MINANGKABAU

MINAGKABAU

Assalamualaikum and hai!

For today entry, we will discover about one of various ethnic group in Malaysia which is Minangkabau. The Minangkabau ethnic group, also known as Minang (Urang minang in Minangkabau language), is indigenous to the highlands of West Sumatra, in Indonesia. However this ethnic group arrives and comprises a majority of the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia.

General Information:

People Name General	Minangkabau, Orang Negeri
People Name in Country	Minangkabau, Orang Negeri
Population in Malaysia	886,000
Alternate Names	Malay, Negeri Sembilian, Minang, Minangkabau, Negeri Sembilian, Negeri Sembilian Malay, Orang Negeri

As descendants from the Minangkabau people from West Sumatra, Indonesia, the Minang of Malaysia have a distinct culture and their own royal line that dates back several centuries. They speak the national language of Malaysia, but they have their own dialect that reflects lingual roots in the language of their Indonesian heritage. Within Malaysia, the Minang refer to themselves as Orang Negeri or person from Negeri.

Adat Pepatih

Different from other ethnic group, the Minang are most noted for their adherence to adat pepatih (matrilineal inheritance). Most of ertain areas of Negeri Sembilan have moved away from this tradition due to the complexities these “Adat Petatih”ceremonies and the blending of communities with peoples from different Malay groups who use traditional male inheritance. However, the areas of Kuala Pilah, Tampin, Seri Menanti, and Jelebu are still strong in their unique culture and consistently practice this tradition.

The Minang place great emphasis on their women. In order to protect the rights of the female, the name and property are passed down through the line of the mother. Daughters are strongly encouraged to marry within the same people group or else they are not allowed to live on family land. Sons are allowed to marry outside of the people group, but they, too, forfeit their right to live on family land since the wife would have no land inheritance of her own. Newlyweds either live on their own or with the family of the bride.

Architecture

Housing and architecture for the Minang have become more modern over the past generation though older, more traditional homes are still being occupied. The roof of a traditional home is peeked at both ends to represent the horns of a water buffalo.

Religion and Belief.

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 adatis described in the saying "tradition [adat] founded upon Islamic law, Islamic law founded upon the Qur'an" (adat basandi syara', syara' basandi Kitabullah).

Their West Sumatran homelands were the location of the Padri War from 1821 to 1837.

Ceremonies and Festivals

Women carrying platters of food to a ceremony

Minangkabau ceremonies and festivals include:

Ø  Turun mandi - baby blessing ceremony

Ø  Sunat rasul - circumcision ceremony

Ø  Baralek - wedding ceremony

Ø  Batagak pangulu - clan leader inauguration ceremony. Other clan leaders, all relatives in the same clan and all villagers in the region are invited. The ceremony will last for 7 days or more.

Ø  Turun ka sawah - community work ceremony

Ø  Manyabik - harvesting ceremony

Ø  Hari Raya - Islamic festivals

Ø  Adoption ceremony

Ø  Funeral ceremony

Ø  Wild boar hunt ceremony

Ø  Maanta pabukoan - sending food to mother-in-law for Ramadhan

Ø  Tabuik - Muslim celebration in the coastal village of Pariaman

Ø  Tanah Ta Sirah, inaugurate a new clan leader (Datuk) when the old one died in the few hours.

Ø  Mambangkik Batang Tarandam, inaugurate a new leader (Datuk) when the old one died in the pass 10 or 50 years and even more, must do the Batagak Pangulu

Performing arts

Saluang performance

Traditional Minangkabau music includes saluang jo dendang which consists of singing to the accompaniment of a saluang bamboo flute, and talemponggong-chime music. Dances include the tari piring (plate dance), tari payung (umbrella dance) and tari indang. Demonstrations of the silat martial art are performed. Pidato adat are ceremonial orations performed at formal occasions.

Randai is a folk theater tradition which incorporates music, singing, dance, drama and the silat martial art. Randai is usually performed for traditional ceremonies and festivals, and complex stories may span a number of nights. It is performed as a theatre-in-the-round to achieve an equality and unity between audience members and the performers. Randai performances are a synthesis of alternating martial arts dances, songs, and acted scenes. Stories are delivered by both the acting and the singing and are mostly based upon Minangkabau legends and folktales. Randai originated early in the 20th century out of fusion of local martial arts, story-telling and other performance traditions. Men originally played both the male and female characters in the story, but since the 1960s women have also participated.

Crafts

Minangkabau songket, the pattern in the lower third representing bamboo sprouts West Sumatra grand mosque with Minangkabau-modern style.

Particular Minangkabau villages specialize in cottage industries producing handicrafts such as woven sugarcane and reed purses, gold and silver jewellery using filigree and granulation techniques, woven songket textiles, wood carving, embroidery, pottery, and metallurgy.

It is interesting when we discover other ethnic group which rarely we find their historical background. So now we are well known about Minangkabau people and they have “Adat Pepatih” that different from “Adat Temenggung” that applies by most of country in Peninsular Malaysia. Even there some different in Adat, we are comfortable and respect each other differences. This is Malaysia.

That’s all for today’s entry titled on Minangkabau..

Thank you for reading J