The Shift of Symbolic Meaning of Joglo Houses for People in Brayut Tourism Village

Joglo house is a symbol of nobility in Javanese culture and in the traditional social structure as to whom leads the community. It has a pendopo as a formal public meeting area. The shape of pendopo is represented by a high and wide roof span which reflect spatial and symbolic meanings. Brayut village is a traditional rural area which supported peri-urban agriculture of Kasultanan Yogyakarta in the 1800 era. This village has been reorganized as a traditional village for the tourism industry since 1999. Three Joglo houses represent some of the unique attractions for Brayut tourism village. The oldest Joglo house was built by Demang of Brayut as a regional leader in the 1890s. The change in the present governmental system negated the Joglo house’s use and therefore it is no longer a symbol of leadership in the village. This study explores the shifting symbolic meanings of Joglo houses in Brayut village. It examines three Joglo houses as study cases. The methods of collecting data includes interviews with the owners and mappings of the transformation of spatial forms and functions. The results show that the shift in symbolic meaning occurred in two important zones of Joglo house, i.e.: the pendopo and ndalem. The symbol of the leader turns into the pride of the descendants. Ndalem is a symbol of the sacred within the house yet it has been modified for the tourists. The altered symbolic meaning has not physically distorted the building form and it still suggests obedience to the ancestor in its representation.