Petungan and the Actors in Building a Home

Strategy in designing a home has clearly shown that the owner of a house plays the most important role in building a home. In playing his/her role, the owner will use Primbon book to assist or to refer any justification and desicion. In case of doubt, still feels insecure, or finding difficulties in operating the Primbon book, he/she may appoint someone who has expertise and knowledge in Primbon book. Javanese usually call him/her `dukun' (traditional healer) or `wong tuwa' (man of knowledge; lit. the elderly).

Practically every village has at least one wong tuwa, who mostly get his expertise and knowledge by inheritance or learning by himself. This wong tuwa is respected by the villagers but not necessarily has a specific hierarchy within his community. This wong tuwa will be the consultant in designing, constructing and moving away a building in particular action only. He will play his biggest role in practicing the justificatory petungan, not the decisive petungan. This wong tuwa is also responsible for any ritual feast perform within the building process as the leader of the feast.

The ritual feast which is occasionally held during the building process also has its particular significance, mainly in dealing with the neighbor and community where the coming house and household will become the member. If, upon invitation from the owner, one or several member of the neighbor or community does not attend, it becomes an indication of several possibilities. This neighbor may feel unpleased by the presence of the new household (thus, a sign of rejection); or does not feel satisfy by the way the building is constructed or the appearance; or this neighbor thinks that this coming building has done `something wrong' against the tradition or convention that this village has in her disposal. Whatever possibilities are, the neighbor and community, undoubtedly, plays a certain role, as `public controller' and as guardian of tradition and convention. On the other hand, if the neighbor or comunity attend this ritual feast, it certainly signify that this new member of the neighborhood and community is welcome, and does not do anything wrong against tradition and convention of the village. Moreover, many cases shows that this attendance also indicates that this neighbor will voluntarily please to help the household in erecting the structure or moving the house away to its new place.

One other actor that plays important role is the master carpenter (or master mason, in case the building is of masonry) as well as the builder of the house. His role not only to translate Petungan into a building, but also as the consultant of the owner in the performance or form of the building. Of course, he must be able to translate findings from justificatory petungan and those of the decisive ones. He is also responsible for coordination of labor in making a building, upgrading, and moving a building away. Since this master carpenter usually has his own team of labor, it is not such a difficulty in performing his duty. One interesting thing about member of this team is that his membership is also a form of schooling, so that in the future he will also become a master carpenter.