Minangkabau Tourism

Matrilineality

2009-01-14T21:45:00.000-08:00

Matrilineality is a system in which lineage is traced through the mother and maternal ancestors.

A matriline is a line of descent from a female ancestor to a descendant (of either sex) in which the individuals in all intervening generations are female. In a matrilineal descent system (sometimes popularly called uterine descent), an individual is considered to belong to the same descent group patrilineal descent. The uterine ancestry of an individual is a person's pure female ancestry, i.e. a matriline leading from a female ancestor to that individual.

A genetic material, Mitochondrial DNA (mt-DNA), normally is inherited exclusively from one's mother. Both daughters and sons inherit it all the same. As mt-DNA are considered "cellular power plants," one's metabolism and energy conversion are much influenced by these matrilineal genetic materials, and thereby by one's matrilineal descent. Even ancient physicians had an inkling about such matrilineal heredity: Galen taught that a child's physical frame would (mostly) be provided by maternal heredity.

In some cultures, membership in their groups is inherited matrilineally; examples of this cultural practice include many ancient cultures and continues in the contemporary cultures of those ancient origins such as Huron, Cherokee, Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee), Hopi, Navajo, and Gitksan of North America. In the Old World cultures it is found in Egyptian, Minangkabau, (West Sumatra); and Ezhava, Nairs, and Kurichiyas of Kerala, India, Bunts, Billavas and Mogaveeras of Karnataka, Pillai caste in Nagercoil District of Tamil Nadu; the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo of Meghalaya, India, the Naxi of China, and the Tuaregs.

Rumah Gadang -2

2008-10-14T23:56:00.000-07:00

Form

The external walls of a rumah gadang are covered with various motifs, each having a symbolic meaning

A communal rumah gadang is a long house, rectangular in plan, with multiple gables and upsweeping ridges, forming buffalo horn-like ends. They normally have three-tiered projections, each with varying floor levels. They are broad and set on wooden piles that can reach as high as 3 meters (10 feet) off the ground; sometimes with a verandah running along the front face of the house which is used as a reception and dining area, and as a sleeping place for guests. Unlike the Toba Batak homes, where the roof essentially creates the living space, the Minangkabau roof rests on conventional walls. Cooking and storage areas are often in separate buildings.

A rumah gadang and rangkiang in 1910

The house is largely constructed of wood; an exception being the being the rear longitudinal wall which is a plain lattice woven in a chequered pattern from split bamboo. The roof is of a truss beam construction, and is typically covered with thatch from the fibre of the sugar palm (ijuk), the toughest thatch material available and said to last a hundred years.^[4] The thatch is laid in bundles which can be easily fitted to the curved, multi-gabled roof. Contemporary homes, however, are more frequently using corrugated iron in place of thatch. Roof finials are formed from thatch bound by decorative metal bindings and drawn into points said to resemble buffalo horns - an allusion to a legend concerning a battle between two water buffaloes from which the 'Minangkabau' name is thought to have been derived. The roof peaks themselves are built up out of many small battens and rafters. and cross-

The women who share the house have sleeping quarters set into alcoves - traditionally odd in number - that are set in a row against the rear wall, and curtained off by the vast interior space of the main living area. Traditionally, large communal rumah gadang will be surrounded by smaller homes built for married sisters and daughters of the parent family. It is the responsibility of the women's maternal uncle to ensure that each marriageable woman in the family has a room of her own and to this end will build either a new house or more commonly additionally annexes to the original one. It is said that the number of married daughters in a home can be told by the counting its horn-like extensions; as they are not always added symmetrically, rumah gadang can sometimes look unbalanced.^[5] Adolescent boys traditionally live in the village surau, a small mosque.

Ornamentation

An example of the carvings from a rumah gadang

The Minangkabau traditionally embellish the wooden walls, pillars, and ceilings of the rumah gadang with bas-relief carved wooden motifs that reflect and symbolize their adat. The motifs consists of profuse floral designs based on a simple underlying geometric structure. The motifs are similar to those of the Minangkabau woven songket textiles, with colors thought to have been derived from Chinese brocades.Traditionally, the motifs do not show animals or humans in a realistic form, although some may represent animals, human beings, or their activities or behavior. The motifs are based on the Minangkabau concept of aesthetics, which is part of their view of their world (Alam Minangkabau) in which expression is always based upon the natural environment. A well-known adat aphorism says, 'nature is our teacher'.

View of the external carvings of a rumah gadang. The inner side of the shutter is painted as they are visible when open.

Ninety-four motifs have been observed on rumah gadang. Thirty-seven of them refer to flora, such as kaluak paku ('fern tendrils'), saluak laka ('interwoven rattan'), pucuak rabuangbamboo shoots'), areca-nut palms,^[1] and lumuik hanyuik ('washed-away moss'). Twenty-eight motifs refer to fauna, such as tupai tatagun ('startled squirrel'), itiak pulang patang ('ducks going home in the afternoon) which symbolizes co-operation and homecoming wanderers,^[1] and kumbang janti (golden bumblebee). The remaining twenty-nine motifs refer to humans and sometimes their activities or behavior, such as rajo tigo (three kings of the realm), kambang manih (sweet flower, used to describe an amiable girl) and jalo takambang (casting a net).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumah_Gadang

Rumah gadang -1

2008-10-14T23:50:00.000-07:00

Rumah gadang (Minangkabau language: 'big house') are the traditional homes (Indonesian: 'rumah adat') 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-tired, upswept gables. 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.

Sumatra is the sixth largest island in the world and since the time of Marco Polo has been referred to as the 'island of gold'. It is the most resource-rich island of Indonesia, including its tea, pepper and rubber plantations, and oil, tin and other mineral resources. Lying on the equator, Sumatra has a monsoonal climate and although more rain falls between October and May, there is no extended rainless dry season. Despite large-scale deforestation, Sumatra still has millions of acres of unexploited rainforests which provide building materials. The great hardwood trees required for large scale construction are now, however, in strictly limited supply.

Background

Sumatra is home to one of the most diverse range of peoples in the South East Asian archipelago and this diversity is reflected in a range variety of often dramatic traditional homes known as rumah adat. The most common housing forms have traditionally been wooden and raised on piles, built of locally gathered materials, with steeply pitched, roofs. In addition to the Minangkabau's rumah gadang, the Batak of Lake Toba region build the boat-shaped jabu with dominating carved gables and dramatic oversized roofs, and the people of Nias build the fortified omo sebua houses on massive ironwood pillars with towering roof structures.

A rumah gadang and rangkiang in 1910

The Minangkabau are indigenous to the highlands of central Sumatra. Their culture is matrilineal, with property and land being passed down from mother to daughter, while religious and political affairs are the province of men. The Minangkabau are strongly Islamic, but also follow their own ethnic traditions, or adat. Minangkabau adat was derived from animistic and Hindu beliefs before the arrival of Islam, and remnants of animistic beliefs still exist even among some practicing Muslims. As such, women are customarily the property owners; husbands are only tolerated in the house at certain times and under special conditions, and must return to their sisters' house to sleep. Complementing this practice is the custom of merantau whereby many of the men will travel far afield for work, returning only periodically to their village of origin. Money earned on these trips is remitted for the building of contemporary rumah adat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumah_Gadang)

The external walls of a rumah gadang are covered with various motifs, each having a symbolic meaning

Bukittinggi

2008-10-14T23:38:00.000-07:00

Bukittinggi (Indonesian for "high hill") is one of the larger cities in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of over 91,000 people and an area of 25.24 km². It is situated in the Minangkabau Padang. It is located at 0°18′20″S 100°22′9″E / -0.30556, 100.36917, near the volcanoes Mount Singgalang (inactive) and Mount Marapi (still active). At 930 m above sea level, the city has a cool climate with temperatures between 16.1°-24.9° highlands, 90 km by road from the West Sumatran capital city of C.

Clock tower and main square

History

Fort de Kock in 1826

The city has its origins in five villages which served as the basis for a marketplace.

The city was known as Fort de Kock during colonial times in reference to the Dutch outpost established here in 1825 during the Padri War. The fort was founded by Captain Bauer at the top of Jirek hill and later named after the then Lieutenant Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, Hendrik Merkus de Kock.The first road connecting the region with the west coast was built between 1833 and 1841 via the Anai Gorge, easing troop movements, cutting the costs of transportation and providing an economic stimulus for the agricultural economy. In 1856 a teacher-training college (Kweekschool) was founded in the city, the first in Sumatra, as part of a policy to provide educational opportunities to the indigenous population. A rail line connecting the city with Payakumbuh and Padang was constructed between 1891 and 1894.

During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia in World War II, the city was the headquarters for the Japanese 25th Army, the force which occupied Sumatra. The headquarters was moved to the city in April 1943 from Singapore, and remained until the Japanese surrender in August 1945.

Mosque in central Bukittinggi

During the Indonesian National Revolution, the city was the headquarters for the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia (PDRI) from December 19, 1948 to July 13, 1949. During the second 'Police Action' Dutch forces invaded and occupied the city on December 22, 1948, having earlier bombed it in preparation. The city was surrendered to Republican officials in December 1949 after the Dutch government recognized Indonesian sovereignty.^[7]

The city was officially renamed Bukittinggi in 1949, replacing its colonial name. From 1950 until 1957, Bukittinggi was the capital city of a province called Central Sumatra, which encompassed West Sumatra, Riau and Jambi. In February 1958, during a revolt in Sumatra against the Indonesian government, rebels proclaimed the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia (PRRI) in Bukittinggi. The Indonesian government had recaptured the town by May the same year.

Tourism

It is a city popular with tourists due to the climate and central location. Attractions within the city include:

Sianok Canyon

Ngarai Sianok (Sianok Canyon)
Lobang Jepang (Japanese Caves) - a network of underground bunkers & tunnels built by the Japanese during World War II
Jam Gadang - a large clock tower built by the Dutch in 1926.
Pasar Atas and Pasar Bawah - traditional markets in downtown.
Taman Bundo Kanduang park. The park includes a replica Rumah Gadang (literally: big house, with the distinctive Minangkabau roof architecture) used as a museum of Minangkabau culture, and a zoo. The Dutch hilltop outpost Fort de Kock is connected to the zoo by the Limpapeh pedestrian overpass.

Notable nearby destinations include Lake Maninjau and the Harau Valley.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukittinggi)

Pagaruyung Kingdom

2008-10-14T23:19:00.001-07:00

Pagaruyung (also Pagarruyung and Pagar Ruyung) was the seat of Minangkabau kings, though little is known about it. Modern Pagaruyung is a village in Tanjung Emas subdistrict, Tanah Datar regency, located near the town of Batusangkar, Indonesia.

History

Adityawarman National Museum of Indonesia

Adityawarman is believed to have founded the kingdom and presided over the central SumatraBukit Gombak, a hill near modern Pagarruyung, and it is believed a royal palace was located here. region between 1347 and 1375, most likely to control the local gold trade. The few artifacts recovered from Adityawarman’s reign include a number of stones containing inscriptions, and statues. Some of these items were found at

By the 16th century, the time of the next report after the reign of Adityawarman, royal power had been split into three recognized reigning kings. They were the King of the World (Raja Alam), the King of Adat (Raja Adat), and the King of Religion (Raja Ibadat). Collectively they were called the Kings of the Three Seats (Rajo Tigo Selo).

An inscribed stone from Adityawarman's kingdom

The first European to enter the region was Thomas Dias, a Portuguese employed by the Dutch governor of Malacca. He traveled from the east coast to reach the region in 1684 and reported, probably from hearsay, that there was a palace at Pagaruyung and that visitors had to go through three gates to enter it.^[2] The primary local occupations at the time were gold panning and agriculture, he reported.

A civil war started in 1803 with the Padri fundamentalist Islamic group in conflict with the traditional syncretic groups, elite families and Pagarruyung royals. During the conflict most of the Minangkabau royal family were killed in 1815, on the orders of Tuanku Lintau.

The English controlled the west coast of Sumatra between 1795 and 1819. Stamford Raffles waringin trees. visited Pagarruyung in 1818, reaching it from the west coast, and by then it had been burned to the ground three times. It was rebuilt after the first two fires, but abandoned after the third and Raffles found little more than

The Dutch returned to Padang in May 1819. As a result of a treaty with a number of penghulu and representatives of the murdered Minangkabau royal family, Dutch forces made their first attack on a Padri village in April 1821.

Minangkabau royal seal from the 19th century

Palace replica

A building was built in 1976 to represent the original Pagaruyung palace, and open to the public as a museum and tourist attraction. It was built in the traditional Minangkabau Rumah Gadang architectural style, but had a number of atypical elements including three stories. The palace was destroyed by fire on the evening of February 27, 2007 after the roof was struck by lightning. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minangkabau_Sultanate)

Pagaruyung palace, since destroyed by fire

Lake Maninjau

2008-09-08T22:19:00.000-07:00

(Redirected from Maninjau)

Jump to: navigation, search

Maninjau

Location	West Sumatra, Indonesia
Coordinates	0°19′S 100°12′ECoordinates: 0°19′S 100°12′E
Lake type	Caldera lake
Primary outflows	Antokan River
Basin countries	Indonesia
Max. length	16 km
Max. width	7 km
Surface area	99.5 km²
Average depth	105 m
Max. depth	165 m
Water volume	10.4 km³
Shore length¹	52.68 km
Surface elevation	459 m
¹ Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Maninjau (Indonesian: Danau Maninjau, Meninjau means Overlook or Observation ) is a caldera lake in West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is located 16 km to the west of Bukittinggi, at 0°19′S, 100°12′E.

Formation

The Maninjau caldera was formed by a volcanic eruption estimated to have occurred around 52,000 years ago. Deposits from the eruption have been found in a radial distribution around Maninjau extending up to 50 km to the east, 75 km to the southeast, and west to the present coastline. The deposits are estimated to be distributed over 8500 km² and have a volume of 220–250 km³.The caldera has a length of 20 km and a width of 8 km.

Fisherman on Lake Maninjau

The lake

Lake Maninjau has an area of 99.5 km², being approximately 16 km long and 7 km wide. The average depth is 105 m, with a maximum depth of 165 m. The natural outlet for excess water is the Antokan river, located on the west side of the lake. It is the only lake in Sumatra which has a natural outlet to the west coast. Since 1983 this water has been used to generate hydroelectric power for West Sumatra.

Most of the people who live around Lake Maninjau are ethnically Minangkabau. Villages on the shores of the lake include Maninjau and Bayur.

Maninjau is a notable tourist destination in the region due to its scenic beauty and mild climate. It is also used as a site for paragliding.

Local agriculture

The lake is used for aquaculture, using karamba floating net cages. The technique was introduced in 1992, and by 1997 there were over 2,000 cage units with over 600 households engaged. Each cage may have 3-4 production cycles each year. There is evidence of pollution around some karamba area.

On the edge of the lake, the landuse includes rice fields in the swamps and the lower slopes. The villages are bordered uphill by a large belt of forestlike tree gardens, which dissolves into the upper montane forest on the steepest parts of the slopes up to the ridge of the caldera.

The tree gardens include three typical components:

Fruit trees including durian, jack fruit, cempedak, rambutan, langsat, golden berries and water apples.
Timber species including Toona sinensis and Pterospermum javanicum.
Spice trees including cinnamon, coffee, nutmeg and cardamum.

Parorama of Lake Maninjau from the caldera rim

Tabuik

2008-07-26T03:45:00.001-07:00

Tabuik is the local manifestation of the Shi'a Muslim^{[citation needed]} Remembrance of Muharram among the Minangkabau people in the coastal regions of West Sumatra, Indonesia, particularly in the city of Pariaman. The festival includes reenactments of the Battle of Karbala, and the playing of tassa and dhol drums. Tabuik is also the term used to refer to the high funeral biers carried around during remembrance procession. Although originally a Shi'a festival, nowadays most inhabitants of Pariaman and other area's where similar Tabuik-festivals are held, are mainly Sunni Muslims

The remembrance is referred to as Tabut in Indonesian.

Tabuik is made from bamboo, rattan and paper. During the week of Tabuik many activities are held including kite races, traditional plays such as Tari Piring and traditional plays. THe remembrance draws a large crowd including dignitaries such as the provincial governor, to see Tabuik in the morning before it is slowly taken to the beach. At noon, before it is thrown into the sea, there is a lot of activity with Tabuik. After they are thrown into the sea many people go swimming looking for 'memories' of the Tabuik to keep.

The practice of throwing a tabuik into the sea has taken place every year in Pariaman on the 10th of Muharram since 1831^[1]. The practice was introduced to the region by Shi'ite Muslim sepoyIndia who were stationed and later settled there during the British Raj (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabuik)

Tabuiks being lowered in to the sea in Pariaman, Indonesia

Oral traditions and literature

2008-07-15T00:55:00.000-07:00

Minangkabau culture has a long history of oral traditions. One oral tradition is the pidato adatpanghulu (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-patiti), proverbs (pameo), religious advice (petuah), parables (tamsia), two-line aphorisms (gurindam), and similes (ibarat). (ceremonial orations) which are performed by

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 folktales Rancak 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 his ship is flung against rocks by a storm.

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.(sumber http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minangakabau)

A Minangkabau bride and groom.

Adat and religion

2008-07-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

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 semangatpawang) 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.by an evil spirit, and a shaman.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 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 proprietary, 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)

(sumber http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minangakabau)

A Minangkabau mosque circa 1900.