Culture of Minangkabau
A.
Minangkabau
people
The Minangkabau ethnic
group, also known as Minang (Urang minang in
Minangkabau language), is indigenous to the highlands of West Sumatra, in Indonesia. Their culture is matrilineal, 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 West Sumatra, 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 adatis
described in the saying "tradition [adat] founded upon Islamic law,
Islamic law founded upon the Qur'an" (adat basandi syara', syara'
basandi Kitabullah).
B. Historiography
The
village of Pariangan, located on the slopes of Mount Marapi, is in folklore said to be the
first Minangkabau village.
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).
C. Culture
Girls clad in traditional Minang costumes
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 inMalaysia named Negeri Sembilan is heavily influenced by
Minang culture because Negeri Sembilan was originally Minangkabau's
territory (the people believe so by the old story from the ancestor).
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.
Today both
natural and cultural tourism have become considerable economic activities in
West Sumatra.
1. Ceremonies and festivals
Women carrying platters of food to a
ceremony
Minangkabau ceremonies and festivals
include:
§ Turun mandi - baby blessing ceremony
§ Sunat rasul - circumcision ceremony
§ Baralek - wedding ceremony
§ 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.
§ Turun ka sawah - community work ceremony
§ Manyabik - harvesting ceremony
§ Adoption ceremony
§ Funeral ceremony
§ Wild boar hunt ceremony
§ Tanah Ta Sirah, inaugurate a new clan leader
(Datuk) when the old one died in the few hours.
§ 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 Ramadanwhere 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 Padeh, Soto Padang, Sate Padang, Dendeng Balado (beef
with chili sauce).
Food has a
central role in the Minangkabau ceremonies which honor religious and life cycle
rites. 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 a sourness to
the spicy flavor.
5. Architecture
Rumah gadang in the Pandai Sikek village of
West Sumatra, with two rice barns (rangkiang) in front.
Rumah gadang (Minangkabau: 'big house') or rumah
bagonjong (Minangkabau: "spired roof house") are
the traditional homes 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.
According to Minangkabau tradition, the roof shapes was meant to mimic the horn
of buffalo. 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.
6. Oral traditions and literature
A Minangkabau bride and groom.
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 panghulu inaugurations. 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 folktalesRancak 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 a storm ensues and
turn him along with his ship to stone. The said stone is located in Air
Manis beach and is known by locals as batu Malin Kundang
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.
7. Language
Location
ethnic groups of Sumatra, the Minangkabau is shown in light and dark olive. The
Minangkabau language (Baso Minangkabau) is an Austronesian
language belonging to the Malayic linguistic subgroup, which in
turn belongs to theMalayo-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 lexicaldifferences 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.[22] The Minangkabau language was
originally written using theJawi 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.
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Denominations
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Population (as of)
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Dialects
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Minangkabau
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6,500,000 (1981)
|
Agam, Pajokumbuh, Tanah, Si
Junjung, Batu Sangkar-Pariangan, Singkarak, Orang Mamak, Ulu,
Kerinci-Minangkabau, Aneuk Jamee (Jamee), Penghulu.
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Source: Gordon (2005).
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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.
8.
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 thesemangat. 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.
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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