New Minang Erbau

8/3/2019 New Minang Erbau

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INTRODUCTION

Orang Minangkabau or Minang is an ethnic groups speaking archipelago and uphold

the Minangkabau culture. Regional cultural adherents include West Sumatra, half Riau land, the

northern part of Bengkulu, the western part of Jambi, North Sumatra to the south, southwest

of Aceh, and Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia. Their West Sumatran homelands were the location of

the Padri War from 1821 to 1837.

Their culture is matrilineal (motherhood), with property and land passing down from

mother to daughter, while religious and political affairs are the responsibility of men (although

some women also play important roles in these areas). Today 4 million Minangs live in WestSumatra, while about 3 million more are scattered throughout many Indonesian and Malay

peninsular cities and towns.

The Minangkabau are strongly Islamic, but also follow their ethnic traditions, or adat.

The Minangkabau adat was derived from animist beliefs before the arrival of Islam, and

remnants of animist beliefs still exist even among some practicing Muslims. The present

relationship between Islam and adat is described in the saying "tradition [adat] founded uponIslamic law, Islamic law founded upon the Qur'an" (adat basandi syara', syara' basandi

Kitabullah).

Minangkabau people are very prominent in the field of business, as professionals

and intellectuals. They are the inheritors of the tradition of honor and Agro old Malay

Kingdom were in the habit of trading and dynamic. Minang tribe has a popular cuisine in terms

of Padang cuisine, and very popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, even up to Worldwide.


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HISTORY

According to myth, the first Minangkabau came from the volcanic peak Marapi. In one version,

the founders arrived during an immense flood, when the part of the peak above water was no

larger than an egg. In another, the founders emerged directly from the crater. People who

spoke Austronesian languages first arrived in Sumatra around 500 BCE, as part of the

Austronesian expansion from Taiwan to Southeast Asia. The Minangkabau language is a

member of the Austronesian language family, and is closest to the Malay language, though when

the two languages split from a common ancestor and the precise historical relationship between

Malay and Minangkabau culture is not known.

Their descendants spread first into the three core areas ( luhak ) in the highlands, and then intothe periphery (rantau) of the homeland. Until the 20th century the majority of the Sumatran

population lived in the highlands. The highlands are well suited for human habitation, with

plentiful fresh water, fertile soil, a cool climate, and valuable commodities such as gold and

ivory. It is probable that wet rice cultivation evolved in the Minangkabau highlands long before

it appeared in other parts of Sumatra, and predates significant foreign contact.

This homeland is bordered by the Batak homeland to the north, the Malay homelands of Riau

and Jambi to the east, the Kerintji homeland to the south, and the Indian Ocean to the west. From

the thirteenth century onward the Acehnese, whose homeland lies north of that of the Batak,

were the dominant sea traders along the west coast of Sumatra. They were a major source of

Islamic influence on Minangkabau culture. Minangkabau trade also extended eastward to the

Malay-dominated Strait of Malacca. A series of fifth-to-sixteenth century Malay and Javanese

trading empires (Melayu, Sri vijaya, Majapahit, and Malacca) strongly influenced the

development of Minangkabau society and culture. These empires provided the economic context

of Minangkabau emigration, and they provided the cultural inspiration for royal institutions at

Pagarruyong, the seat of the Minangkabau king.


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Traditional history indicates that the son of Iskandar Zulkarnain (Alexander the Great) a

Javanese prince or aristocrat named Adityawarman, a follower of Tantric Buddhism with ties to

the Singasari and Majapahit kingdoms of Java, is believed to have founded a kingdom in the

Minangkabau highlands at Pagaruyung and became the first king, but perhaps as late as the

fifteenth century. He ruled between 1347 and 1375, most likely to control the local gold trade.

The establishment of a royal system seems to have involved conflict and violence, eventually

leading to a division of villages into one of two systems of tradition, Bodi Caniago andKoto

Piliang, the later having overt allegiances to royalty. By the 16th century, the time of the next

report after the reign of Adityawarman, royal power had been split into three recognized reigning

kings. They were the King of the World (Raja Alam), the King of Adat (Raja Adat), and the

King of Religion (Raja Ibadat), and collectively they were known as the Kings of the Three Seats

(Rajo Tigo Selo). The Minangkabau kings were charismatic or magical figures who received a

percentage of gold mining and trading profits, but did not have much authority over the conduct

of village affairs.

In the mid-16th century, the Aceh Sultanate invaded the Minangkabau coast, occupying port

outlets in order to acquire gold. It was also around the 16th century that Islam started to be

adopted by the Minangkabau. The first contact between the Minangkabau and western nations

occurred with the 1529 voyage of Jean Parmentier to Sumatra. The Dutch East India

Company first acquired gold at Pariaman in 1651, but later moved south to Padang to avoid

interference from the Acehnese occupiers. In 1663 the Dutch agreed to protect and liberate local

villages from the Acehnese in return for a trading monopoly, and as a result setup trading posts

at Painan and Padang. Until early in the 19th century the Dutch remained content with their

coastal trade of gold and produce, and made no attempt to visit the Minangkabau highlands. As a

result of conflict in Europe, the British occupied Padang from 1781 to 1784 during the Fourth

Anglo-Dutch War, and again from 1795 to 1819 during the Napoleonic Wars.

Late in the 18th century the gold supply which provided the economic base for Minangkabau

royalty began to be exhausted. Around the same time other parts of the Minangkabau economy

had a period of unparalleled expansion as new opportunities for the export of agricultural

commodities arose, particularly with coffee which was in very high demand. A civil war started

in 1803 with the Padri fundamentalist Islamic group in conflict with the traditional syncretic


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groups, elite families and Pagaruyung royals. Large parts of the Minangkabau royal family were

killed by the Padri in 1815. As a result of a treaty with a number of penghulu and representatives

of the murdered Minangkabau royal family, Dutch forces made their first attack on a Padri

village in April 1821.The first phase of the war ended in 1825 when the Dutch signed an

agreement with the Padri leader Tuanku Imam Bonjol to halt hostilities, allowing them to

redeploy their forces to fight the Java War. When fighting resumed in 1832, the reinforced Dutch

troops were able to more effectively attack the Padri. The main center of resistance was captured

in 1837, Tuanku Imam Bonjol was captured and exiled soon after, and by the end of the next

year the war was effectively over.

With the Minangkabau territories now under the control of the Dutch, colonial government

modified native political structure by defining a new, more elaborate hierarchy of administrative

districts and leadership positions, and by adhering strictly to inheritance of offices and ignoring

traditional ancillary concerns regarding the size and prosperity of rival kin groups. New civil-

service positions and schools that provided the necessary Western education for gaining these

positions were opened to the Minangkabau. Transportation systems were improved and

economic exploitation was intensified. New forms of education were introduced, allowing some

Minangkabau to take advantage of a modern education system. The 20th century marked a rise

and cultural and political nationalism, culminating in the demand for Indonesian independence.

This produced a new type of Minangkabau elite. Broad economic changes also occurred,

beginning in 1847 with the forced delivery of crops for export associated with the development

of coffee plantations in the highlands, but changing at the beginning of the twentieth century to

rapid expansion of commercial agriculture

Later rebellions against the Dutch occupation occurred such as the 1908 Anti-Tax

Rebellion and the 1927 Communist Uprising. During World War II the Minangkabau territories

were occupied by the Japanese, and when the Japanese surrendered in August 1945 Indonesia

proclaimed independence. The Dutch attempts to regain control of the area were ultimately

unsuccessful and in 1949 the Minangkabau territories became part of Indonesia as the province

of Central Sumatra.


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In February 1958, dissatisfaction with the centralist and communist-leaning policies of

the Sukarno administration triggered a revolt which was centered in the Minangkabau region of

Sumatra, with rebels proclaiming the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of

Indonesia (PRRI) in Bukit tinggi. The Indonesian military invaded West Sumatra in April 1958

and had recaptured major towns within the next month. A period of guerrilla warfare ensued, but

most rebels had surrendered by August 1961. In the years following, West Sumatra was like an

occupied territory with Javanese officials occupying most senior civilian, military and police

positions. The policies of centralization continued under the Suharto regime. The national

government legislated to apply the Javanese desa village system throughout Indonesia, and in

1983 the traditional Minangkabau nagari village units were split into smaller jorong units,

thereby destroying the traditional village social and cultural institutions. In the years following

the downfall of the Suharto regime decentralization policies were implemented, giving more

autonomy to provinces, thereby allowing West Sumatra to reinstitute the nagari system.


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HISTORIOGRAPHY

The traditional historiography or tambo of the Minangkabau tells of the development of the

Minangkabau World (alam Minangkabau) and its adat. These stories are derived from an oral

history which was transmitted between generations before the Minangkabau had a written

language. The first Minangkabau are said to have arrived by ship and landed on Mount

Marapi when it was no bigger than the size of an egg, which protruded from a surrounding body

of water. After the waters receded the Minangkabau proliferated and dispersed to the slopes and

valleys surrounding the volcano, a region called the darek. The darek is composed of

three luhak -Limapuluh Koto, Tanah Datar and Agam. The tambo claims the ship was sailed by a

descendant of Alexander the Great (Iskandar Zulkarnain).

A division in Minangkabau adat into two systems is said to be the result of conflict between two

half-brothers Datuk Ketemanggungan and Datuk Perpatih nan Sabatang, who were the leaders

who formulated the foundations of Minangkabau adat. The former accepted Adityawarman, a

prince from Majapahit, as a king while the latter considered him a minister, and a civil war

ensued. The Bodi Caniago system formulated by Datuk Perpatih nan Sabatang is based upon

egalitarian principles with all panghulu (clan chiefs) being equal while the Koto Piliang system is

more autocratic with there being a hierarchy of panghulu. Each village (nagari) in the darekwas

an autonomous "republic", and governed independently of the Minangkabau kings using one of

the two adat systems. After the darek was settled, new outside settlements were created and ruled

using the Koto Piliang system by rajas who were representatives of the king.


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CULTURE

The Minangs are the world's largest matrilineal society, in which properties such as land and

houses are inherited through female lineage. Some scholars argue that this might have caused

the diaspora (Minangkabau, "merantau") of Minangkabau males throughout the Maritime

Southeast Asia to become scholars or to seek fortune as merchants. As early as the age of 7, boys

traditionally leave their homes and live in a surau (a prayer house & community centre) to learn

religious and cultural (adat) teachings. When they are teenagers, they are encouraged to leave

their hometown to learn from schools or from experiences out of their hometown so that when

they are adults they can return home wise and 'useful' for the society and can contribute their

thinking and experience to run the family or nagari (hometown) when they sit as the member of

'council of uncles'.

This tradition has created Minang communities in many Indonesian cities and towns, which

nevertheless are still tied closely to their homeland; a state in Malaysia named Negeri

Sembilan is heavily influenced by Minang culture.

Due to their culture that stresses the importance of learning, Minang people are over-represented

in the educated professions in Indonesia, with many ministers from Minang. The first female

minister was a Minang scholar.

In addition to being renowned as merchants, the Minangs have also produced some of

Indonesia's most influential poets, writers, statesmen, scholars, and religious scholars. Being

fervent Muslims, many of them embraced the idea of incorporating Islamic ideals into modern

society. Furthermore, the presence of these intellectuals combined with the people's basically

proud character, made the Minangkabau homeland (the province of West Sumatra) one of the

powerhouses in the Indonesian struggle for independence.

Furthermore, the presence of these intellectuals made the Minangkabau homeland (the province

of West Sumatra) one of the powerhouses in the Indonesian struggle for independence. The

Minang people belong to the Malay stock. Despite widespread use of Bahasa Indonesia, they

have their own mother tongue. The Minangkabau language shares many similar words with


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Malay, yet it has a distinctive pronunciation and some grammatical differences render it

unintelligible to Malay speakers

Today both natural and cultural tourism have become considerable economic activities in West

Sumatra.

MINANGKABAU-CEREMONIES AND FESTIVALS

y Turun mandi-baby blessing ceremonyy Sunat rasul circumcision ceremonyy Pesta perkahwinan wedding ceremonyy Batagak pangulu clan leader inauguration ceremonyy Turun ka sawah community work ceremonyy Manyabik harvesting ceremonyy Hari Raya Islamic festivalsy Adoption ceremonyy Adat ceremonyy Funeral ceremonyy Maanta pabukoan sending food to mother-in-law for Ramadhany Tanah Ta Sirah, inaugurate a new clan leader (Datuk) when the old one died in the few

hours (no need to proceed batagak pangulu, but the clan must invite all clan leader in the

region).

y Tabuik Muslim celebration in the coastal village of Pariaman


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MINANGKABAU - ARTS

Traditional Minangkabau arts include:

y Randai, folk theater which includes music, dance and dramay Saluang Jo Dendang ("bamboo flute and singing") of singing to the accompaniment of

a saluang bamboo flute

y Talempong (gong-chime) musicy Tari Piring ("Plate dance")y Tari Payung ("Umbrella dance")y Tari Indang, traditional dancey Pidato Adat, ceremonial orations performed at formal occasions.y Pencak Silat, performance based upon the Silat martial art

MINANGKABAU - CRAFTS

Particular Minangkabau villages specialize in cottage industries producing handicrafts such as

y woven sugarcane and reed purses,y gold and silver jewellery using filigree and granulation techniques,y woven songket textiles,y wood carving, embroidery,y pottery, and metallurgy


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CUISINE

The staple ingredients of the Minangkabau diet are rice, fish, coconut, green leafy vegetables and

chili. The usage of meat is mainly limited to special occasions, and beef and chicken are most

commonly used. Pork is not halal and therefore not consumed, while lamb, goat and game are

rarely consumed for reasons of taste and availability. Spiciness is a characteristic of

Minangkabau food, and the most commonly used herbs and spices are chili, turmeric, ginger and

galangal. Vegetables are consumed two or three times a day. Fruits are mainly seasonal, although

fruits such as banana, papaya and citrus are continually available.

Three meals a day are typical with lunch being the most important meal, except during the

fasting month of Ramadhan where lunch is not eaten. Meals commonly consist of steamed rice, a

hot fried dish and a coconut milk dish, with a little variation from breakfast to dinner. Meals are

generally eaten from a plate using the fingers of the right hand.Snacks are more frequently eaten

by people in urban areas than in villages. Western food has had little impact upon Minangkabau

consumption and preference to date.

Rendang is a dish which is considered to be a characteristic of Minangkabau culture, and is

cooked 4-5 times a year.Other characteristic dishes include Asam Podeh, Soto Padang, Sate

Padang, Dendeng Balado (beef with chili sauce).

Minangkabau food is popular among Indonesians and restaurants are present throughout

Indonesia. Nasi Padang restaurants, named after the capital of West Sumatra, are known for

placing a variety of Minangkabau dishes on a customer's table along with rice and billing only

for what is taken.Nasi Kapau is another restaurant variant which specializes in dishes using offal

and the use of tamarind to add sourness to the spicy flavour.


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ARCHITECTURE

Rumah Gadang (Minangkabu: 'big house') are the traditional homes (Indonesian: rumah adat) of

the Minangkabau. The architecture, construction, internal and external decoration, and the

functions of the house reflect the culture and values of the Minangkabau. A rumah gadang serves

as a residence, a hall for family meetings, and for ceremonial activities. With the Minangkabau

society being matrilineal, the rumah gadang is owned by the women of the family who live there

ownership is passed from mother to daughter. The houses have dramatic curved roof structure

with multi-tiered, upswept gables. Shuttered windows are built into walls incised with profuse

painted floral carvings. The term rumah gadang usually refers to the larger communal homes,

however, smaller single residences share many of its architectural elements.

FORM

A communal rumah gadang is a long house, rectangular in plan, with multiple gables and

upsweeping ridges, forming buffalo horn-like ends. They normally have three-tiered projections,

each with varying floor levels. They are broad and set on wooden piles that can reach as high as

3 metres (10 ft) off the ground; sometimes with a verandah running along the front face of the

house which is used as a reception and dining area, and as a sleeping place for guests. Unlike

the Batak Toba homes, where the roof essentially creates the living space, the Minangkabau roof

rests on conventional walls. Cooking and storage areas are often in separate buildings.

The house is largely constructed of wood; an exception being the rear longitudinal wall which is

a plainlattice woven in a chequered pattern from split bamboo. The roof is of a truss and cross-

beam construction, and is typically covered with thatch from the fibre of the sugar palm (ijuk),

the toughest thatch material available and said to last a hundred years. The thatch is laid in

bundles which can be easily fitted to the curved, multi-gabled roof. Contemporary homes,

however, are more frequently using corrugated iron in place of thatch. Roof finials are formed

from thatch bound by decorative metal bindings and drawn into points said to resemble buffalo


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horns - an allusion to a legend concerning a battle between two water buffaloes from which the

'Minangkabau' name is thought to have been derived. The roof peaks themselves are built up out

of many small battens and rafters.

The women who share the house have sleeping quarters set into alcoves - traditionally odd in

number - that are set in a row against the rear wall, and curtained off by the vast interior space of

the main living area. Traditionally, large communal rumah gadang will be surrounded by smaller

homes built for married sisters and daughters of the parent family. It is the responsibility of the

women's maternal uncle to ensure that each marriageable woman in the family has a room of her

own and to this end will build either a new house or more commonly additionally annexes to the

original one. It is said that the number of married daughters in a home can be told by the

counting its horn-like extensions; as they are not always added symmetrically, rumah gadang can

sometimes look unbalanced. Adolescent boys traditionally live in the village surau, a small

mosque.


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ORAL TRADITION AND LITERATURE

Minangkabau culture has a long history of oral traditions. One oral tradition is the pidato

adat (ceremonial orations) which are performed by panghulu (clan chiefs) at formal occasions

such as weddings, funerals, adoption ceremonies, and panghuluinaugurations. These ceremonial

orations consist of many forms including pantun, aphorisms (papatah-patitih), proverbs (pameo),

religious advice (petuah), parables (tamsia), two-line aphorisms (gurindam), and similes

(ibarat).Minangkabau traditional folktales (kaba) consist of narratives which present the social

and personal consequences of either ignoring or observing the ethical teachings and the norms

embedded in the adat. The storyteller (tukang kaba) recites the story in poetic or lyrical prose

while accompanying himself on a rebab.A theme in Minangkabau folktales is the central role

mothers and motherhood has in Minangkabau society, with the folktales Rancak

diLabueh and Malin Kundang being two examples. Rancak diLabueh is about a mother who acts

as teacher and adviser to her two growing children. Initially her son is vain and headstrong and

only after her perseverance does he become a good son who listens to his mother. Malin

Kundang is about the dangers of treating your mother badly. A sailor from a poor family voyages

to seek his fortune, becoming rich and marrying. After refusing to recognize his elderly mother

on his return home, being ashamed of his humble origins, he is cursed and dies when his ship is

flung against rocks by a storm.

Other popular folktales also relate to the important role of the woman in Minangkabau society. In

the Cindua Mato epic the woman is the source of wisdom, while in whereas in the Sabai nan

Aluih she is more a doer than a thinker. Cindua Mato (Staring Eye) is about the traditions of

Minangkabau royalty. The story involves a mythical Minangkabau queen, Bundo Kanduang,

who embodies the behaviors prescribed by adat. Cindua Mato, a servant of the queen, uses magic

to defeat hostile outside forces and save the kingdom. Sabai nan Aluih (The genteel Sabai) is

about a young girl named Sabai, the hero of the story, who avenges the murder of her father by a

powerful and evil ruler from a neighboring village. After her father's murder her cowardly elder

brother refuses to confront the murderer and so Sabai decides to take matters into her own hands.

She seeks out the murderer and shoots him in revenge.


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LANGUAGE

The Minangkabau language (Baso Minangkabau) is an Austronesian language belonging to

the Malayic linguistic subgroup, which in turns belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch. The

Minangkabau language is closely related to the Negeri Sembilan Malay language used by the

people of Negeri Sembilan, many of which are descendants of Minangkabau immigrants. The

language has a number of dialects and sub-dialects, but native Minangkabau speakers generally

have no difficulty understanding the variety of dialects. The differences between dialects are

mainly at the phonological level, though some lexical differences also exist. Minangkabau

dialects are regional, consisting of one or more villages (nagari), and usually correspond to

differences in customs and traditions. Each sub-village (jorong) has its own sub-dialect

consisting of subtle differences which can be detected by native speakers. The Padang dialect has

become the lingua franca for people of different language regions.

The Minangkabau society has a diglossia situation, whereby they use their native language for

everyday conversations, while the Indonesian language is used for most formal occasions, in

education, and in writing, even to relatives and friends. The Minangkabau language was

originally written using the Jawi script, an adapted Arabic alphabet. Romanization of the

language dates from the 19th century, and a standardized official orthography of the language

was published in 1976.

Despite widespread use of Indonesian, they have their own mother tongue. The Minangkabau

language shares many similar words with Malay, yet it has a distinctive pronunciation and some

grammatical differences rendering it unintelligible to Malay speakers.


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Example Sentences

Baso

Minangkabau:Ba'a kaba?

Indonesian/Malay: Apa kabar? or Bagaimana kabar anda?

English: How are you?.

Baso

Minangkabau:Lai baiak-baiak se nyo. Sanak ba'a?

Indonesian/Malay: Saya baik-baik saja. Bagaimana dengan anda?

English: I'm very well. How about you?

Baso

Minangkabau:Sia namo sanak?

Indonesian/Malay: Siapa nama anda?

English: What is your name?.

Baso

Minangkabau:Namo ambo John

Indonesian/Malay: Nama saya John

English: My name is John.

Baso

Minangkabau:Tarimo Kasih

Indonesian/Malay: Terima Kasih


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English: Thank you.

Baso

Minangkabau:Sadang kayu di rimbo ndak samo tinggi, kok kunun manusia (expression)

Indonesian/Malay: Sedangkan pohon di hutan tidak sama tinggi, apalagi manusia

English:Even the trees in the jungle are not all of the same height, let alone the

people.

Baso

Minangkabau:Co a koncek baranang co itu inyo (expression)

Indonesian/Malay: Bagaimana katak berenang seperti itulah dia.

English:The way a frog swims, the way he does. (doing something without having a

goal)

Baso

Minangkabau:Indak buliah mambuang sarok disiko!

Indonesian/Malay: Tidak boleh membuang sampah di sini!

English: Do not dump rubbish here!

Baso

Minangkabau:Ijan di pacik! Biko tangan ang kanai api.

Indonesian/Malay: Jangan disentuh! Nanti tangan kamu terbakar.

English: Do not touch it! Your hand will be burnt later.


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ADAT AND RELIGION

Animism has been an important component of Minangkabau culture. Even after the penetration

of Islam into Minangkabau society in the 16th century, animistic beliefs were not extinguished.

In this belief system, people were said to have two souls, a real soul and a soul which can

disappear called the semangat. Semangat represents the vitality of life and it is said to be

possessed by all animals and plants. An illness may be explained as the capture of

the semangat by an evil spirit, and a shaman (pawang) may be consulted to conjure invisible

forces and bring comfort to the family. Sacrificial offerings can be made to placate the spirits,

and certain objects such as amulets are used as protection.

Until the rise of the Padri movement late in the 18th century, Islamic practices such as prayers,fasting and attendance at mosques had been weakly observed in the Minangkabau highlands. The

Padri were inspired by the Wahhabi movement in Mecca, and sought to eliminate societal

problems such as tobacco and opium smoking, gambling and general anarchy by ensuring the

tenets of the Koran were strictly observed. All Minangkabau customs allegedly in conflict with

the Koran were to be abolished. Although the Padri were eventually defeated by the Dutch,

during this period the relationship between adat and religion was reformulated. Previously adat

was said to be based upon appropriateness and propriety, but this was changed so adat was more

strongly based upon Islamic precepts.

As further described in an online source, the Minang's adat and their Islam religion each help the

other to avoid the extremes of some modern global trends: Their strong belief in and practice

of adat helps their Islam religion to not adopt a "simplistic anti-Western" version of Islam, while

their strong belief in and practice of both Islam and adat helps the Minangs to limit or avoid

some undesired effects of modern global capitalism.

With the Minangkabau highlands being the heartland of their culture, and with Islam likely

entering the region from coast it is said that custom descended, religion ascended (adat

manurun, syarak mandaki).


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Despite Islam practices patrilineal kinship system which diametrically contrast to the matrilineal

system, however, Minangkabau adat could adopt Islamic principles. This was an apparent

uniqueness of Minangkabau adat as well as reflecting its flexibility.

However, the integration of Islam and Minangkabau adat had more or less undergone hostile

process. The formation of leadership institution which called Tungku Tigo Sajarangan (Tigo

Tungku Sajarangan consisted of: (1) Rajo Adat in Buo as the holder of adat and limbago; (2)

Rajo Ibadah in Sumpur Kudus as the custodian of Allah's laws; and (3) Rajo Alam in

Pagarruyung as the coordinator of adat and ibadat) was not sufficient to symbolised the

integration between Islam and adat. Therefore, at the end of the 19th century, the penghulu

(representative of adat) and the ulama (representative of Islam) had agreed a consensus called

'Consensus Marapalam'. Its content was 'Adaik basandi syarak, syarak basandi adaik'. However,

Muslim leader wrote the consensus as 'Adaik basandi syarak, syarak basandi Kitabullah', since

Islamic syariah are the laws which based on the Qur'an. This principle had put Islam as one of

the primary sources of life's philosophy in Minangkabau society.

Minangkabau adat could be classified into four categories: (1) adat sebenar adat; (2) adat-

istiadat; (3) adat yang diadatkan; and (4) adat yang teradatkan.

Adat sebenar adat (substantial adat) was the original adat; which would never change. The law of

nature which became the mirror of the life's philosophy, Islam, and matrilineal kinship system

were included into this category.

The next was adat-istiadat. It was the tradition which practised by a community in certain region.

Ceremonial activities and social behaviours were classified into this category.

Then, adat yang diadatkan (adat which deliberately adopted as adat). It was the rules and laws

which effectively implemented in a community such as those included into Undang-undang

Luhak and Rantau or Undang-undang nan Duo Puluh. This adat must be reserved, otherwise itcould lose its authority.

The fourth category was adat yang teradatkan (adat which was formed through consensus). It

constituted the rules which derived as results of musyawarah and the consensus of the

community which practised them.


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(second and third governor of Maluku), Datuk Madjo Basa Nan Kuniang and Moenafri (first and

fourth governor of Central Sulawesi), Daan Jahja (military governor of Jakarta), Eny Karim

(eighth governor of North Sumatra), Adnan Kapau Gani (first governor of South Sumatra),

Djamin Datuk Bagindo (first governor of Jambi). While liberal democracy era, Minangkabau

politician had dominated of parliament and Indonesian cabinet. They were affiliated to all of

faction, islamist, nationalist, socialist and communist.

Minangkabau writers and journalist made significant contributions to modern Indonesian

literature. They are Marah Roesli, Abdul Muis, Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana, Idrus, Hamka, Ali

Akbar Navis as authors, Muhammad Yamin, Chairil Anwar, Taufik Ismail as poets,

and Djamaluddin Adinegoro, Rosihan Anwar, Ani Idrus as journalist. Most of the prominent

Indonesian novels wrote by Minangkabau writer and its influenced development of

modern Indonesian language.

Many of Minangkabau people as artist, singer, film director, and producer. They raised to be

famous entertainer, such as Usmar Ismail, Arizal, and Asrul Sani as film director, Soekarno M.

Noer, Dorce Gamalama, and Nirina Zubir as artist.

Nowadays, beside Chinese Indonesian, Minangkabau people have significant contributions in

economic activities. Most of Minangkabau businessmen success in hospitality, media,

healthcare, and textile trader. Minangkabau businessmen also prominent in traditional restaurant

chain that settled in many cities of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. The success figure such

as Abdul Latief, Basrizal Koto, and Tunku Tan Sri Abdullah. In medieval century, Minangkabau

traders made large contributions in Malays kingdom, connected among Aceh, Kedah, Siak,

Johor, and Malacca.

People of Minangkabau descent who made significant contributions outside of Indonesia

include Yusof bin Ishak, who was the first President of Singapore, Tuanku Abdul Rahman, was

the first Supreme Head of State (Yang di-Pertuan Agong) of the Federation of Malaya, Zubir

Said, who composed the national anthem of Singapore Majulah Singapura, Sheikh Muszaphar

Shukor, was the first Malaysian astronaut, Lieutenant Adnan Bin Saidi who became a hero in

World War II, Roestam Effendi, was the member of Netherlands parliament, and Ahmad Khatib,

was the head (imam) of the Shafi'i school of law at the mosque of Mecca (Masjid al-Haram).


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CONCLUSION

For the last century, historians, anthropologists and other scholars have searched both human

history and the continents to find a matriarchya society where the power was in the hands of

women, not men. Most have concluded that a genuine matriarchy does not exist, perhaps may

never have existed.

"Too many anthropologists have been looking for a society where women rule the affairs of

everyday life, including government," she said. "That templateand a singular, Western

perspective on powerdont fit very well when you're looking at non-Western cultures like the

Minangkabau. In West Sumatra, males and females relate more like partners for the common

good than like competitors ruled by egocentric self-interest. Social prestige accrues to those whopromote good relations by following the dictates of custom and religion."

Today, four million Minangkabau, one of the largest ethnic groups in Indonesia, live in the

highlands of the province of West Sumatra. Their society, is founded on the coexistence of

matrilineal custom and a nature-based philosophy called adat. More recently, Islam was

incorporated into the foundation. Despite the recent outbreak of violence associated with Islamist

ideologies in many parts of the world, Dr. Sanday describes a peaceable, almost violence-free

Minangkabau society.

The key to Minangkabau matriarchy, it is found in the ever-present adat idea expressed in the

proverb "growth in nature must be a teacher."

"One must nurture growth in humans, animals, and plants so that society will be strong," people

told her.

The emphasis on nurturing growth, she asserts, yields a unique emphasis on the maternal in daily

life. In village social relations women are likened to "the center where the fish net meets." Seniorwomen are associated with the central pillar of the traditional house, which is the oldest pillar

because it is the first erected. The oldest village in a group of villages is referred to as the

"mother village." When they stage ceremonies in their full ceremonial regalia, women are

addressed by the same term reserved for the mythical Queen. Such practices suggest that


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matriarchy in this society is about making the maternal the center, origin, and foundation, not

just of life but of the social order as well.

The power of Minangkabau women extends to the economic and social realms. Women control

land inheritance and husbands move into the households of their wives. Unlike many other

societies in which anthropologists say women are exchanged between families at marriage, in

this society men are exchanged. During the wedding ceremony the wife collects her husband

from his household and, with her female relatives, brings him back to her household to live. In

the event of a divorce the husband collects his clothes and leaves. Yet, despite the special

position women are accorded in the society, the Minangkabau matriarchy is not the equivalent of

female rule.

"Neither male nor female rule is possible because of the Minangkabau belief that decision-

making should be by consensus. The Minangkabau have a proverb to describe the partnership

relationship between the sexes: 'Like the skin and nail of the fingertip.'"

The Minangkabau matriarchy is based largely on adat, Islam also plays a rolebut not in the

way one might expect. Islam arrived in West Sumatra sometime in the 16th century, long after

adat customs and philosophy had been established. At first there was an uneasy relationship

between adat and Islam and, in the l9th century, a war between adherents of adat customs and

fundamentalist beliefs imported from Mecca. The conflict was resolved by both sides making

accommodations. Today, matrilineal adat and Islam are accepted as equally sacred and inviolate,

handed down from the godhead. "At a time when consumerism is more prevalent in Indonesia

than ever before, these sacred principles of Minangkabau culture and society act to support one

another," she noted.

Resurgent Islamic fundamentalism, nationalism, and expanding capitalismall are realities that

Dr. Sanday acknowledges can erode the Minangkabau's nature-based matriarchal culture and the

adat that infuses meaning into their lives. She remains optimistic that their culture has the innate

flexibility to adapt to a changing world. "Had the Minangkabau chosen to fight rather than to

accommodate the numerous influences that impinged on their world over the centuries, had they

chosen to assert cultural purity, no doubt their 'adat' would have long ago succumbed. The moral

of the Minangkabau story is that accommodating differences can preserve a world"


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Documents

New Minang Erbau