The Research based on an intercultural contact approach is
significant to study the traditional settlements and to support the
preservation of local culture-based architecture in Indonesia. The
Kaenbaun village inhabited by Dawan tribes is a vernacular village
and organized based on local resources (physical-natural,
technological, economic, social and cultural) fully. It is believed that
even the ancestral spirits were involved in structuring settlements
and the process of village life. The Kaenbaun's culture is a mixture
of Dawan culture and the faith and dogma of the Catholic church
which form Kaenbaun's wisdom and underlie the behavior of citizens
and the spatial layout of Kaenbaun's settlements. The study was
conducted by using field observation guided by Husserlian
phenomenological paradigm. The data were processed based on
inductive-qualitative thinking by using the field notes taken from
field research activities in 2004 to 2010. Data were also
supplemented by actual information gathered in 2010-2018 through
digital media. The result showed that the local wisdom of Kaenbaun
(Kaenbaun's wisdom) emerged from the Dawan culture with the
acculturation of Catholic faith and dogma becoming a guideline for
the behavior of citizens and the spatial structure of the Kaenbaun
village settlement architecture. The Kaenbaun's wisdom is the
concept of Kaenbaun's ideal life where humans live in harmony with
their fellow humans, harmony with nature, blessed by their ancestors
and blessed by God.