Bun Viewed from Its Meaning, Philosophy, and Forms

Abstract

bun or konde, or in the Javanese term called gelung, is one of the common identity that women wear to support their appearance. The bun was worn by ancient women when dressing their hair on the back of the head. Generally, the bun is worn by Javanese women, complete with full kebaya clothes, and worn in a traditional ceremony. The bun has different names in each region. Despite different names, they have the same philosophy. The meanings and shapes differ according to the customs of people who wear them. The bun turns out to have more meanings than just supporting appearance. Each region has different forms of the bun and such differences have different meanings according to the customs reflected in their behavior. The purpose of this study is to determine the philosophy, form, and expressed and implied meanings of its society. The methods used are library methods as well as interviews. The data collection technique is a documenting data collection technique with qualitative data analysis. Research results that 1) the bun has a meaning as appearance support, 2) the bun indicates the social status of the wearer, a portrayal of a woman who is good at keeping secrets, and has a different shape in its existence, 3) the bun has a philosophy that describes women swirling with a deep sense, or it can be symbolized for the female genitalia which can be stretched and rolled (widening-narrowing).