The house in Indonesia; Between globalization and localization

According to Kana (1980) designations such as head, tail, neck, cheeks, chest and ribs reveal the parallel with a living being. The main underlying principles are unity and difference. Besides explaining the way the house relates to the structure of the cosmos, Cunningham refers also to the fact that human body symbolism is also quite common (Cunningham 1964:66, note 23). [...]sometimes it is abandoned altogether as a place of residence, since people prefer to construct dwellings nearby that are closer to ground level. Small corners are reserved for plants or a fish pond, and a room with separate lavatory for servants is located near the kitchen. Besides this classificatory exercise with dimensions or ideal-types, the Indonesian house as a whole may also be seen as a configuration of spatial entities that are diversified and marked.