Sense of Place in Vernacular Settlements

The relationship between people and places (living ecosystems) is significant in sustainability. One vital element in maintaining life in harmony with Nature in traditional villages is the indigenous people who live in the vernacular settlements. A strong community sense of place can ensure and preserve the environmental ecosystem. In this context, this study explores the sense of place aspects of vernacular settlements of indigenous people living in the Hukaea Laea Traditional Village in Indonesia which represents the indigenous people living in harmony with the natural environments. It observed the physical landscape and social, economic and cultural aspects. Local wisdom of the Hukaea Laea indigenous people, in terms of how the settlements are integrated into the physical settings, activities, and meanings were ascertained. It employed Interviews, photo elicitation, openended questionnaires, and literature to obtain data. Photo elicitation complemented information from the interviews. Direct involvement of the informants in interpreting places and their daily activities generated information and meaning. Data was analyzed by coding and spatial analysis. The study found that the physical setting, activity, and meaning are three things that correlate to each other in forming a sense of place. The physical setting is the natural environment and the built environment. They are the forest areas (natural environment settings - macro scope); residential areas (built and natural environment settings -meso scope), and residential areas (built environment setting - micro scope). Important places that have a strong sense of place for people are forests, savannas, stone wells, planting areas, hills of mode, vernacular settlements, rivers, springs, rice fields, traditional halls, schools, mosques, cemetery, fields, patchouli distilleries, and dwellings and their surroundings. Activities carried out by the community relate to cultural rituals, conservation (preservation & protection of nature), recreation, social interaction, education (formal), household activities (domestic), and economic activities. Each place has a meaning related to history, heritage, natural bonds, relaxation/healing, social bonds, development of skills, and fulfillment of physiological needs

Archaeology · Environmental resource management · Geography · Harmony with nature · Human settlement · Indigenous · Sense of place · Traditional knowledge · Vernacular · Architectural and Urban Studies · Cultural and Artistic Studies · Ecology