Adat Minangkabau

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. 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).

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). The adat ceremonies organized by women play an essential role in this struggle by reminding young men, who might otherwise be guided by the seductive pull of political Islam, of their cultural roots and responsibilities.

In the matrilineal system that a woman is positioned as a leader, store keepers and treasurers. A more specific role of women in Minangkabau society is as bundo kanduang, or the main woman of a community. She must be a woman who understands the customs and manners, give priority to moral character, maintain self-esteem, understand the religion, and understand the rules of religion, to maintain herself and her people from sin.

Minangkabau society draw a line through a system of matrilineal descent as a form of marriage called Semendo. In the old days is meant by this is a Semendo, which is where the husband or father only considered as a guest in her house and came only at night and then returned to his mother's house in the morning. Father or husband does not have full responsibility for his family but the elders have a responsibility towards his nephew. Property and land ownership will pass down from mother to daughter. A woman must be married immediately after she hits a period of age. After her first divorce, she is allowed to pick her next partner. Same law applies to men, who must immediately be married after circumcision.

Along with the times and the inclusion of Islamic teachings that most affect the joints in the Minangkabau adat, there happened to be a shift in the position and role of men in the Minangkabau society and its effect on inheritance law. It is also about the position and role of the elders or mamaks began to shift.

Septiana Imaniar: Peran dan Kedudukan Perempuan Dalam Kebudayaan Minangkabau (Role and Status of Women in Minangkabau culture). http://septiana1988.blogspot.com/2010/05/peran-dan-kedudukan-perempuandalam.html Peran Politik Perempuan Dalam Sistem Martilineal di Minangkabau, Sumatra Barat (Political Role of Women in Martilineal system in Minangkabau, West Sumatra). http://mkp.fisip.unair.ac.id/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=125:p eran-politik-perempuan-dalam-sistem-martilineal-di-minangkabau-sumaterabarat&catid=34:mkp&Itemid=61 Minangkabau People Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minangkabau_people Sistem Kekeluargaan Matrilinear, Adat Budaya Minangkabau (Matrilineal family system, Indigenous Culture Minangkabau) http://palantaminang.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/sistim-kekeluargaan-matrilineal/

Adat Minangkabau Silungkang Dalam Sejarah http://munirtaher.wordpress.com/2007/05/30/adat-minangkabau/ Nilah-nilai Dasar Adat Minangkabau, Adat Budaya Minangkabau (Basic values of Adat Minangkabau, Minangkabau Adat Culture ) http://palantaminang.wordpress.com/2008/05/06/nilai-nilai-dasar-adatminangkabau/