by andrea sanchez. the beginning they believed that through the light of mohammed god created the...
TRANSCRIPT
The BeginningThey believed that through the light of Mohammed God
created the universe. From the light came the angels and Adam and from Adam
came Alexander the Great whose wife was a nymph from Paradise. After Alexander’s death his three sons [Diraja, Alif, and Depang] set sail around the world. The story says that the princes fought for the rightful ownership of the crown. During their voyage, they lost the crown. A trickster who was also a master goldsmith created a replica of the crown and told Diraja to tell his brothers that he found the original. He did so and they separated. Prince Depang sailed to the Land of Sunrise where he became the Emperor of Japan. Prince Alif said to the Land of Sunset where he became Sultan of Turkey. Prince Dirija found the Land between the Sunrise and Sunset where the Minangakabau began and Maharaja Diraja became their first king.
A legend says that the name comes from the victory over Javanese invaders. They had a calf fight with a bull with knives on its horns and the calf killed the bull. Minang meant victories and Kerbau meant buffalo.
Another version of this story said that it was a baby buffalo instead of a calf that was to fight the bull from another village.
The Minangkabau live in West Sumatra in Indonesia.
There are 4 million MinangkabauThey are Indonesia’s 4th largest
ethnic groupThey call their home the Alam
Minangkabau which means
Minangkabau World. Their world is split into two
regions. The Darat and Rantau. Darat is the highland home for
them. Rantau is applied to the outlying
districts.The Darat is divided into three
more groups. Tanah Datar Agam Lima Puluh Koto
The Minangkabau are matrilineal They are the largest matrilineal society in the
worldThe Minangkabau stress education a lot and are
well-represented in all the educated professions in Indonesia.
Ceremonies Turun mandi - baby blessing ceremony Sunat rasul - circumcision ceremony Baralek - wedding ceremony Batagak pangulu – Inaugurates the clan leader Turun ka sawah - community work ceremony Manyabik - harvesting ceremony Hari Royo – Islamic festivals Adoption ceremony Adat ceremony Funeral ceremony Wild boar hunt ceremony Maanta pabukoan - sending food to mother-in-law for Ramadan Tabuik - Muslim celebration in a coastal village
ReligionThe Minangkabau are Muslims, but also
believe in Animism which means that they believe that spirits exist in plants, animals, and things other than humans.
Before the 18th century, Islamic practices were weakly observed
BeliefsThey believe that people have two souls, a
real soul and one that can disappear which is called a semangat.
They believe that illness is caused by the capture of a semangat by an evil spirit and the shaman or pawang helps the family
They sacrifice things to spirits and use things as amulets for protection
AdatThe Adat is their law. It has rules of conduct, belief, and social
organization. According to the tambo (their historical legend),
the adat was given to the royal family. The first adat talks about the laws of nature.The second adat talks about the essence of their
social organization. The third category is about the preserving of
tradition. The fourth adat talks about social behavior that is
appropriate. Adat and Islam reinforce each other
In the 19th century the peaceful coexistence of adat was hurt with the Padri wars. The Padri leaders displaced adat and substituted it with strict Islam.
MerantauThe practice of voluntary outmigration. They were originally sedentary agriculturalists
and their land in the darat was productive for their rice, but after the growth in population, traders had to go to the rantau.
The merantau has changed location. At first it meant that the merchants left from the darat to the rantau, but at now it applies to people who keep ties to their village, but travel elsewhere to work.
EconomicsTheir main source of income comes from wet-
rice cultivation.They also grow fruits, vegetables, peanuts,
peppers, maize, and tomatoes. The local markets sell more than just
produce. They sell fish, meat, clothes, jewelry, books, and textiles.
Artisans work In large cities and sell bamboo carvings, pottery, and weaving among other things.
Performing ArtsThe Minangkabau’s music consists
of singing with a bamboo flute and gong-chime music
Their dances include the tari piring (plate dance), tari payung (umbrella dance) and tari indang
They also perform the silat martial art
Randai is performed at festivals and ceremonies and it is a folk theater tradition that includes music, singing, dancing, drama, and silat martial art
Sociopolitcal OrganizationAll matrilineal segments have a linage chief
called the penghulu. Even though they are matrilineal, some leaders
are menThey perform ceremonies like weddings and
funeralsThe penghulu have political, economic, social,
and ceremonial power. They have three associates.
One helps solves disputes Another helps watch over security The third gives advice about the Islamic law
Architechture Rumah Gadang are the traditional homes.
Rumah Gadang means big house.
Women own the homeThe roof is multi-tiered
with upswept gablesRumah Gadang usually
refers to communal homes, but some single-residence homes have the same characteristics