Minangkabau

Origin of the name

The popular etymology makes come the name Minangkabau from the words minang (" victorieux") and kabau (" buffle"). According to the legend, this name would come from an argument between Minangkabau and a prince close to the Majapahit. To avoid a battle, the people had proposed to make fight with death two buffaloes, each one representing one of the parts. The prince brought largest and aggressive buffaloes, but Minangkabau rusèrent by bringing a baby famished buffalo, whose horns had been cut so as to be as sharpened as of the blades of knife. Seeing the adult buffalo in the middle of the field, the baby run towards him hoping for milk. The large buffalo not seeing any threat on behalf of the baby did not pay attention to him, seeking an adversary with its measurement. When the baby sought excavated by seeking a possible udder, it wounded the buffalo mortally and brought the victory to the Minangkabau people.

Structure

The profile of the roofs of the large traditional houses of the west of Sumatra known as “Rumah Gadang” (“large house” in minangkabau) represents the rising curve of the horns of buffaloes.

Company

Minangkabau form the largest company matrilinéaire in the world. At Minangkabau the ground, the real and movable goods are the property of the women. The mothers transmit them to their daughters. The men not having anything, they are constrained to emigrate ( merantau ) if they want to make fortune. However, their duty is to make benefit the village from their success and they deal of the religion and the political matters.

The children bear the name of clan ( suku ) of their mother. The man who in with the responsibility is not the father, but the maternal uncle ( mamak ). For the marriage, it is the family of the girl who comes to ask for the hand of the boy. In the event of divorce, the woman keeps the children ( the Islamic law reminds Minangkabau that “the mother deserves three times more respect than the father” ).

At the age of 7, the young boys traditionally leave the house to go to live in a common house (surau) also become house of prayer and a kind of social center where one learns the religious and cultural lesson (of the adat). The teenagers are encouraged to leave their birthplace to learn from the schools or the experiments out of their native community so as to there return adult nouveau riche of a knowledge and a useful wisdom for their family and the company and them “nagari” (birthplace) where they will become member of the “council of the uncles”. The Malayan state of Negeri Sembilan still is very influenced by the culture minang. In XVe century of Minangkabau, attracted by the possibilities that the prosperity of the kingdom of Malacca offered, are installed in on the Malayan Péninsule. They will found there the State of Negeri Sembilan.

Language

The language minangkabau belongs to the group known as " malaïque " Austronesian branch of the Languages austronésiennes. It counts approximately 8 million Locuteur S.

Religion

The traditional religion was replaced by an Islam which grants a major place to the women, by preserving elements of the habit ( adat ), which associated before the arrival of the Islam of the elements Animiste S and Hindu culture . Minang consider traditionally that to be Minang implies to be Moslem, but there are cases of conversion of Minang to Christianity.

History

The Minangkabau country was the place of the Guerre of Padri of 1821 with 1837. Probably because of their culture which insists on the importance of the studies, this group is surreprésenté in the cultural fields and policies in Indonesia, with much of ministers Minang, female a Prime Minister, considered traders, as well as famous poets, writers, statesmen and religion. They were in the center of the fight indonésienne for independence and are generally bilingual. The Minangkabau language includes/understands many words used in Malaysia, but differently marked, and used with a different grammar, not included/understood by the Malayan ones.

Normal and cultural tourism developed in the west of Sumatra, benefitting from one. culinary tradition minang appreciated, richly spiced diffused in all Indonesia by the “restaurants padang”. (Rendang, Soto Padang (soup), Sate Padang and Dendeng Balado (spiced sauce ox).

The typical shape of theater is known as “Rendai”, associating dramas, theater, songs, dance and Silat, forms local martial arts.

Traditional arts minangkabau

Randai ; traditional theater including music, dance and drama
Saluang OJ Dendang (“flute of bamboo and song”)

Talempong (gong/chime)

Dried up Payung (“dance with the sunshade”)

of Dried up Indang , traditional dance

Pidato Adat (or Sambah Manyambah ), ceremonious solemn speech.

Silek , an martial art.

Craft industry

Weaving, embroidery
Bois cut out
jewelry (gold, money) in particular worked makes in filigree some and grains.

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