Married men, not women, have to go to father-in-law, and bear the responsibility of raising children


Jakarta, 29 September 2023, Friday

Although the world is talking about women's empowerment, the human community of Minangkabau in West Sumatra, Indonesia, has been ruled by women for centuries. Since the people of this lineage are not patriarchal but matriarchal for centuries, the position of men in this community is dire.

Women take all the big and small social decisions of the house. Women do not need to take the consent of men to solve any problem, property and inheritance received by fathers are given only to women. Children are not known by their father's name but by their mother's name. Marriage is the biggest event of the people of this community. According to the tradition of the people of this lineage, men have to go to their in-laws after marriage. The husband is kept as if he is a house guest.


Apart from earning for the family members, the husband also has to shoulder the responsibility of raising the children. Hence many men leave the community and go to urban areas for livelihood. Even if men living in the city go to their homes after a long time to avoid responsibility, they cannot interfere in domestic affairs. The people of this community believe that this tradition started in the 12th century. A king of his dynasty founded a kingdom called Kotubatu.

After the death of this king, although there were three princes and princesses, the first wife of the king, Indo Jalito, took charge of the kingdom. After that, the matrilineage started in her. The ancestors of this Minangkabau community were nature lovers who believed in survival. They have been living here even before Hinduism and Buddhism spread from India. Even today their community has a strong faith in ancient beliefs and laws. Some of their traditions resemble Hinduism, some also follow Islam.

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