarded with dawuh allow the sustainability of the AKUR Community.