Sunday, September 23, 2007 by g3 blog
OUR GROUP PICTURE.
~ Taken at Malaysia, railway station ~
Our trip to Negeri Sembilan
- Enjoy...
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Outline
1.0. Introduction: Our initial questions
1.1. Kampung Pelegong
1.2. Collecting Data: Our approaches to doing research and their limitations
1.0. Introduction: Our initial questions
1.1. Kampung Pelegong
1.2. Collecting Data: Our approaches to doing research and their limitations
2.0. Roles of Woman in the Past
2.1. Inheritance of Customary Land
2.2. Rule of Residence
2.2.1. Roles of Man and Woman in a Marriage
2.3. Descent System
2.4. Political Office
3.0. Roles of Woman in the Present
3.1. Similarities with the Past
3.2. Differences with the Past
3.2.1. Impact of Economic Change on Woman’s Roles
3.2.2. Impact of Social Changes on Woman’s Role
3.2.3. Impact of Ideological Influences on Woman’s Role
4.0. Values of Adat Perpatih
4.1. Changing roles: Do they remain compatible?
5.0. Overseas Minangkabau Woman
5.1. Woman in Power
5.2. Inheritance
5.3. Wedding
5.4. Personality
6.0. Is the Woman in Power?
7.0. Conclusion: Our stand
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1.0. Introduction: Our initial questions
What exactly is matrilineal? In a matrilineal society do woman hold the upper hand? What are the roles of minangkabau women in their society and family? These were some of the questions that flooded our minds when we got a hold of our task. The task requires us to focus our research on the power of women, their roles in the society and family and compatibility of their roles with values of Adat Perpatih. We define power as having control and influence over most matters. Role is “the way in which someone...in involved in an activity or situation, and how much influence they have on it” (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, 1995, p. 1233). We are focusing our attention to villagers in Kampung Pelegong and Kampung Kering (society). Also, we are restricting the definition of family to people living under the same roof. With our prior readings, we have formed a hypothesis:
“The role of woman in the Negeri Sembilan is not compatible with values of Adat Perpatih as it has changed over time.”
Will our hypothesis stand? Or be knocked down? There was only one way to know - total immersion into the minangkabau culture. Armed with some knowledge and tons of curiosity, we travelled across the border to Kampung Pelegong to find out!
1.2. Collecting Data: Our approaches to doing research and their limitations
We undertook three main approaches to doing our research: naturalistic, archival and survey (interviews) approach.
What exactly is matrilineal? In a matrilineal society do woman hold the upper hand? What are the roles of minangkabau women in their society and family? These were some of the questions that flooded our minds when we got a hold of our task. The task requires us to focus our research on the power of women, their roles in the society and family and compatibility of their roles with values of Adat Perpatih. We define power as having control and influence over most matters. Role is “the way in which someone...in involved in an activity or situation, and how much influence they have on it” (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, 1995, p. 1233). We are focusing our attention to villagers in Kampung Pelegong and Kampung Kering (society). Also, we are restricting the definition of family to people living under the same roof. With our prior readings, we have formed a hypothesis:
“The role of woman in the Negeri Sembilan is not compatible with values of Adat Perpatih as it has changed over time.”
Will our hypothesis stand? Or be knocked down? There was only one way to know - total immersion into the minangkabau culture. Armed with some knowledge and tons of curiosity, we travelled across the border to Kampung Pelegong to find out!
1.1. Kampung Pelegong
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Figure 1: Our base for research – Kampung Pelegong.
Kampung Pelegong is a beautiful village located approximately fifteen kilometres from the heart of Negeri Sembilan, Seremban. A unique aspect of Negeri Sembilan is its practice of Adat Perpatih, which originated from West Sumatra. This is a “unique custom that emphasizes on the matrilineal system where the woman is regarded as the head of the home” (Orient Travel & Tours Sdn. Bhd, 2004, para. 5). These characteristics make Kampung Pelegong a suitable location for data collection.
1.2. Collecting Data: Our approaches to doing research and their limitations
We undertook three main approaches to doing our research: naturalistic, archival and survey (interviews) approach.
Figure 2: Our group's three different approaches to research.
During our 7 days and 6 nights stay (3rd September 2007 to 9th September 2007) at Kampung Pelegong, we took the naturalistic approach. We observe the naturally occurring behaviour of the minangkabau women without any intervention. An advantage to this approach is we get a sample of their behaviour in their natural habitat. While the information gained is highly accurate, the lack of control over the factors in the environment, sometimes results in observations that are not relevant to our research. Furthermore, people may alter their reactions if they realise they are being observed. This will result in a behaviour that is not truly representative (Feldman, 2008, p. 38). Thus we also used the archival approach, which is the use of existing data to test our hypothesis. We made use of online databases (journals and articles), websites and notes (given to us on our first lesson). Archival research was done in the pre-trip session to equip us with substantial knowledge on Minangkabau culture. It was also done after the trip for us to cross-refer our findings (during the trip) with others sources. One main drawback to this approach is there are simply limited amount of existing data on minangkabau women. To make up for the limitations of the abovementioned approaches, we also conducted interviews. Participants were asked questions relevant to our research. Those chosen fulfilled one or both of our criteria: a person with minangkabau origin and/or with knowledge on Adat Perpatih. We experienced many obstacles during the process of interviews. Firstly, participants like to go out of point. At times, they got too engrossed in talking that they forgot the question asked. In addition, our weak command of the Malay language made communicating effectively with the people in Negeri Sembilan difficult. The biggest hurdle we had was to get a hold of people to interview, especially in Singapore. We interviewed, Mdm. Aliyana, Mdm. Mardiana, Mdm. Maryam from Singapore, Haji Datuk Kahar Bin Sikin, CIk Razimah, Encik Rashid and Mdm. Rosini Ariffin in Negeri Sembilan. Even with all these impediments, the entire process of collecting data was fun and enriching.
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Saturday, September 22, 2007 by g3 blog
2.0. Roles of Woman in the Past
Like mentioned in Section 1.1, Adat Perpatih kinship system is matrilineal. Thus, women are given several privileges that men do not receive. Minangkabau women in the past held supremacy in economic activities which centred around their household (Kassim, n.d., p. 29). There are four areas where women had more influence compared to men: inheritance of customary land, rule of residence, descent system and traditional political system. The subsequent paragraphs will show the relationship between these areas and the roles of Minangkabau women in their society and family.
2.1. Inheritance of Customary Land
Figure 3: Rumah Gadang is one of the ancestral properties inherited by woman Customary land is also known as ancestral land, Tanah Adat and Pusaka. In the past, ancestral lands were used mainly for subsistence farming. Each plot of land is rather small, stretching about 34, 565 acres only (Kassim, n.d., p. 29). Women play the role of custodians in the society. Customary lands are passed down the female line. For example, mothers pass on the land to their daughters, with each receiving an equal share. The pattern of inheritance can be seen clearly in Diagram 1. Like seen in the diagram, in an event where “a family has no female heir, the land goes to the wife’s nearest female kin” (Kassim, n.d., p. 29). Despite bearing responsibility of the land, one does not have full ownership of land. A woman can only sell her land when she is in dire need of money. However, only sales within her clan are allowed. On the contrary, men do not inherit any land. Other than land, women also inherit other harta pusaka such as family heirlooms (e.g. keris), family houses, household goods and other valuables. Therefore, women play the role of caretakers in the society as harta pusaka are entrusted in their care.
Diagram 1: Patterns of inheritance
2.2. Rule of Residence
Other than inheritance of Tanah Adat, woman dominates man in the rule of residence. Adat Perpatih practices matrilocal rule of residence. After marriage, the man moves from his natal place to his mother-in-law’s place. As they are removed from their natal place, they are unable to work in their own family’s land. Therefore they are compelled to work on their wife’s land. Having the customary lands under the woman’s care means woman have control over means of production (Kassim, n.d., p. 32). Especially since the society was very dependent on the agricultural sectors in the past. Hence, women also play the role of an ‘employer’ in her family and society.
2.2.1. Roles of Man and Woman in a Marriage
Although the woman ‘employs’ the man to work on her land, both parties still contribute equally to the financial situation at home. The woman is responsible for providing food while the man is responsible for giving nafkah. Nafkah is money acquired by the man for his wife and children to use. Giving nafkah is compulsory. However, the cash given just need to substantial for basic family necessities. Besides providing food, woman is also in-charge of household chores and fulfilling the needs of her family. According to Mdm. Maryam Andy, whom we interviewed in Singapore, men do not need to lift a finger while at his mother-in-law’s home. While couples share responsibilities in family finances, it is not the same when it comes to the kitchen. Men were treated as kings.
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Figure 4: Woman fulfilling their role as the caretaker of their family.
The woman’s role in the family is to care for her family’s well-being while that of a man is to be the breadwinner. He goes out in search of wealth and name. Hence, it is a misconception that a woman dominates the man in a marriage.
2.3. Descent System
While woman may not have a ‘special’ position in her marriage, she has a vital role in her clan – to carry on her clan’s name. Without any female children, the clan will become extinct. Families without female children are considered unlucky. Dr. Azizah Kassim (n.d.) mentioned that the problem was solved by adopting a female child. The child could be from the same clan or a Chinese family. Adoptions were finalised through a ceremony called berkadim. After joining the clan, the adopted child will receive rights similar to her counterparts (p. 29). However from the interviews we had, we have learnt that this may not be true. All of them have not heard of berkadim before. To them, if you do not have a female child it is just your luck. Furthermore, an adopted child could not receive any rights. Thus, adopting a female child would not stop the clan from perishing. Why do they have conflicting views? We believe it is because the practice of adopting children is no longer in use. Thus, the newer generation of minangkabau people are not aware of such a thing. Even so, females were still preferred in the past as they are able to keep the clan’s name alive.
2.4. Traditional Political System
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Figure 5: Datuk Haji Kahar Bin Sikin, the Datuk
Perdana Menteri of Adat in Negeri Sembilan
Women had indirect control over the traditional political system as titles and statuses are passed through the female line (Kassim, n.d., p. 31). Some examples of posts in the office are Undang, Buapak, Besar and Lembaga. With each post came a significant amount of power and respect. Thus the posts were very important in the past. As illustrated in Diagram 2, positions are held in rotation. The posts were not passed down to one’s son but to “a son of a classificatory sister from anyone of the select group of “ruling families”” (Kassim, n.d., p. 31). Also, according to Datuk Kahar, who is the Datuk Perdana Menteri of Adat, initially the four Undangs in Negeri Sembilan were all women. The position was later passed to men to show the respect women have for men. This shows that women held the role of leaders in their society.
Diagram 2: Transmission of Traditional Political Office
From the earlier paragraphs, it can be seen that women occupy the central role in her society and family. She plays the roles of a custodian, leader, ‘employer’, caretaker of her family and ensuring the survival of her clan. Hence, women held an important position in both her family and society.
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3.0. Roles of Woman in the Present
In the previous sections, we have discussed about the roles of minangkabau woman held in the past. We have made a prediction, prior to the trip, based on our initial research (hypothesis) that the roles of minangkabau woman have changed over time. After analyzing our findings during the trip, we found our prediction true to a large extent. However, there are some roles that still persist despite all the massive economic, social and ideological influences.
3.1. Similarities with the Past
There are roles that woman hold that will never change. These roles are as a custodian, caretaker of her family and ensuring the survival of her clan. According to the three women we interviewed in Singapore, these roles “sampai kiamat pun tak akan berubah.” It means that even till the end of the world, these roles will not change. The customary land will forever belong to woman. Even in the new age whereby woman also serve breadwinners in the family, their most important role in the family is still as a caretaker. Also, female children are still needed to carry on the clan’s name as it cannot be done by males.
While the abovementioned roles still remain, others perished along the economic, social and ideological changes.
3.2.1. Impact of Economic Change on Woman’s Roles
As mentioned beforehand, society was very dependent on the agricultural sector in the past. However, the industrial shift from primary industries to secondary industries reduced the society’s dependency. The custom inheritance of Adat allows women to control the means of production and their living conditions. Then, women are able to decide how to use the land for agriculture, farmhouse and house. As a result, men are working on lands which belong to their wife or wife’s kin and they do not own them. If men divorce with his wife, he will lose all the investments he made on the land of his wife/wife’s kin (Kassim, n.d., p. 32). After Malaysia shift her industry from primary industry to secondary and tertiary industry, many men choose to work in the city. Some of them even migrated to the urban areas to work in these new industries. “If matrilineal rights over rice plots no longer constitutes socio-economic power in the rapidly industrializing Malaysian context and are even left fallow,” (Sloane, 1998, p. 1) the woman no longer play the role of an ‘employer’ in the family and society. Industrial shift also allowed woman to become more enterprising. They are no longer limited to doing household chores. Some set up home businesses such as selling kuih. They are no longer limited to taking care of her family. They can also earn money for their own or family use. Hence their roles have changed due to economic changes.
Secondly, many people in the village no longer worship Adat Perpatih and this leads to the degrading of women’s status. This is mainly because they were not thought about Adat Perpatih. Villagers who understand about Adat Perpatih feel that it is very troublesome to practice the Adat Perpatih. Consequently, the Adat Perpatih is gone from their lives. With the pressure of capitalization, many villagers regard individualism as more significant than communalism. This sense of individualism and the lack of understanding of Adat Perpatih have caused a number of misunderstandings among lineage members (Kassim, n.d., p. 35). Thus roles of woman are being discarded due to the social changes.
3.2.3. Impact of Ideological Influences on Roles of Woman
Finally under the influence of globalization, the village’s religion and cultures face treats from other cultures. When the villagers travel aboard or go to the city to work, they bring back different customs. Most importantly, the development of tourism industry in the village also encourage varies form of culture exchange. Different ideologies have different perception on what roles woman should play. For example, for the more urban areas, they believe man and woman should be treated as equal. The newer generation of minangkabau people may get influenced by this ideology and choose to follow it. As the result, woman may no longer occupy her central position in the society and family.
In the previous sections, we have discussed about the roles of minangkabau woman held in the past. We have made a prediction, prior to the trip, based on our initial research (hypothesis) that the roles of minangkabau woman have changed over time. After analyzing our findings during the trip, we found our prediction true to a large extent. However, there are some roles that still persist despite all the massive economic, social and ideological influences.
3.1. Similarities with the Past
There are roles that woman hold that will never change. These roles are as a custodian, caretaker of her family and ensuring the survival of her clan. According to the three women we interviewed in Singapore, these roles “sampai kiamat pun tak akan berubah.” It means that even till the end of the world, these roles will not change. The customary land will forever belong to woman. Even in the new age whereby woman also serve breadwinners in the family, their most important role in the family is still as a caretaker. Also, female children are still needed to carry on the clan’s name as it cannot be done by males.
Figure 6: In the new age the role woman is still a caretaker.
3.2. Differences with the Past
While the abovementioned roles still remain, others perished along the economic, social and ideological changes.
3.2.1. Impact of Economic Change on Woman’s Roles
As mentioned beforehand, society was very dependent on the agricultural sector in the past. However, the industrial shift from primary industries to secondary industries reduced the society’s dependency. The custom inheritance of Adat allows women to control the means of production and their living conditions. Then, women are able to decide how to use the land for agriculture, farmhouse and house. As a result, men are working on lands which belong to their wife or wife’s kin and they do not own them. If men divorce with his wife, he will lose all the investments he made on the land of his wife/wife’s kin (Kassim, n.d., p. 32). After Malaysia shift her industry from primary industry to secondary and tertiary industry, many men choose to work in the city. Some of them even migrated to the urban areas to work in these new industries. “If matrilineal rights over rice plots no longer constitutes socio-economic power in the rapidly industrializing Malaysian context and are even left fallow,” (Sloane, 1998, p. 1) the woman no longer play the role of an ‘employer’ in the family and society. Industrial shift also allowed woman to become more enterprising. They are no longer limited to doing household chores. Some set up home businesses such as selling kuih. They are no longer limited to taking care of her family. They can also earn money for their own or family use. Hence their roles have changed due to economic changes.
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Figure 7: Kuih Bahulu baked by woman to earn extra income
Secondly, many people in the village no longer worship Adat Perpatih and this leads to the degrading of women’s status. This is mainly because they were not thought about Adat Perpatih. Villagers who understand about Adat Perpatih feel that it is very troublesome to practice the Adat Perpatih. Consequently, the Adat Perpatih is gone from their lives. With the pressure of capitalization, many villagers regard individualism as more significant than communalism. This sense of individualism and the lack of understanding of Adat Perpatih have caused a number of misunderstandings among lineage members (Kassim, n.d., p. 35). Thus roles of woman are being discarded due to the social changes.
3.2.3. Impact of Ideological Influences on Roles of Woman
Finally under the influence of globalization, the village’s religion and cultures face treats from other cultures. When the villagers travel aboard or go to the city to work, they bring back different customs. Most importantly, the development of tourism industry in the village also encourage varies form of culture exchange. Different ideologies have different perception on what roles woman should play. For example, for the more urban areas, they believe man and woman should be treated as equal. The newer generation of minangkabau people may get influenced by this ideology and choose to follow it. As the result, woman may no longer occupy her central position in the society and family.
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4.0. Values of Adat Perpatih
From the briefing session with Adat specialist and Director of National Heritage Board, Encik Siri Neng Buah, we have discovered many values of Adat Perpatih. However, we shall touch on only four values as they are crucial in our research. Firstly, ‘give opportunities to everybody so as to bring progress in life and economy’. This value is illustrated through this idiom ‘kalau nak hidup, hendaklah macam rumpun serai.’ If translated directly it will be; ‘if you want to live, live like a clump of lemon grass.’ They grow till they are of the same height and width. If you pushed them apart to look in, you will that they give each other space to rise. A clump of lemon grass do not hider another’s growth by growing on top of it. Thus this depicts the value of equal opportunities for all. In addition, they are ‘global in their mindset’. Another value is ‘putting a high emphasis on maintaining well-being and good name of the family’. The last value is ‘protect your friends, family, village, chief of village and country’.
4.1. Changing Roles: Do they remain compatible?
With many changes, it is important to examine the compatibility of modernity and matriliny. From our observations, we find that the new roles are still compatible to values of Adat Perpatih. For example, the woman’s new role as a financial contributor to her own and family expenses still remains in line with values mentioned above. Firstly, it shows that they are given equal opportunities (First value - ‘give opportunities to everybody so as to bring progress in life and economy’). Woman’s contributions bring in more funds for her clan which in turn will help increase the quality of life. Even while they are busy seeking wealth and adventure, they still care for the well being of their families and it remains as their highest priority. They do not abandon their families and put career over family. Thus, their role is still in line with the value of ‘protect your friends, family, village, chief of village and country’. Also, in the process of achieving success in their pursuit, they ensure that their actions do not put shame on themselves or others (Second value - ‘putting a high emphasis on maintaining well-being and good name of the family’). Instead they strive to achieve success so that they can make a name for themselves and their clan. The woman does not restrict herself to business ventures at her homeland. The world is the playground for them. Like man, they also venture out of the country to seek success and adventure (Third value – ‘global in their mindset’). Albeit the change in some roles, they remain compatible as while they take on new responsibilities, they still keep the old ones. Therefore the values and roles do not result in any conflicts.
From the briefing session with Adat specialist and Director of National Heritage Board, Encik Siri Neng Buah, we have discovered many values of Adat Perpatih. However, we shall touch on only four values as they are crucial in our research. Firstly, ‘give opportunities to everybody so as to bring progress in life and economy’. This value is illustrated through this idiom ‘kalau nak hidup, hendaklah macam rumpun serai.’ If translated directly it will be; ‘if you want to live, live like a clump of lemon grass.’ They grow till they are of the same height and width. If you pushed them apart to look in, you will that they give each other space to rise. A clump of lemon grass do not hider another’s growth by growing on top of it. Thus this depicts the value of equal opportunities for all. In addition, they are ‘global in their mindset’. Another value is ‘putting a high emphasis on maintaining well-being and good name of the family’. The last value is ‘protect your friends, family, village, chief of village and country’.
4.1. Changing Roles: Do they remain compatible?
With many changes, it is important to examine the compatibility of modernity and matriliny. From our observations, we find that the new roles are still compatible to values of Adat Perpatih. For example, the woman’s new role as a financial contributor to her own and family expenses still remains in line with values mentioned above. Firstly, it shows that they are given equal opportunities (First value - ‘give opportunities to everybody so as to bring progress in life and economy’). Woman’s contributions bring in more funds for her clan which in turn will help increase the quality of life. Even while they are busy seeking wealth and adventure, they still care for the well being of their families and it remains as their highest priority. They do not abandon their families and put career over family. Thus, their role is still in line with the value of ‘protect your friends, family, village, chief of village and country’. Also, in the process of achieving success in their pursuit, they ensure that their actions do not put shame on themselves or others (Second value - ‘putting a high emphasis on maintaining well-being and good name of the family’). Instead they strive to achieve success so that they can make a name for themselves and their clan. The woman does not restrict herself to business ventures at her homeland. The world is the playground for them. Like man, they also venture out of the country to seek success and adventure (Third value – ‘global in their mindset’). Albeit the change in some roles, they remain compatible as while they take on new responsibilities, they still keep the old ones. Therefore the values and roles do not result in any conflicts.
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5.0. Overseas Minangkabau Woman
We have discussed the roles of minangkabau woman in Negeri Sembilan. Now we shall explore the roles of minangkabau woman who are overseas. Also, we shall touch on the reasons for the changes in their roles.
5.1. Women in Power
In the past, women were considered the weaker and more vulnerable gender and therefore were given the privilege and authority in some ways. The Minangkabau practices a matrilineal kinship system whereby children follow the mother’s clan as it is important for them to pass down the clan’s name. The women possess power only when it only comes to having the final say or the final decision. Though decision making is made largely by the females there, they must still consult the men. Men from the mother’s side also bear more responsibility.
On the other hand, men, referring to those who are born into the family, have no say in the family. They cannot live inside the house nor monopolize the house. Men can stay for a while in the rumah gadang (family house) but are not allowed to do anything to the property such as sell, rent or demolish for any other purposes. Doing so would only cause one to be cursed.
5.2. Inheritance
As mentioned earlier, females possess more power than men and therefore only females in the family will get the inheritance (harta pusaka) which consists of wealth and customary land. In an event whereby there are no daughters in the family, which means inheritance line ends there and is cut off, inheritance will be passed to the nearest matrilineal kin (sister’s daughter). This is similar to Mdm. Maryam case. She has two sons and no daughters. She attributed the cause of not trying any to bear any more children to the government’s ‘Stop at two’ child policy. The policy was introduced in the 1960s to curb birth rate. The government encouraged couples to have only two children. This shows that woman’s role of transmitting clan’s name is gradually fading away due to Singapore’s policies.
Another way in which woman’s central position has changed overseas is due to the different in the method of dividing property. For minangkabau people living in West Sumatra, they still practice Adat Perpatih’s way dividing property. On the contrary, those whom have migrated overseas in search of wealth follow the Muslim Faraid law. According to Faraid law, men get twice as much as women; in the ratio of 2:1. They say that it is impossible to divide property according to Adat Perpatih method. Mdm. Mardiana said that, “Our ceiling is someone’s floor, our floor is someone’s ceiling and our walls are someone’s walls. So what is ours? The door? ” The situation in Singapore’s makes it impossible to do so. While they are unable to practice their own law of inheritance in Singapore, women still have a piece of land back home. Compared to Singaporeans, whose wealth will eventually dry out, minangkabau property will not. It will be passed down from one generation to another. That is what makes Minangkabau culture very special.
5.3. Wedding
Normally, brides initiate to look for their husband and they will bring lots of things to the guy’s family and attract him over to hers. When the man initiates the relationship, the mother has to ask the woman’s uncle for permission instead of her parents to allow the son to marry in to their family. This shows that the uncle holds an important role in deciding whether or not to bring the man into the family. The woman will approach her uncle called the “ninik mamak” to have a discussion with the son’s mother so that decision can be made by them.
Figure 8: Various types of food on dulangs
If an overseas minangkabau woman gets married, their type of marriage is determined by the man they marry. If they marry a minangkabau man, marriage procedures will be like back home. However, if they marry a non-minang man they will have to follow the man’s procedures. In Singapore, people just register their names at the Registry of Marriages (ROM). Minangs, on the hand, have to undergo meetings which may stretch to days or even months. In each meet, different people will bring different foods there and will be served in a special tray called the “dulang”. And by mentioning all this, you could see there is a lot of interaction between the two families.
5.4. Personality
Overseas minang woman are said to be enterprising, loves to venture, seek business for money and were global in their mindset. Not forgetting their roots and to prove to be successful, they will return to their homeland when they are much older in age.
Overseas minang woman are forced to adapt to the environment they are in. As Mdm. Mardiana said, “Masuk ke kandang kerbau, jadi kerbau.” You have to adapt to the society if you want to thrive well in it. Although they do not practice Adat Perpatih in Singapore, they do not forget it values and principles. When they are back in their homeland, they continue the practice of Adat Perpatih.
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6.0. Is the Woman in Power?
Do woman have the upper hand in all matters? No. People often have such a misconception. The problem is they believe that matrilineal and matriarchal are the same term; women have all the power, but that is a myth. Minangkabau is a matrilineal society not matriarchal society. Matriarchal society is gynocentric form of society whereby the woman especially the mother often acts as the leading role in the society. Ultimately, they have the power over all matters. Minangkabau is matrilineal system which passes clan name from mother ancestor to a female descendant (Wikipedia, n.d., para. 1). A matriarchal society is always matrilineal but a matrilineal society is never matriarchal.
Like mentioned beforehand, woman have more control over man in only four areas: inheritance of customary land, rule of residence, descent system and traditional political system. Even in these matters, powers are not absolute. Although minangkabau women do not hold much power, they are land empowered as shown in section 2.1 and 2.2. With land empowerment, also comes control over labour matters. Furthermore, there is a possibility that “Negeri Sembilan men and women alike believe women are better caretakers of valuable land” (Sloane, 1998, p. 1). Hence, it is of everyone best interest if women are given the control over customary land.
People also over-generalized these areas. One of our group members asked her cousin who just returned from a homestay in Seremban if he found any pretty girls he would like to marry. He said no because doing so will make him lose all his assets. This is a common misconception: “Bilo eden nikah samo orang orang negeri, harto eden dan gaji eden solosai” (Kassim, n.d., p.28). This means when “I marry a Negeri Woman all my property and pay will be gone” (Kassim, n.d., p.28). Women do not get everything. In an event where the marriage has to end either due to cerai mati (divorce when spouse is dead) or cerai hidup (divorce while the couple is alive), the property is divided according to its type. There are three types of property: harta carian, harta dapatan and harta bawaan. Harta carian is the couple’s joint earnings. If they cerai mati, the property will be given to the living spouse. When the couple passed away, then their joint earnings will be divided according to faraid law. However, in a case of cerai hidup, they would have to sell the property and divide the earnings equally. Harta dapatan is harta pusaka which belongs to the clan and the woman’s acquisition before marriage. These properties will be given to the wife’s family in an event of divorce. The last type of property is harta bawaan which is personal property of the husband before marriage. On divorce, these properties will be returned to the man. However, the properties are subjected to profit. If the property costs more at the time of divorce then and time of marriage, the difference in value will be considered as harta carian. Thus, the profit must be divided equally between the husband and wife. If the husband dies, his harta bawaan will be given to his next of kin and distributed accordingly (Ibrahim, n.d., p. 51 – 52). Hence, the man does not leave with nothing in an event of divorce unless they did not seek wealth before marriage. Many people exaggerate the amount of power woman have, causing in misconceptions. Woman hold autonomy in most matters not full authority.
Do woman have the upper hand in all matters? No. People often have such a misconception. The problem is they believe that matrilineal and matriarchal are the same term; women have all the power, but that is a myth. Minangkabau is a matrilineal society not matriarchal society. Matriarchal society is gynocentric form of society whereby the woman especially the mother often acts as the leading role in the society. Ultimately, they have the power over all matters. Minangkabau is matrilineal system which passes clan name from mother ancestor to a female descendant (Wikipedia, n.d., para. 1). A matriarchal society is always matrilineal but a matrilineal society is never matriarchal.
Like mentioned beforehand, woman have more control over man in only four areas: inheritance of customary land, rule of residence, descent system and traditional political system. Even in these matters, powers are not absolute. Although minangkabau women do not hold much power, they are land empowered as shown in section 2.1 and 2.2. With land empowerment, also comes control over labour matters. Furthermore, there is a possibility that “Negeri Sembilan men and women alike believe women are better caretakers of valuable land” (Sloane, 1998, p. 1). Hence, it is of everyone best interest if women are given the control over customary land.
People also over-generalized these areas. One of our group members asked her cousin who just returned from a homestay in Seremban if he found any pretty girls he would like to marry. He said no because doing so will make him lose all his assets. This is a common misconception: “Bilo eden nikah samo orang orang negeri, harto eden dan gaji eden solosai” (Kassim, n.d., p.28). This means when “I marry a Negeri Woman all my property and pay will be gone” (Kassim, n.d., p.28). Women do not get everything. In an event where the marriage has to end either due to cerai mati (divorce when spouse is dead) or cerai hidup (divorce while the couple is alive), the property is divided according to its type. There are three types of property: harta carian, harta dapatan and harta bawaan. Harta carian is the couple’s joint earnings. If they cerai mati, the property will be given to the living spouse. When the couple passed away, then their joint earnings will be divided according to faraid law. However, in a case of cerai hidup, they would have to sell the property and divide the earnings equally. Harta dapatan is harta pusaka which belongs to the clan and the woman’s acquisition before marriage. These properties will be given to the wife’s family in an event of divorce. The last type of property is harta bawaan which is personal property of the husband before marriage. On divorce, these properties will be returned to the man. However, the properties are subjected to profit. If the property costs more at the time of divorce then and time of marriage, the difference in value will be considered as harta carian. Thus, the profit must be divided equally between the husband and wife. If the husband dies, his harta bawaan will be given to his next of kin and distributed accordingly (Ibrahim, n.d., p. 51 – 52). Hence, the man does not leave with nothing in an event of divorce unless they did not seek wealth before marriage. Many people exaggerate the amount of power woman have, causing in misconceptions. Woman hold autonomy in most matters not full authority.
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7.0. Conclusion: Our stand
One cannot deny that the force and power of a woman in Negeri Sembilan has decreased due to massive economic, social and ideological change. The status and role of woman in her family and society have also been degraded due to this. However, we must argue that the central position of woman in her society and family still exists – although in a much diluted form than in the past. Woman does remain in control of land, transmission of clan’s name and care of her family’s well-being. As stated earlier, changes in their roles are still compatible with values of Adat Perpatih. Furthermore, adat itself allows change –as long as it beneficial. Like the saying goes:
“Ibu adat muafakat,
Adat menimbulkan yang baik,
Menghilang yang buruk;
Bulat air kerana pembetung,
Bulat manusia kerana muafakat
Hilang adat kerana muafakat” (Ibrahim, n.d., p.45).
Adat only keeps the best and throws away what is bad (bold portion). Adat does not restrict the people. Instead, it acts as a filter. As it is not a static system, it will undergo changes in order to adapt to the changes around the world. Therefore, our hypothesis prior to the trip cannot stand. Instead, from our research, we have come to a conclusion that,
“Although the roles of woman in her family and society have changed overtime, they still remain compatible as even adat itself allows change.”
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References
Longman dictionary of contemporary English (Low price ed.). (1995). England: Longman.
Orient Travel & Tours Sdn. Bhd. (2004). Negeri Sembilan. In Popular places. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from http://www.marimari.com/cONteNt/malaysia/popular_places/states/negeri_sembilan/negsembilan.html
Feldman, R. (2008). Understanding psychology. (8th ed). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Kassim, A. (n.d.). Woman in adat perpatih society. p. 28 – 36.
Ibrahim, N. (n.d.). Social structure and organisation of negeri sembilan malays. p. 44 – 55
Sloane, P. (1998). Matriliny and modernity. Sexual politics and social change in rural Malaysia. Oceania. Retrieved September 19, 2007 from FindArticles.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Matrilineality. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrilineal
Longman dictionary of contemporary English (Low price ed.). (1995). England: Longman.
Orient Travel & Tours Sdn. Bhd. (2004). Negeri Sembilan. In Popular places. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from http://www.marimari.com/cONteNt/malaysia/popular_places/states/negeri_sembilan/negsembilan.html
Feldman, R. (2008). Understanding psychology. (8th ed). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Kassim, A. (n.d.). Woman in adat perpatih society. p. 28 – 36.
Ibrahim, N. (n.d.). Social structure and organisation of negeri sembilan malays. p. 44 – 55
Sloane, P. (1998). Matriliny and modernity. Sexual politics and social change in rural Malaysia. Oceania. Retrieved September 19, 2007 from FindArticles.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Matrilineality. Retrieved September 18, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrilineal
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