THE MINANGKABAU OF SUMATRA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-02771R000300130002-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 29, 1998
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: March 25, 1958
• Content Type: REPORT

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LU 117
DOCIDNENT 110.
NO CHANGE 111 CLASS.
rj DECLASSIFIED
CLASS. CHANGED TOI
Ian UMW DATE
ATht HD 70-2
OttEg-34NEVINWEHI- 056364
4,tsk
25 P4reh 155C
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pared by
pared for :
completed:
25X1A9a
25X1A8a
25 Marc]; 18
25X1A8a
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A Location and Size
B. anee
C. Political Loya1.tieB
D.
Features
e and Literatur':
F. Ecofloifly
G. So ial Orgariz&ttOfl
H. Cultural Lire
Source
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4r:f.'.47,' OP SUMATRA
A. Locatton and Size
The Ninankabau are -
area and high ands of 1ATE;
self is sometimes referre
rule, it comprised the 3u
in to the 1930 census, ttl
current estimates vary bet,
al Ly eopLe inhabitinghe coastal
Cantral Sumatra. The area it-
toms MinangUabau. Under Dutch
tryt-n Westcoast Residency. ACCord-
WnaagIce3au numbered 1,998,648;
t-pio and three million.
B. Iortane
Although the MinangkaUm .orstitate only about 3.3 per
cent of the total populatn -f Indonesia, their importance
is greater than that small pepceltage would suggest. As one
of the moat intelligent .04',0 ,opo,tressive peoples of Indonesia
and certainly of Sumatra, Ilia Mlaangkabau have contributed a
cOnsiderahly di8proport1ol4te nalber of Indonesian leaders.
Mehammed Battal former v16, accident and second in popular
regard only to Sukarno, it *iorr in lukittingt. Sutan
Sjahrir, former premier arc' hflad of the Partai Sostalis
Indonesia, and Mohammed 714-Int,,, rormer premier and chairman
of the Masjumi Party, botL Clne rrom Minangkabau, as do also
Mohammed Yamin and Mbhampf-0 lefA, both former Ministers of
Education. Other promineLt lf-aders from Minangkabau are
Djamaluddin Malik, a parlfl.mentary laader of the Nahadatul
Ulama and publisher of thu pai-ty organ Duta Masagrakat, and
Sabilal Raajad, secretary f-ent-rel of thi?Tirtai Nastional
Indonesia and a former Mitlet,,r )1' tabor. The late Madji
Agus Salim, leader of the pr war Sarekat Islam and Indonestats
revered "elder statesman" fro- ildep3ndence until his death,
was also a Minangkabau.
C. PolitlIpal Loyalties
Although the Minangkalniu
most of indonesiats major polLt
cipally aupporters of the 7e1.mi
In nearly every Minangkabrm v1.11
is as much a fixture an th 70.11
spirit of radicalism and 1,:ztrilac
e contributed leaders to
cal parties, they are prin-
o-ortented Masjumi Party.
age the local Masjumi office
ap,e mosque. Nevertheless, a
nationalism ia not absent,
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and Ktnankbau hag
at indepe
the Xinankabau count
the Youth, MOvement in
youth were instrumental in a)
Movement in Djakarta (then lt
rariau revolutionary move ii
Dutch ea811y, though b103
5 and the following month4
which started in Atjeh and t)
eventually spread to Minangki-
tion of the remaining power 3
Partai romunis Indong!
success in the area dl
or ion of the people ani
:rlal class. It wae
d its tactic of stresai
ties between the teao
!opted to show by eV;
hat the 14EI rite
93018, sufficient Minanl
propaganda that they jot
frereatuan Muslimin /n1
71271Itrength and influence IA
D. Eth4c yea uret
.0mInuntly in the Indones an
iCalE, the principal city of
fte scene of the founding of
1.!.-10; and in 1924 Sumatran
tlithing the United Youth
In 1927, an extensive
it 3ccurred in Minangkabau, which
lily, suppressed. In December
, a Woody social revolution
Slmutras Rastcoaat Residency
3ee. The result was the elimina
tle feudal aristocraey.
(NW has had relative y
the eonservative, Muslim
tte abaence ot an,. large
tcr 1925, when the PK2
Itt=eism to one of claiming
,s of Nam and Islam, which
curtain passages from the
y progress at all. During
cab:tu leftists were attracted by
led into a separate party, the
yne3111. As of today, however,
Milargkabau are negligible.
ically the M anka i ri
group --Deu ero-Malay--as lE
4avane Sundane se, Madura& , ic
and Smoak. The Minan kabau
dynasty back to rske er (thy rr1te for Alexander the Great)
and consider their homeland ".') by- the cradle of the entire
aiott 1160 A.D., the migrations
Malaya and the archipelago.
treir ancestors were the
:J.nel there is historical evi-
iav kingdom once did extend
in the same broad radia
hnese, Coaatal :Malays,
sarese-auginese, Balinese
3 trace their original
Malay race, from whence beg
of Malays throughout Sumatra,
**cording to Minangkabau tei
original conquerors of Sumatli..1-
deuce to auggpst that a Minam
over most of the island.
Vara
d Literature
Minangkabau speak a la age iose1y related to modern
so closelin fact, iguists are not yet agreed on
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wiether it should be con idertd
or a eeparate language. In trY
the two atriking. There ure
Minangkabau--Agam and Pajakulu
several minor ones. Die t?
litinangkabau normally use a m
writing, although the Latin 0
13,411a Ingoncsia is used to rem
dive, tnt dialect lay
ea*.3? the simiiarity between
twi Major dialects of
anah Datar-as well as
.ale influence, the
Arabic alphabet for
bet officially adopted for
extent.
The Minangkabau have a literf_ture of their own coneis ing
chiefly of long poems, legeneury ati semi-historical in
nature. Shorter popular stol.fts do occur, often in prose
mixed with verse, as well as clra4-1.ons and collections of
traditional writings. A favOltc tibject for poems and books,
as well as for songs, is 'mat DitIol (or Teogku Imam), a na-
tional hero who led the MinarckaLau resistance to. the Dutch
in the 18301s. Generally speLking, all Minangkabau, whether
literate or not, are well ace.uartr,tei with the stories of
Minanglcabau legend and history.
P. EconQny
The abundant rainfall an .-'_canie soil make the area a
rich Wioultural region. Ttf,?A.tcipal food crops are rice
grown in wet and dry fields),' soecaute, maize, caesava and
ground nuts. Commercial cro llelude auger cane, tobacco,
coffee and rubber. The Minar:Lka":eu are also fine craftsmen
who are famous throughout Inecma-la for their intricately
carved houses, silver filasTIJ, su)rlt, fine kris blades, and
the magnificence of their we0,1n;-, ad jewelry. The area is
largely devoid of mineral ree(Air-f7et so that there is little
industry.
Aside from e aging in 1ra1 a1riculture, hunting, fi h ng
and craft work, a conztderabir eilm-er of Minangkabau serve
as coolie labor on coffee plvnta-lens ie South Tapanull. The
Winangkabau also have a wide 'iepeitation for sunning and com-
Wraal sense as merchants anl t7meers, the validity of which
is evidenced by the feet ths:',: they, virtually alone in all
Sovatheast Asia, have suceessre117 resisted the invasion and
menopolistic supremacy of Chl.nes,. traders. As traders, the
Mlnangkabau men travel widel:" anl c.ftet, while their women
run the homes and work in the fiT:Ids and on the coffee and
tobacco plantations.
3
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$oct0 Om p4ation
The Minangkabau have ion; be!
controlled by the traditi)lal M
igious leadere hold an hol3rEi
tch Conquest and occup,1,:iel,
so called from their garb 1ad-rL
Muslim sect, brought all o
of Sumatra under their rule.
ever, while Islam ha
people It has had to comprow_ze wt
social valuta. Women have a poilti
equalled in other Muslim zocti,s.
by infiltration of modern id is, MI
been matrilineal (though not tiatAii
alleged). The balite social uft iE
of at least five generatiotv,3f L1
mon descent from one female ince,Ac-
group is a male. Memberablp ty
during a personis lifetime, vud
or household affiliation. Trz,dilAc
of as many as 70 members livct! tclge
house. Their houses, one of- tha mo
of the Minangkabau landscape, have
like a Chinese temple, and irtrir!at
and doors. Although the modcvn re
large family residences, the Lenne
mains strong.
This expanded matrilinea1 far: I
ate unit, owning houses, lane and
The bead of the group allots fam414
member for use during his Witte,
group at death. Under Minanut-alxu -
may own land.
law, G inhettancc vIffc
aw as etipulated in tLe Thr-
inued integrity of th frail
dies, her property ir
by her dauhter' daughter ? ?11 only
direct tema1e descendant is tte 1.-xo?erty inherited by a
wow's brothers or sisters. In tha caTe of brother's, it
ia for their lifetime only, tft12- w-lich it reverts to the
family group. When a man diet, Ile pronoerty goes back to
his own matrilineal group, alitio,Th he 41an, in ht s lifetime,
dispose of half of it to his vol v..
_on,
devout Muslims and aociety
slim adat law. Muslim
lace In society. Before
the ?Ori8. men in white,
of i strut, ascetic
abau and most of the rest
ad a s rong hold on the
th traditional pre-Islamic
on and independence un-
Although somewhat weakened
nanskabau has traditionally
rehal as is sometimea
an expanded family group
D.d relatives who trace corn-
r, though the head of the
birth alone, is not changed
independent of residencc
aally, such a family group
ther in a single large
Tt distinctive features
roofs ending in horns,
aly carved outside walls
nd ii away from these
3f family solidarity re-
group is a180 a corpo
other communal property.
land to an individual
which reverts to the
mlat law, no individual
orthod
d to ensure
erty. When
aughters or
abaence of any
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appear
me matr
usband
pective
.41th
maY mellj. If
own mat it
isitirl hit
A
posed
the ma
pt
d to
I.
tro
do
ce4
an h
and a at
the 100o.
here and be
rOM he tact that
ntar-
roup are prohibited.
aeh continue to remain
raps. Traditionally,
group; while the
his wife' home, ener
house or lives at a
w-Lfe from time to time,
camiosed of a varying number
crolIed by a council cam .
4-90up1.1. In accordance with
3 llshIP to Inherited by a
. The village is a closed,
lot related by blood or
IL,T groups, would find it
7t-d.
bau, as a
partiali
ve long arra
ations d ftot
d in Indonesia
nt has not been
tr,d auc3 p gressive people,
rd education. The wealthier
o their sone to receive a
i.haps explains the prominent
m Minangkabau. Intellectual
lach of a problem in Minangkabau.
o of eoonoMic develoProW; Sion& Capitalistic lines
portunities for int?11-!ctual workers, so the
ably seek positioni elsewhere and, in facts pre-
since they no 1:e1;tr _:tel they *belong" in the
ity. This migratJon, resulting from lack of
a consequence tri 4 rif;id ad4t family system
Who have slacketel their boThaii with tradition,
ed merchastt. 1,estimated that today more
,000 Mlnangkabau are 111.1.n, in other parts of Indonesia.
J3 well as
is a mo
txadl tonal crafts attract the
Ar, aehool in Xalutaname,
ar, *enter at Padang ra4ang,
boih :*ounded by Mohammed Shatei,
I.n1teT TiNucation. In 1951, a new
e ed in Patt,n,;
Trade well c
re ztow a high level
terest in foreign air
d run special schoc'
e and ae ?nurses, and
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iel in Min kabau, and their
t-Leal understanding aa well
WAuenle organizations are very
for traininggina for domeatie
eo i11iteraey s asses in villager.
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latiopa Area
1956
F-57, 3
South-e_ . netween o World, New
1955.
B., 100 esian /11212mita $tudl,es, Part I,
? 1955
indone at i'mde d
. P., Indpnea 1,4 3oc1nizjfl
rothr, The rt- rThdo
Ion, The
195.
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