‘Bergendang’ and Its Spatial Use in Traditional Sarawak Malay House

Abstract

Bergendang is a uniquely Sarawak Malay traditional entertainment frequently held during social gatherings at home. This paper investigates the spatial use of bergendang activity in traditional Malay houses along the Sarawak River in Kuching. The research employed a qualitative case study design through field study observation and semi-structured interviews. Findings revealed different spatial uses of bergendang for the early and later models of Sarawak Malay houses, which are associated with house owners’ social status. Spatial studies on traditional Malay houses in other parts of Sarawak are highly recommended in constructing a vernacular Malay house framework for the northern Borneo region. Keywords: bergendang; Sarawak Malay; spatial use; traditional Malay house eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2023. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v8i23.4489