The three-dimensional wood carving of buah buton: Influence of leaders as symbols of socio-community formation

Figures & data

Figure 1. Buah buton hanging in a traditional house in Luak Tanah Mengandung.

Figure 2. An illustration of the Adat Perpatih community.

Figure 3. The sketches illustrate the separation of space involving the porch and the mother’s house (Latif & Kosman, 2017).

Figure 4. Dato’ Raja Diwangsa’s house.

Figure 5. The layout presents from the upper view the position of buah buton with the name Diwangsa.

Figure 6. The design of Diwangsa 1 hanging at the porch space.

Figure 7. The design of Diwangsa 5 hanging at the mother’s house space.

Figure 8. Dato Muar Bongkok’s houses.

Figure 9. The layout from the upper view of the position of Muar at the end of the porch.

Figure 10. The design of buah buton 1.

Figure 11. The design of buah buton 2.

Figure 12. Sali’s houses.

Figure 13. The layout position of Sali from the top view.

Figure 14. The design of the buah buton at Sali’s house.

Figure 15. Anip’s houses.

Figure 16. The position of buah buton (Anip 1) (red circle) hanging from the porch’s floor.

Figure 17. The layout of the position of buah buton (Anip) hanging at the porch from the top view.

Figure 18. Anip 1 design (left) and Anip 2 design (right).

Table 1. The information about Dato’ Raja Diwangsa’s house

House’s Name	Dato’ Raja Diwangsa
Location	Original location – Merual Village, Seri Menanti, Negeri Sembilan New location – Malay Heritage Museum, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor
Badger	Gunung Pasir
Year Built	1925 or 1935
Owner	Wok binti Talib
Another Occupant	Muhammad Yunus bin Jabar
The Influence of Occupants in Adat Perpatih	Dato’ Raja Diwangsa (The Four People of Palace)
Buah buton	Diwangsa

Table 2. The information about Dato’ Muar Bongkok’s house

House’s Name	Datuk Muar Bongkok
Location	Parit Seberang Village, Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan
Badger	Ulu Muar
Year Built	Around the 1870s (during the reign of Penghulu Na’am, which is the 1st Penghulu for Ulu Muar badger)
Owner	Dato’ Muar Bongkok’s wife (unknown name)
Another Occupant	Dato’ Muar Bongkok Abdul Malik
The Influence of Occupants in Adat Perpatih	7^th Penghulu of Ulu Muar badger
Buah buton‘s Name	Muar

Table 3. The information about Sali’s house

House’s Name	Sali
Location	Talang Tengah Village, Tanjung Ipoh, Kuala Pilah
Badger	Ulu Muar
Year Built	Around the 1900s This house is said to have been built at the same time as the Seri Menanti Old Palace, which was completed in 1905
Owner	Hajah Sali binti Salleh
Another Occupant	Sali’s husband (unknown name)
The Influence of Occupants in Adat Perpatih	Sali’s husband is a Lembaga for the Seri Melenggang tribe.
Buah buton‘s Name	Sali

Table 4. The information about Anip’s house

House’s Name	Anip
Location	Ulu Bendul Village, Terachi
Badger	Terachi
Year Built	Unknown
Owner	Anib binti Najib (or Najid for another name)
Another occupant	Unknown
The Influence of Occupants in Adat Perpatih	Heir to Terachi badger’s Penghulu and wealthy people in that badger
Buah buton‘s Name	Anip

Table 5. List of informants along with their answers

Informant	Status	Date Interview	Respond
Sulaiman Kasim	Customary leader	20 May 2018	Customary leaders are a respected group in the community; Their selection is based on consensus among subordinates. The significance of the buah buton as a symbol of unanimity in selecting a leader. It demonstrates that the buah buton is a criterion for the role of leader in the Adat Perpatih.
Abdul Khalid Ujang	Customary leader	28 February 2019	Customary leaders and people who follow the Adat Perpatih cannot be separated. It is because the customary leader will operate as a mediator in settling matters like the division of property, marriage, employment, etc. Additionally, the customary leader’s house differs from other usual groups. The function of the customary leader’s house relates to the Adat Perpatih system.
Muhammad Pauzi Abdul Latif	Custom and architecture researcher	20 July 2018	The buah buton is intimately associated with the leader of the Adat Perpatih. The buah buton symbolizes its occupants, including customary leaders, nobles, and courtiers. Customary leaders and the community cannot separate. The buah buton unites customary leaders with the surrounding community.
Mohd Rosli Saludin	Custom Researcher	29 July 2018	Because the buah buton represents the leader, it serves as a reminder to the leader. Only houses inhabited by customary leaders have buah buton. Meanwhile, buah buton is designed based on the philosophy of tungku tiga jejarang; that is, the relationship between humans and God, the relationship between humans and humans, and the relationship between humans and nature. Buah buton is only found in houses inhabited by customary leaders. Each relationship touches on a leader’s character and behavior towards subordinates. In the meantime, other structures in traditional houses with this custom design are interconnected. For instance, the pillars of the house are not only erected to support the structure but also serve as a representation of the actual leadership status. Unquestionably, buah buton is a crucial component of the house that serves as a reminder for the leader of the Adat Perpatih.
Abdul Syukor Daud	Local Community Experts	26 July 2018	The buah buton is a symbol of Adat Perpatih‘s leaders. Each of these traditional dwellings features a unique buah buton design. The design of the buah buton is based on the concept of Islam, which emphasizes three aspects: usul, tawhid, and fiqh. It is because the buah buton has a significant and symbolic meaning that relates to the identity of Adat Perpatih‘s leader. It is like the banana flower wrapped in its petals, hiding the banana seeds that will one day be exposed.
Ricky Sharul	Local Community Experts	15 September 2019	In Minangkabau, the buah buton is referred to as the buah bodi. The design is based on Limbago Adat: reason, knowledge, flow, and merit. The context of reason requires a leader to be wise and reasonable in all aspects. It is because subordinates will refer to them and have the final say on what is discussed.

Figure 19. A five-inch-tall platform located at the end of the porch of Dato’ Muar Bongkok’s house as respect for the customary leader by his subordinates.

Figure 20. Red circles depict the hanging position of the two buah buton (Muar) on the ground at the end of the porch, indicating that the house’s occupant or original owner (Penghulu Na’am) is a powerful individual in the Adat Perpatih.

Figure 21. Red circles demonstrate the position of the buah buton at the porch space, indicating the position is passed down from generation to generation.

Figure 22. The rear view of Sali’s house demonstrating the placement of the buah buton (red circle) hanging from the ground as a section is divided by borders of varying widths, guiding principles on humanity’s relationship with God, which demonstrates that leaders and communities rely on each other.

Latif, S. F. T. A., & Kosman, K. A. (2017). The serambi of Negeri Sembilan traditional Malay house as a multifunctional space-role in custom (ADAT). Journal of Design & Built Environment, 17(2), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.22452/jdbe.vol17no2.4

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