The Minangkabau : the world’s largest matrilineal society

In most Islamic societies, the situation of women is not very favourable, when compared to the men, especially in conservative societies like Saudi Arabia. However, in the world’s largest Islamic nation, Indonesia, there is a place where women rule over men. Welcome to West Sumatra in Indonesia, meet with the atypical Minangkabau people.
Though prevalent in some Asian societies, including in Kerala and north-eastern India, Minangkabau is one of the few Islamic communities that follows matrilineal culture and it is also the largest matrilineal society in the world. Women own the family house and it is passed from mother to daughter.
The Minangkabau represent about 3% of the Indonesian population of about 245 million, or about 7.5 million people. Contrary to the gender-selection in India, where the sex ratio has fallen to around 800 women per 1000 males in some parts of the country, here, in Western Sumatra, the inhabitants pray to the God to be blessed with a girl child as their first baby.
A video by : Christine Nayagam

[@TentangIndonesiaKita]

This video’s description is so wrong. In Minang, women do not rule over men. In Minangkabau nobody rules. Everything is decided together.

[@lbrowning2543]

Matrilineal societies like Minangkabau are not matriarchal where women rule. The makers of this video don’t know the difference. People living in patriarchy think since men rule it must be the opposite if they don’t but it’s not. That is a trick that is used to discredit matriliny. This is the best system for everyone, especially children.

[@aarongeorge2702]

Men rule over women since they are the head of houses

[@ama6416]

women rule over men? please make more research. In minangkabau even tough the daughter inherit the family land and property, or clan name passes from mother to her child, women never rule over men. Men still have their political power, both men and women is equal in minang culture, men and women sat and decide together.

[@lilacghoste8366]

Isnt giving a land to daughter is kinda ruling over man? Having a land means alot and of course males and female are together it's not like we or they are going to be separated...

[@ama6416]

@@lilacghoste8366 its kind of different with patriarchal society in the past, where women didn't have much say in decision making, aren't allowed to become leader, aren't allowed to come out without spouse/father/brother permission, etc. in Minang, men still hold their political power alongside with the women.

[@islandsoft]

@@ama6416 but, women owns family properties

[@yoohyeontzuyustaycpixy6202]

😯 WTF...im from Meghalaya a small state in northeast India, and we follow the same thing just like you guys When it comes to family matters, the father never made the decisions it's always the head Uncle of the clan....eg hand in marriage, etc etc

[@anomalianomali5080]

@@yoohyeontzuyustaycpixy6202 I've read that in the past, almost all ethnic group in Southeast Asia and South China were matrilineal

[@homestayjakarta9595]

Women do not rule in Minang. They are the center of society but do not rule. No body does. Everything is decided together.

[@iaraplangpompyrthat2371]

Yes I agree with you.. I'm from a matrilineal society of India.. Foreign people have wrong views about our society as well..

[@iaraplangpompyrthat2371]

@Omar Khan I''m a Khasi from Meghalaya

[@hardianzen1605]

Minangkabau people are not from India

[@_nichi_kun_6817]

@@hardianzen1605 they're Indonesian but India also have a matrilineal society

[@marvin2678]

Being the center of society pretty much means you have more power and rule

[@2alfarisi]

This is the society where I was grown up. :-)

[@Matngoc1984]

Hello cousin. From Vietnam :)

[@OswaldOstfalen]

I've been to Indonesia and Vietnam. Both beautiful landscapes and very friendly residents. Many greetings from Germany 👋

[@raflykato1789]

Unique fact: women in Minangkabau get full inheritance than men from their parents

[@ML_06]

My Khasi society also was a matrilineal society from Meghalaya, India

[@trihermawan9553]

This video only just for propoganda for the west, it's not for spreading information, how rude of you twisting my ancestors tradition just to feed feminist ego Matrilineal in Minang tradition means inheritance and the suku lineage goes to the woman, not where woman rule over man, there is no man nor woman rule over each other

[@okbrostartcoping5835]

then why do they get the inheritance>? seems like women rule

[@trihermawan9553]

@@okbrostartcoping5835 no, they do not. To answer your question because in the past, oftentimes Minang male adult gets to go to the ocean for trade or for fishes they don't always comeback, and the wife and kids gets left behind without the backbone of the family, that's how the tradition starts.

[@okbrostartcoping5835]

@@trihermawan9553 bs

[@okbrostartcoping5835]

@@trihermawan9553 lol ur women literally marry and divorce men multiple times, part time husbands. u kick husbands out whenever u want

[@okbrostartcoping5835]

@@trihermawan9553 m3n r basikally sl@ves in ur culture

[@ibapynhunnongkhlaw2729]

Just like us khasi tribe in India

[@iaraplangpompyrthat2371]

Katei ka video rh ka ai ki views ba bakla kum ba iohi bakla kiwei ki jaitbynriew ia ka jaitbynriew hynñiewtrep jong ngi..

[@serahsangma1145]

Hi, nice to see you here.... similar our state right.....I came to this video because I'm searching for my lineages it is said that our great great grandfather migranted from Xinjiang to west Tibet and from Tibet to koch bihar , Northeast and Bangladesh...... According to khasi tribe you guys are migrated from Africa to Australia and from there to china to northeast and south india but I'm not talking about Tamils nor keralian.... You traditional dress and the language is the symbol...... I learn from journal books

[@zelina364]

@@serahsangma1145 no one can proof it... that's just an assumptions by some research, but we khasi we believe our oral-culture or oral stories from generations to genration told us meghalaya is our roots.

[@_nichi_kun_6817]

@@serahsangma1145 🗿 tbh all race came from Africa 🗿

[@indravrtrahaana763]

@@serahsangma1145 My God you are reading some heavy pseudoscience lol!

[@hoppinggnomethe4154]

Descendants of ancient Vietnamese

[@ceewood3358]

SO COOL!! Often in Black American society/families, it seems to be more important who your MOTHER is than who the father is. When you meet a new cousin, your first question is who is your Mother?

[@chongtrongnuoc9392]

vietnames

[@mangkualamsyah1546]

😅

[@bintangdaudturunanyakubaja2267]

We are the descendants of Keturah, the wife of Abraham. We are NOT Vietnamese because most of us aren't even physically similar to Vietnamese people!

[@bintangdaudturunanyakubaja2267]

@@__Man__ Some people associate Dhu al-Qarnayn with Cyrus the Great. I think Minangnese people have been descended from him.

[@bintangdaudturunanyakubaja2267]

@@__Man__ How about Sundanese people? Where are they originally from?

[@bintangdaudturunanyakubaja2267]

@@__Man__ Ok. But do you agree that Minangkabauans are descended from the ancient Israelities?

[@muhammadaarijameedakbar6933]

Matrilineality and matriarchy is the worst sin and curse. It totally against the spirit of Islam. May this Najasat [pollutant/dirt/impurity] vanish away from the world and all the matrilineal tribes reside in hell fire forever after the life hereafter.

[@jadeemp]

Lol . Just because it doesn't fit in your ideology, it doesn't mean that it's a sin. 😂😂😂😂😂

[@muhammadaarijameedakbar6933]

@@jadeemp it is against the law of nature too.

[@bashanlanglating6873]

@@muhammadaarijameedakbar6933 yeah thats correct ....against the law of nature

[@fithri99]

Nope. Minangkabau's matrilineality does not against Islam. There are 14 muftis in Malaysia representing each state and one of them from the state of Negeri Sembilan where Minangkabau form the largest group of people there. Odd is tons of Ulamas in Southeast Asia are Minangkabau blooded. This culture does nor against Islam. Atleast, Islam that i can agree upon.

[@fithri99]

@@muhammadaarijameedakbar6933 nope. You nature is not other people's nature.