Bahay Kubo

BAHAY KUBO
The word bahay evolved from the word balai ,

a vernacular word for house. On the other
hand, kubo is mistakenly thought for the
longest time by architectural historians as the
translation of the Spanish word cubo meaning
cube because of the obvious overall cubic
geometry – the height of the walls equals its
width. Contrary to this, the word kubo already
appears among early versions of Tagalog (Fr.
Pedro De San Buenaventura’s Vocabulario de
Lengua Tagalog) and Kapampangan
dictionaries (Fr. Diego Bergaño’s Vocabulario
dela Lengua Pampanga en Romance) in the
16th century. The Tagalog kobo refers to
mountain houses. The Kapampangan kúbu, on
the other hand, is synonymous to balungbung
(Kapampangan word for hut, cabin or lodge);
cuala, saung and dangpa (Kapampangan word
for sheperd’s hut or hovel, dampa of the
Tagalogs). Usually owned by peasant families
and other low income groups, the bahay kubo
has been described as an idyll of peace and
bucolic prosperity in the middle of the fields,
as portrayed in the popular Tagalog folk song
of same name.
Depending on the ecology of the
vicinity, the bahay kubo may be
constructed from various kinds of
botanic materials such as wood,
rattan, cane, bamboo, anahaw, nipa,
bark, or cogon. Nipa (Nipa fruticans)
is the widely used material; thus, the
bahay kubo is also referred to as nipa
hut. Bamboo (Schizostachyum
lumampao) is also used as a major
material for the construction of the
house because of its availability and
flexibility. The inherent toughness of
the bamboo can only yield to a sharp
blade. Its extensive use could be
connected to the coming of iron and
tools in the Philippine cultural history,
which dates around 200 BC.
The posts of the nipa hut mark out a 3 m x
2.5 m area and carries a hipped roof.
Hardwood, particularly molave (Vitex
geniculata), is the favored material for the
post, but bamboo is more prevalent. The
tiebeams ascend some 2 m above the room
floor. Forming the roof are four-corner
rafters and two rows of minor rafters that
together carry a ridgepole. Four poles
delineate the roof’s perimeter. Bamboo
composes the roof frame and the many
slats lining across the rafters. Structural
segments are tied together with strips of
rattan (Calamus). Onto the bamboo
skeleton, shingles of nipa (Nipa fruticans)
or cogon (Imperata cylindrica) are bound in
dense rows. Other materials alternatively
used for roof shingles are anahaw palm
(Livistona rotundifolia) and sugar palm
(Arenga pinnata).
Beams perpendicularly traversing each other and
lashed to the post, 1-2 m above the ground,
support the bamboo joist, which in turn holds up
a bamboo slatted floor. This type of floor allows
the circulation of air and light and renders for
easy cleaning as dirt and dust fall directly to the
space underneath. A floor sill supports the
bamboo frames of the exterior walls. The
bamboo frames are then fastened at the corners
rather than directly to the house post. Wall
sidings may be of nipa or sawali ; the latter uses
bamboo that has been split, flattened and cut
into strips woven together in herringbone
design. The sawali virtually makes the house a
penetrable basket propped by poles. Windows of
the awning-type have a nipa or palm window lid
that can either slide from side to side, or be
pushed out by a pole that serves also as support
when not in use. There are usually no ceilings or
room divisions. However, if required, room
partitions are quite low and do not reach the
underside of the roof or the ceiling, if there is
any, to allow for free circulation of air within the
house. Sawali walls may divide the interior space
into rooms with open doorways.
The lower part of the house, called silong , is used as an enclosure
for keeping domestic animals such as swine and fowl, and as a
storage for household implements, goods, crops, and, in some
cases, as burial ground for the dead. The upper floor, where the
inhabitants live, consists of the most essential compartments – a
single area serving all purposes, or a two-to-three unit quarter
consisting of a living-and-sleeping area, a kitchen or storage room,
and an open gallery at the front or rear of the house, called
balkon or batalan, respectively. When found at the front, the
gallery serves as an anteroom or lounging area. When located at
the rear, it is used for keeping the banga (water jar), or for
bathing. As the household expands, or as it becomes wealthier,
extensions (a bigger batalan) are added to the basic form of the
house. Behind the house, near the batalan, is a kitchen which has
a separate roof and window with bangguera, a hanging slatted
rack for drying dishes and kitchen utensils.
The nipa hut has evolved, but its basic elements
have been retained. However, the dwelling forms
and residential patterns have been outwardly
modified and elaborated upon. At present, the idea
of a bahay kubo still connotes a one-room but
multi-functional abode. The open space in the one-
room structure can be transformed into different
spaces at different times of the day: living, dining,
bedroom, and kitchen. It is also common to see an
altar of religious icons and photos of deceased
family members, adorned by some candles, flowers,
and in a few instances, filled with fruits and other
offerings.
In the most bi-level houses, the
living area, kitchen and dining
room are defined on the ground
level while the bedroom is
located on the second level.
These low levels may be
connected by a door without a
swing board and may be
provided with four-step stairs at
the top of which is a sagang , a
barrier to prevent children from
falling. Some houses have no
furnishings except a few
functional devices such as the
papag or built-in bed, a dulang
or low table, a bangko or bench,
bamboo grilles, and the sala-sala
or bamboo latticework.
The typical Filipino house or the bahay
kubo is consequence of centuries of
evolution. Some Hispanic influences are
evident, such as the altar niche for the
villager’s santos . Originally the empty
floor space and a low table called the
dulang were used for sitting and dining;
later a built-in long bench of split
bamboo called the papag was
introduced, along with tables and other
furnishings obligated by Hispanized
domestic practices.
Although commonly claimed
to be of Hispanic influence,
the silid or kuwarto (room),
where the women of the
house could change clothes
in private, seems to have
been present prior to
Hispanization, as evidenced
by early chroniclers like Fray
Francisco de San Juan
Antonio, who provides a
detailed description of a
nipa hut with interior
partitions.

Bahay Kubo

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BAHAY KUBO

The word bahay evolved from the word balai ,

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