Visit to Minangkabau, West Sumatra
Some photos of the visit to West Sumatra by Michael Lowe (email: michael.j.lowe at gmail.com) & Joyce Hassan (email: joyce.hassan at gmail.com)
in June 2002.
Copyright 2002 Michael Lowe
Contents
Introduction
West Sumatra is one of the 26 provinces of Indonesia, located on the inland
of Sumatra a short distance to the southwest of Singapore. West Sumatra
is primarily a farming region where rice, coffee, coconuts & cattle
are grown and bred. The people of West Sumatra are known as the Minangkabau
(or Minang). The name means "buffalo win", which is said to be derived
from a time when the people of this region settled a dispute with the Javanese
people by a contest between two buffalos. The contest was won by the West
Sumatran people by cunning and intellect, rather than the Javanese approach
of brute force, and to this day the buffalo has a central place in the
cultural identity, architecture and farming practices of these people.
There are about 4 million Minangkabau in West Sumatra, and about the
same number again who reside in other parts of Indonesia or overseas. The
Minang people are well known throughout Indonesia for their unique culture,
entrepreneurial business success, literary flair, and spicy food. Their
rich traditions and culture (adat) include unique and interesting forms
of architecture, clothing, craft, martial arts, music, dance, theatre &
literature. The most unusual aspect of the Minang people is their matriarchal
and matrilineal society, meaning power is held by the women of the village
and property is passed down the maternal line. A male tradition known as
merantau is for the men to leave home to seek their fame and fortune and
to support their relatives back in the village. They are among the most
devout Muslims in Indonesia, yet to some Muslims their matrilineal and
matriarchal society might seem to conflict with the doctrine of Islam.
That they have retained their culture and traditions whilst embracing Islam
gives an indication of how highly they value it. They are proud of their
adat and are happy to share it with anyone who shows an interest.
Joyce's ancestors are from West Sumatra - her parents were born and
spent a large part of their lives there. During their life, Joyce's parents
rebuilt the traditional house of their family that had been burn to the
ground by the Dutch a generation before. Although Joyce has not lived in
West Sumatra, she has an intimate connection with the culture and spirit
of the Minang people, and is familiar with the Minangkabau language as
well as the Indonesian language. Joyce has visited her parents in their
village many times previously, but this is the first time she has returned
since her mother passed away. An appropriate Minang proverb comes to mind...
Even if it rains gold in other lands,
And it rains stones in our village,
My love goes to the village.
This was my first visit to West Sumatra, and only my second overseas trip.
I had long wanted to visit a non-industrialised country to experience the
contrast in lifestyle, and since I had long ago developed a passion for
the unique Minang culture - first from what Joyce had told me and then
what I had read - there was no doubt that West Sumatra would be my next
holiday destination.
Padang
Padang is a coastal city which is the entry point for people flying into
West Sumatra, and the capital city of the province. Flights come from within
Indonesia and twice weekly from Singapore. Surprisingly, our flights to
and from Singapore were largely filled with American and Australian surfers
who apparently were heading for the remote and primitive Mentawai islands
off the coast of Padang in search of perfect waves and surfing adventures.
It is quite an effort just to get to the Mentawai islands by the long and
infrequent boat trips, and the living conditions on the islands are among
the most primitive in Indonesia with many (if not most) natives still living
a hunter-gatherer existence.
Padang literally means field, and the city is mostly a flat plain with
an oppressing hot, humid and wet climate. There aren't a lot of things
to do in Padang so most tourists don't spend long there before moving on.
Upon arrival at the airport, Joyce & I were picked up by Pak Arman
- an officer from the hotel we had booked in Bukittinggi - and driven there.
During our time in Bukittinggi we became good friends with Arman, and he
ended up driving us on a few day trips and even taking us to his house
to introduce his family.
After our week in Bukittinggi, by which time Joyce had already left
for Jakarta because of the unexpected death of a brother, I returned to
Padang to stay for a night. That night I walked to the local concert hall
in search of some entertainment. It turned out that a local University
was having their annual student review - an arts & performance night
- and they warmly invited me to stay and wwatch. The acts consisted of a
few traditional dances, and different rock/pop groups singing both western
songs (with varying English proficiencies) and modern Indonesian songs.
The next morning I visited a local museum and was flocked by a class of
excited and giggling school kids and parents, all of whom seemed to have
cameras - I therefore spent 10 minutes posing for photos with various combinations
of them so they could all get their desired snapshot with a foreigner.
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| Arrival at Padang from Singapore with the airport terminal
in the background. Of note is the traditional West Sumatran style of roof
which is not only present on the traditional houses, but also many modern
commercial and government buildings. |
The palm tree lined beach at Padang. The water and sand was sufficiently
dirty to put me off swimming, but I believe there are some good swimming
beaches to the south of Padang. |
Bukittinggi
After Padang, Bukittinggi is the second largest town in West Sumatra. It
is located in the highlands of West Sumatra at about 1000 meters elevation,
nestled between two volcanos - Mt Singgalang and Mt Marapi. Unlike Padang
the climate is only moderately warm and humid during the day, and it is
surprisingly cool at night-time. It is hard to comprehend the town is only
a short distance from the equator when a jacket is required to go out at
night.
Bukittinggi is the cultural heart of West Sumatra and a good town to
stay in while exploring the surrounding regions. The town itself has many
interesting sites to visit: it's daily markets, the Jam Gadang (big clock)
in the town square, a zoo, the remains of a former Dutch Fort, nightly
cultural performances, and Japanese tunnels under the city. In the region
surrounding the town are a number of interesting villages and sites of
natural beauty. Some of the things I like most about Bukittinggi include
the absence of western shopping centres, malls or even supermarkets (the
daily markets are the main centre of commerce), the sparseness of western
tourists, the friendly and relaxed nature of the local people, the cool
climate, and compactness of the town.
Joyce has a number of relatives and friends in Bukittinggi, but because
she had to cut short her visit due to the unexpected passing away of her
brother, we only had the opportunity to see a few of them.
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| The hotel we stayed at has a beautiful middle eastern architecture
which is ornamented with traditional Minang woodcarvings and paintings.
One day we were greeted in the foyer by a couple wearing traditional Minang
clothes made from songket (gold threaded) cloth. |
A view from the hotel pool toward our room. |
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| The view from our hotel window, with Mt Singgalang and Sianok canyon
in the distance. |
A view of the town with Mt Singgalang in the background, from a footbridge
between Fort De Kock & the Zoo. |
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| Bendi (horse carts) are an alternative to walking or taxis when travelling
around Bukittinggi. The horses are dressed up with pom-poms and other cute
decorative fashions. This picture was taken outside the house of Joyce's
friend Chris after the three of us took a ride from the clock tower in
the town square. |
The famous Jam Gadang (big clock) in the town square. It is central
to the town and a popular place for youngsters to hang out. When walking
around Bukittinggi it was unusual to pass a few minutes without someone
saying hello, and this area was a hive of friendliness. |
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| Sianok canyon, which runs along the west side of the town at the foot
of Mt Singgalang. |
A view looking up through the entrance to the Japanese tunnels under
the city. The extensive network of tunnels was built by the Japanese using
local labour during WWII, and they are currently open for tours. There
are some grizzly stories about executions and the treatment of prisoners
in the tunnels. |
Kamang
Kamang Hilir (lit. downstream Kamang) is the village of Joyce's maternal ancestors, 20 minutes drive from Bukittinggi. The Rumah Gadang
(traditional house or lit. big house) of her mother has been unoccupied
since her passing away in 1995. The house still seems to be in
reasonable condition, though the surrounding area has certainly become
overgrown. In front of the house are the resting places of Joyce's
mother & father, and to gain access a path had to be cleared
through the growth. At another site in the village is the resting place
of Joyce's grandmother, who by all accounts was very similar to Joyce
in
her appearance and manner. The current house at this site was rebuilt
by
Joyce's parents nearby the original Rumah Gadang occupied by Joyce's
grandmother, which was burnt to the ground by the Dutch in 1948 during
a battle to suppress local independence fighters. The masonry front
steps of the old Rumah Gadang are the only remains. At the entrance to
the village is a large statue of 4 people who became heroes fighting
against the Dutch in 1908, one of whom is Joyce's great-granduncle,
Datuak Rajo Penghulu. Opposite the Rumah Gadang is another house on her
mother's land which is occupied by Kak Seman, one of Joyce's relatives
whom we visited. Kak Seman is the only one of Joyce's many relatives
who still lives in the village - the rest now reside in Bukittinggi,
Jakarta, or overseas.
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| The statue which includes Joyce's great-granduncle. |
The Rumah Gadang of Joyce's mother, looking from Kak Seman's house. |
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| The entrance to the Rumah Gadang of Joyce's mother. |
Joyce with her mum and sisters on a previous visit. |
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| Joyce at her father's resting place. |
The view from the resting place of Joyce's parents toward the house.
The headstone of the resting place of Joyce's mum is visible in front of
me. |
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| Kak Seman, Joyce and two other people from Joyce's kaum (clan) |
A field next to Kak Seman's house, which contained an adult buffalo
and its baby. |
Scenic Travels
West Sumatra is a naturally beautiful region, with an abundance of lush
tropical jungle, high mountains, deep valleys, flowing rivers and large
freshwater lakes. The jungles are home to a variety of flora & fauna
including monkeys, Sumatran tigers, rhinos, elephants, deer & one of
the largest flowers in the world - the rafflesia. The terraced rice fields,
and the architecture of the traditional buildings add to the beauty of
the landscape.
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| A waterfall in the beautiful Anai valley on the road from Padang to
Bukittinggi. |
A stunning view looking down into a lush valley on the way to lake
Maninjau. Embroidery is a common craft practiced by the Minang people,
and Joyce's embroided scarf in this photo is one of the half dozen she
bought on this trip. |
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| Chris, Joyce and Arman overlooking lake Maninjau. |
A view looking down into lake Maninjau. Lake Maninjau is a fresh water
lake formed within the crater of a dormant volcano. |
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| A fishing boat glides past the lakeside restaurant we stopped to have
lunch at. |
A few monkeys which were eating oranges dropped on the roadside leading
down to lake Maninjau. |
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| The weekly Adu Kerbau (Buffalo contest) in Koto Baru. The buffalo,
which are central to Minang cultural identity and farming practices, are
brought together by their owners to take part in this contest of strength
and endurance. After locking horns the first buffalo to give in and run
away is the loser. |
The buffalo owners try to encourage their animals with a push or with
commands. A traditional belief is that the contest is not between the buffalos,
but between their owners by proxy. The first of two buffalo fights on this
day ended with the losing buffalo being chased by the other off the field,
crashing through a fence and running out of sight into the adjacent village. |
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| A rice farmer ploughing a padi (rice field) with a buffalo |
Sawah (a rice field) with smoke hazed mountains in the background.
During our time in West Sumatra it was often smoky, which was due to the
burn-off of rice husks after the harvest. However, the rice I ate with
my meals in Bukittinggi was the nicest I've ever tasted. |
Architecture
The beautiful traditional houses of the Minang people are known as Rumah
Gadang (big house) or Rumah Adat (traditional house). They have majestic
pointed roofs, known as Gonjong, which are said to symbolise the horns
of a buffalo and the mountains which surround the region. Being a matrilineal
society, the Rumah Gadang remains the property of the women in a family.
There are many traditions about the design and construction of a Rumah
Gadang. Traditionally it consists of a large common room which runs the
length of the building, with bedrooms adjacent to it, set along the far
side of the building. Rangkiang (rice barns), also built with pointed roofs,
are often located in front of the Rumah Gadang. The external walls of a
Rumah Gadang are traditionally covered with intricate hand-made carvings
which are then painted. The carving designs and the colours are inspired
by patterns from nature. One such pattern is named "itiak pulang patang"
which means "ducks coming home at dusk". The interior of the buildings
are decorated with designs in the traditional Minang colours - red (which
symbolises courage), black (which symbolises strength) and yellow or gold
(which symbolises victory).
On our visit to West Sumatra we saw many Rumah Gadang, in many different
styles. It was comforting to also see the Rumah Gadangs that are under
construction - it would be a great tragedy if no new Rumah Gadangs were
built and this magnificent form of architecture was lost.
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| The Istana (Kings Palace) in Pagaruyung, near Batusangkar, which is a museum based on
the former palace of a Minang king. It is an enormous three-story building. |
A well maintained Rumah Gadang in Pandai Siket with two Rangkiang (rice
barns) and a lake in front of it. |
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| A view of the end of a Rumah Adat with a thatched roof. This one happens
to be the museum "Bundo Kanduang" which is within the grounds of the zoo
in Bukittinggi. The zoo seems to be a great place for the local kids to
visit, but the cages and conditions for some of the animals are quite sad.
The zoo includes Sumatra Tigers (native to the region of course!), Orang
Hutans, and even "kangaroos" (but they actually looked more like wallabies). |
A picture showing the intricate hand-carved and painted designs on
the exterior walls of a Rumah Gadang. |
Joyce in front of a modern mosque under construction on the shores
of lake Maninjau, which according to local rumours is being financed by
one of her brothers. |
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| A view from inside the Istana Payaruyung, looking down the length of
the large common room. |
A view inside the second floor of the Istana Payaruyung. |
One of the dozens of photos I sat for when I was ambushed by a class
of school kids and parents at a museum in Padang. The background shows
an example of traditional Minang wedding decorations and costumes. |
Arts & Crafts
West Sumatra is known for various arts and crafts. Craft production in
the villages includes hand woven songket cloth (made from gold or silver
threads which are interwoven on a cotton or silk base to form patterns),
fine embroidery, silver filigree jewellery (made from intricate threads
of silver wire), and woodcarving. The style and design of these craft works
are inspired by patterns found in nature. For example, the embroidery patterns
are commonly flowers, and the carvings include patterns with ducks, flowers
and buffalo.
The Minangkabau have their own form of self-defence called Silek, and
it is from these moves that many traditional dances are derived. The dancers
dress in a variety of beautiful and colourful costumes. The dances are
performed to music from a folk orchestra with instruments including the
talempong (a metal percussion instrument), different forms of flute, and
drums. In Bukittinggi there is a theatre where traditional dance and music
is performed every night - there are a few different performance groups
which alternate during the week, but I was only able to catch one performance
unfortunately. The performance I saw was very dynamic, colourful and well
presented.
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| The village of Pandai Siket is known for it's woodcarving and hand
woven "songket" fabrics, inlaid with gold and silver thread. Pandai Siket
literally means clever craftsmen. |
Machine embroidery is a common small-scale industry in West Sumatra. |
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| "Tari Pasambahan" - a welcome ceremony and dance. Note the beautiful
gold headdress the young lady is wearing. |
"Saluang Jo Dendang" - wind instrument and song. The young lady in
this photo is wearing a "buffalo" style headdress. |
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"Tari Bersuka Ria" - dance of young people dating - happy and cheerfully.
Note the umbrellas. |
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| The musical performers, playing talempong (a metal percussion instrument),
flute and drum. |
"Silek" - a traditional Minang form of self-defence. |
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| "Tari Piring" - the plate dance, about the happiness of
a successful harvest. The dancers adeptly dance with plates on the palms
of their hands, while twisting and turning their arms and tapping a beat
on the underside of the plates with the rings on their fingers. The dance
culminates with the dancers smashing some of the plates, and then dancing
on the broken shards. |
Farewell
Farewell West Sumatra, until next time. It has only been a short stay,
but I got to experience firsthand some of the Minang culture I've long
been fascinated by. What I have experienced has only fuelled my desire
to learn more about the Minangkabau people and their culture. Unfortunately
I left with the feeling of being somewhat disconnected from the region
and the people I visited because of my limited Indonesian language skills,
by living a non-native lifestyle of western style hotels and daily restaurant
food, and by trying to compress so much into a short trip. However, I was
very fortunate to have Joyce with me for at least part of the trip for
her ancestral links to the region, her understanding of it, and her companionship.
Relative to western standards, many people in the region live an economically
poor existence, and yet I barely got to experience how people live from
day-to-day. On my next visit to West Sumatra I'd like to have the opportunity
to stay for a much longer period, and live in a village to experience daily
village life and gain a deeper understanding of Minangkabau traditions
and culture.