Critical study of vernacular settlement-architecture of Kerala in India and Minangkabau in west Sumatra, Indonesia (Of Societies Practicing Matrilineal Kinship)

Abstract

The critical study of vernacular settlement architecture is a topic of research that tries to answer whether matrilineal kinship has specific impact on design of settlement and architecture. The cases in Kerala, India and in Minangkabau, Indonesia are done with regard to common social-spatial organization of matrilineal kinship, tropical environment setting and paddy farming main stay. The study is based on the assumption that settlement and architecture are a result of the establishment of dwelling culture where kinship is one factor that establishes a social-spatial organization and, therefore an arrangement of settlement and houses. The concepts of settlement elaborated for the case in Kerala is tara-Nayar, and for the case in Minangkabau is nagari. These settlements are characterized by matrilineal joint family residential compounds, which are called taravad in Kerala and kampung or kaum in Minangkabau. This research is aimed to identify social-spatial organization framework of matrilineal kinship that is able to explain the common and different principles of design of settlement and architecture that occur in both regions. Habitation and dwelling culture of matrilineal society shows that the concept of centre is not rigid and does not appear as a singular apex. Differences take place in varying degree of manifestation of these concepts due to contextual environment, local social history, and intensity of urbanization. Nagari demonstrates, more communal characters which coincides with higher degree of matrilineal characters than in Kerala. Kerala has more urbanized characters and complex historical upheavals that led it to transformations and relocations, including the transformations of clan-based into caste-based society, and inclinations toward more paternal characteristic than Minangkabau.