|
Chairil Anwar was one of Indonesia's most illustrious
poets; Mohammad Hatta was an important figure in
Indonesia's fight for independence; Yusof Ishak was the
first President of Singapore. What do these great men
have in common ? All three are of Minangkabau descent.
The province of West Sumatra is the traditional homeland
of the Miangkabau people. However, legends say that
their ancestors sailed in great ships from India to this
island. The Javanese prince, who was living there,
challenged them to a contest, a bullfight. If they won,
they would be given the land to settle in Sumatra.
According to the legend, the Javanese had a huge,
powerful bull. On the other hand, the Minagkabaus only
had scrawny animals. They seemed bound to lose.
However, they came up with a cunning idea: They lashed
knives on to the head of a suckling calf, which they had
kept away from its mother for two days. The bullfight
began. As soon as it was released, the half-starved calf
headed straight for the underbelly of the Javanese bull
to try to suckle it. In so doing, it slashed open the
bull's belly and killed it. So, of course, the
Minangkabaus won the contest, and the land – and this is
why they call themselves by this name, which means
"Victorious Bull". Since that momentous bullfight, the
bull has become an important symbol for the Minagnkabaus.
the roofs of their houses are sharply pointed at the
ends to represent a bull's horns; and the Minangkabau
women wear head-dresses which are shaped in the same
way. Aside from the legend, the buffalo has a real
role to play in the life of the Mianangkabau people
today. It is an important source of power, for it is the
strength of the bull that ensures the Minangkabau fields
are tilled to their fullest. The Minangkabau society is
built around agriculture, which basically is paddy
cultivation. In villages, bullfights are still held
today. The fights are arranged between bulls of similar
size from different villages. Large bets are placed,
sometimes as much as a week's wages. The entire village
crowds around to watch the fight. The Minangkabaus are
one of the world's last matriarchal societies. This
means that, in the Minangkabau family, property is owned
by the women and passed down from the mothers to their
daughters. the high position of the women is expressed
in their saying, "Heaven is under the feet of your
mother." For the Minangkabau boy, education is very
important. With all the family money going to his
sister, he will have to work for his living. Minagkabau
boys often leave their mother's house by the age of six
or seven. They go an live in the village mosque to
study. After completing their education, the boys often
leave the village to seek their fortunes. These boys
will return when they have become prosperous. Back in
their villages, their prosperity and education will make
them more eligible for marriage with girls from
wealthier families. Faced with such conditions, the
Minangkabau men have become a race of hardworking and
ambitious men. One will find successful and influential
Minagnkabau men throughout Indonesia – businessmen,
professionals and politicians. As a race, the
Minangkabau people comprise only three percent of the
population of Indonesia, yet half of the government
ministers claim some Minangkabau ancestry. |
