CRITIQUE 02: Problem Identification & Depth Research

"Research in Negeri Sembilan Minangkabau Culture Heritage"

After my second topic approve, i go on a search a information about negeri sembilan minangkabau interm of history of minangkabau, house minangkabau sturcture, dress of minangkabau, music, dialect and food. I want to do this project because for me, this is a unique culture and interesting in malaysia. So i want to highlight the minangkabau culture in negeri sembilan for young generation to know what is a unique about minangkabau in negeri sembilan.

Negeri Sembilan location: southwestern West Malaysia (Malaya):

History: Negeri Sembilan was settled between the 15th and 16th century by the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra who migrated to the region during the Malay Sultanate in Malacca. In its early history, it was a loose confederation of nine fiefdoms, hence the name "Negeri Sembilan" or "Nine States". Negeri Sembilan emerges as a politcal unit in 1773 when Raja Melewar, a prince of the Minangkabau ruling house at Pagar Ruyong, was invited to become ruler, the Yam Tuan, and founded the dynasty which still occupies the throne. The history of modern Negeri Sembilan began with the discovery of tin in the state. This led to minor wars in Sungai Ujong, Rembau, and Jelebu, which led to British intervention and British power in the state. Martin Lister was appointed the first British Resident. In 1889, the Yam Tuan Seri Menanti was installed as the ruler of all Negeri Sembilan. Today however, there are only seven districts. Language: Malay and ChineseDaily Life: Negeri Sembilan is a matrilineal society. Adat Perpatih is the practice of this matrilineal way of life. The domestic unit was traditionally the community house, in which a head woman, her sisters, their daughters, and their children lived. In early history several of these houses made up the clan, within which no marriage was allowed. Several clans made up a government consisting of a male representive from each house. Rice is the main form of subsistence in Negeri Sembilan. Not only is rice the basic source of food, but the cultivation affects the matrilineal society as well. Land is owned by the wife and passed on to her daughters. The man's role in the buying and selling of land is restricted by his duty to his wife and her kin. If a man buys land he cannot register it in his own name without seeming to be planning to divorce his wife. He is also obliged to provide a portion of the land for his daughter on marriage. This system of matrilocality causes very little tension because rice growing is considered a woman's task. There is no desire to grow more rice than needed for food. For most families rice is not something planned for and relied on because of its unpredictability. The cash crops in Negeri Sembilan are fruit and rubber. Both products are sold to the Chinese to make an income. In the late 1800's, tin was a major production and lured many immigrants and the British. Today, only a few declining tin mines can be found throughout the western valleys and along the coast.Best Known Feature: The Negeri Sembilan are best known for their unique and strongly formed matrilineal society.

Resources: Swift, M.G. Malay Peasant Society in Jelebu. New York: Humanities Press Inc., 1965“Negeri Sembilan.” Encyclopedia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/ 13.December, 1999“Negeri Sembilan.” http://nsembilan.gov.my/aglance.htm 13. December, 1999


Negeri Sembilan - Magnificient Minangkabau Architecture:

Negeri Sembilan, meaning "nine states" in Malay. The name is believed to derive from the nine districts or nagari (now known as luak) settled by the Minangkabau, a people originally from West Sumatra (present-day Indonesia). Minangkabau features are still visible today in traditional architecture and the dialect of Malay spoken. The state of Negeri Sembilan is well known for its rich “Adat Perpatih” culture, a matrilineal system from Indonesia’s Minangkabau people. Since the Minangkabau established themselves in this state, about six centuries ago, their rich tradition has spilled over into every facet of life, from social interaction to architectural design, traditional wear and more.

The heart of Minangkabau culture in Negeri Sembilan is Seri Menanti, the royal capital (as distinguished from Seremban, the state capital). As the royal capital, this is where the head of state, the Yang Di Pertuan Besar, still resides today.Glorious HistoryLocated about 40 km from Seremban and 14 km from Kuala Pilah town, Seri Menanti is at the heart of a lush valley, protected by a tall mountain range. Tradition has it that the Minangkabau conquerors were so awed by the sight of ripe paddy stalks waving their heads across the fertile paddy fields awaiting their harvest, that they named the spot Padi Menanti (Awaiting Paddy). In time, the name evolved into the more regal Seri Menanti (Glorious Awaiting).Steeped in history, Seri Menanti offers many delights and rewards to visitors who come to pay homage to it. Old Palace Full of HeritageOne of Negeri Sembilan’s historical sites is the Seri Menanti palace, otherwise known as the Istana Lama (Old Palace). Built at the turn of the last century by two local craftsmen, Tukang Kahar and Tukang Taib, this architectural marvel was built without the use of a single nail. The palace incorporates 99 pillars, each a staggering 65 feet tall, representing the 99 warriors who guarded the Istana Lama in its heyday.

In 1992, this exquisitely designed palace was converted into a museum, showcasing royal paraphernalia such as clothing, equipment, craftwork, beds, royal chairs and more, bedecked in gold and fine soft furnishings. In February 2009, the Istana Lama was declared one of Malaysia’s 10 national heritage items, a nod to its rich contribution to Malaysia’s heritage.Aside from the Istana Lama, Seri Menanti is also the site of the Istana Besar (the grander, newer Seri Menanti palace wherein reside the head of state and his family today), the Royal Mausoleum and the Royal Mosque (Masjid Diraja Tuanku Munawir). Hospitality at its HighestAside from its royal heritage, the town of Seri Menanti also offers a more down-to-earth welcome for visitors. The picturesque village setting is a beautiful backdrop for a quiet stroll, with the craftsmanship of every house - each with the sloping skylines that peak at both ends into distinctive horn-shaped roofs - providing you with beautiful sights to enjoy along the way.


Ceremonies and festivals Women carrying platters of food to a ceremony Minangkabau ceremonies and festivals include:

Turun mandi - baby blessing ceremony

Sunat rasul - circumcision ceremony

Baralek - wedding ceremony

Batagak pangulu - clan leader inauguration ceremony.


Other clan leaders, all relatives in the same clan and all villagers in the region are invited. The ceremony will last for 7 days or more:

Turun ka sawah - community work ceremony

Manyabik - harvesting ceremony

Hari Rayo - Islamic festivals Adoption ceremony


Adat ceremony Funeral ceremony & Wild boar hunt ceremony:

Maanta pabukoan - sending food to mother-in-law for Ramadhan

Tabuik - Muslim celebration in the coastal village of Pariaman Tanah Ta Sirah, inaugurate a new clan leader (Datuk) when the old one died in the few hours (no need to proceed batagak pangulu, but the clan must invite all clan leader in the region). Mambangkik Batang Tarandam, inaugurate a new leader (Datuk) when the old one died in the pass 10 or 50 years and even more, must do the Batagak Pangulu.


Sturucture of house malay in village:

Most the Malay Traditional Houses can be found in rural area (kampung - village). It is built with Malay creativity and their affective bond with their nature and environment. The climate made a Malay Traditional House raised on timber stilts or piles to elevate the building above the ground level. It is due to heavy rainfall that sometimes brings flood. Although it use timber as main structure, amazingly it is build without a single nail, instead the Malays used pre-cut holes and grooves to fit the timber building elements into one another, effectively making it a ‘pre-fabricated house’. There are handcrafted panels, holed carvings and slatted panels around the walls.

Using renewable natural materials such as various kinds of timber and bamboo, they often constructed their dwellings without any use of metal including nails. Instead the Malays used pre-cut holes and grooves to fit the timber building elements into one another, effectively making it a ‘prefabricated house’. In Sarawak and Sabah rattan ropes were used to fasten bamboo pieces together. Although nails had been invented and in later houses used minimally for non-structural elements (for example, windows or panels), there were benefits of structural flexibility which the rigidity of nailing inhibited. Also, without nails, a timber house could be dismantled and reconstructed in a new location. This was done for the beautifully restored Rumah Penghulu Abu Seman, which was transported from Kedah to Kuala Lumpur by Badan Warisan Malaysia, the Malaysian Heritage Foundation. In fact for short distances, the nail-free flexibility and relatively lightweight timber even allowed a house to be lifted on many shoulders through gotong-royong (neighbourhood helping or mutual aid) and carried to another spot.
Traditional timber houses also incorporated design principals relevant in contemporary architecture such as shading and ventilation, qualities present in the basic house features. A main characteristic of a typical kampung house includes the obvious fact that it is raised on stilts or piles. This was to avoid wild animals, to be above floods, to deter thieves and for added ventilation. In parts of Sabah, the number of dowry buffaloes could even depend on the number of stilts there are in the bridal family’s home. A traditional Malay timber house is almost always in at least two parts: the Main House called Rumah Ibu in honour of the mother (ibu) and the simpler Rumah Dapur or kitchen annex - this way if the kitchen catches fire only that part would be damaged, saving the main house. Proportion was also very important to give the house a human scale. Indeed, the Rumah Ibu was also named such because the spacings between stilts are said to typically follow the arms-spread width of the wife and mother in the family of the house when being built. There is also at least one raised veranda (Serambi) attached to the house for seated working or relaxation or where non-intimate visitors would be entertained, thus preserving the privacy of the interior.

For ventilation, the elevation of the house and also its many windows, holed carvings and slatted panels around the walls plus the high thatch or clay tile roofs all contribute to the cooling ambience. However the presently popular use of exposed zinc sheets, because of its ease of installation and cheap supply, unfortunately increases heat and is noisy during rain. All traditional roofs are always pitched to quickly drain off rainwater. Roofs come in two broad categories: ‘bumbung panjang’ long roof type with open gable ends or the ‘bumbung lima’/‘limas’ pyramidal variations.

Both types cover almost every conceivable roof design, with some forms peculiar to certain areas or community groups, such as the elegant and distinctive upward curves of the Negeri Sembilan-style Minangkabau house. Traditional house roofs also always have wide overhangs for shading and protection from heavy tropical downpours. In many cases they have beautifully carved timber eaves to decorate the ‘visual connection’ between roof and sky. Some roofs hold attic bedrooms, effectively making the already raised structure a 3-storey edifice. In fact, there have been olden Malay palaces up to five or six storeys high built entirely in nail-free timber, as in Negeri Sembilan’s Seri Menanti palace.

Resources: Ariffin, A. Najib; "A Disappearing Heritage: The Malaysian Kampung House", in Heritage Asia (Kuala Lumpur: Mediahub), September 2005, 6-8 -Passages in the above entry appear with permission of the Author/Publisher Lee Ho Yin, "The Kampong House: An Evolutionary History of Peninsular Malaysia's Vernacular Houseform," in Asia's Old Dwellings: Tradition, Resilience, and Change, ed. Ronald G. Knapp (New York: Oxford University Press), 2003, 235-258.