The Feminine Side of Senthong

Abstract

Senthong is a part of space in a traditional Javanese house which is divided into three rooms, namely senthong kiwa, senthong tengah, and senthong tengen. Senthong Tengen is used for men (family leaders), while Senthong Kiwa is for women (Garwa). Senthong Tengah is a room flanked and has a function to store rice seeds (farmers), as a place of meditation and to praise Dewi Sri so that this space is private and sacred. This makes Senthong have a room that is dark, cool and closed. Javanese women are synonymous with gentle, polite and have an essential role in taking care of the household. Women's strength in managing a single home is a form of support for their husbands to build an ideal household. Senthong and Javanese women are two things that have an important role related to the existence of traditional Javanese houses. Both occupy central positions as privacy centres based on the spatial system. This paper discusses the feminine side of senthong using a symbolic analogy approach as a form of conveying meaning. It is interesting to study. After all, it is a form of helping to preserve the local wisdom of Javanese house architecture, because it sees the development of the current culture that brings Javanese society's view of the vital role of women.