Minangkabau's Animism

The name of Minangkabau comes from when Majapahit wanted to conquer the kingdom which was previously called Pariangan. To prevent fighting, local people proposed fighting buffalo (kabau). In battle, buffalo calves are fitted with pointed iron horns called minang.

Several of these darek areas then formed a kind of confederation known as luhak, which was later also called Luhak Nan 3, which consisted of Luhak 50, Luhak Agam & Luhak Tanah Data. But what exists is a small nagari that is similar to the polis government in ancient Greece. Tribes in the Minangkabau society are a genealogical kinship group, where the members are bound by the same lineage from one ancestor.

The difference is that each tribe in the Minang tradition is ordered from the same lineage from the mother's side & is believed to originate from one descendant of the same ancestor. This culture is one of the two major cultures in the archipelago which is very prominent & influential. For Minang men, going abroad is closely related to the message of the ancestors of Karatau Madang in the upper reaches of Babuah Babungo Balun.

In 1390, King Bagindo founded the Sulu Sultanate in the southern Philippines. He also spread the Perpatih & Tumenggung Customs, which are still valid on the Malay Peninsula. Another intellectual, Tan Malaka, lived in 8 European & Asian countries, building a network of Asian independence movements.

Then in 1971, that number increased to 44%. High inheritance is a hereditary inheritance from ancestors owned by a family/group, while low inheritance is the result of a person's livelihood which is inherited according to Islamic law. In essence, high inheritance is a trust from ancestors whose original owner is unknown & is willed based on the mother's lineage.

Before Islam and Western science penetrated into this country, the Minangkabau people believed in animism. They believe in the existence of palasik creatures, fake people, ghosts, etc. The origin of the disease is often attributed to evil spirits which are exorcised by reciting mantras & materials that are chewed and sprayed through the mouth into certain places.

Previously they believed in animism which stated that the spirits & souls in objects had the power to move to other places/wander everywhere. Sometimes it is returned to the roof of the old house for 100 days & then taken to the village of the afterlife/eternal land where it rests temporarily on a stone table. Another belief says that within 100 days the spirit enters under the sky & then resides on mountain peaks, big trees, forests, large rocks & springs.

With such habits the spirit. Lukah Gilo & the magical nuanced activities of the Minangkabau people are a legacy of their ancestors whose existence cannot be denied. The art of saluang sirompak has existed since our ancestors and has been passed down to the current generation, namely the third generation.

The function of the art of saluang sirompak is to use the person to be addressed with spirit intermediaries named Simambang Hitam, Simambang Putiah, Simambang Sirah, Simambang Tungga, Simambang Barantai who are believed to inhabit the 5 holes of the saluang sirompak. The saluang sirompak ritual procession is almost all related to spirits such as mantras, gasiang tangkurak, bulu perindu, incense, picono threads, turmeric rice, banana leaves & duck eggs, all of these offerings are intended as conditions for the spirit. Saluang sirompak art is one of the animist arts in Minangkabau, even though Islam is dominant in Minangkabau, traditional arts that adhere to animism still survive & develop in Minangkabau, one of which is saluang sirompak art.

The book entitled Animism in Minangkabau discusses the beliefs of the Minangkabau people before Islam & Western knowledge entered this country. This book discusses Tuanku Nan Kiramik, palasik stories, catching tigers, Bunian people, fake people, Dewi Sri the Protector, Si Katik Muno & Batu Pandapekan. Kaba Anggun Nan Tongga tells the story of Nan Tongga who received a trust from his fiancee, Puti Nan Gondoriah.

Kaba Malin Deman tells the story of Malin Deman who hid Puti Bungsu's sunsang baraik cloth & succeeded in achieving his goals and desires. The presence of Malin Duano, their child, aroused Puti Bungsu's longing to take her child to her relatives in the sky. Kaba Siti Risani tells the story of a young romance tragedy that occurred in the Lubuk Basung realm, namely the story of Siti Risani and her lover Sutan Nasarudin.

Kaba Kambang Luari tells the story of 3 children, namely Kambang Luari, Puti Bungsu & Puti Cindai Taberai. Nangkodo Baha from another kingdom wants to marry Puti Bungsu. Puti Bungsu was rescued by Sutan Rajo Ali who was hunting in the forest with Sutan Rajo Bujang.

They married & had a child named Bujang Duano. Puti Bungsu's sister married Sutan Rajo Bujang. Kaba Cinduo Mato said that Rajo Tiang Bungkuak wanted revenge for the death of his son Rajo Imbang Jayo, who was about to be married to Puti Bungsu.

Cinduo Mato was also taken to the Ngiang River to become a slave to Tiang Bungkuak. Dang Tuanku was married to Puti Bungsu. Cindua Mato was married to Puti Lenggogeni and he was appointed King of Pagaruyuang to replace Dang Tuanku.

Kaba Sabai Nan Alui tells the story of Rajo Nan Panjang who wants to propose to Sabai Nan Alui to be his young wife. Kaba Si Gadih Ranti tells how Si Gadih Ranti was already betrothed to Bujang Saman. However, during her engagement, she was also proposed to by the most powerful person in the nagari, namely Angku Kapalo.

Kaba Si Umbuik Mudo tells the story of a young man named Si Umbuik Mudo from a lower class proposing to a beautiful & rich girl in his area named Puti Galang Banyak. Kaba Siti Kalasun said that she had been facing 4 months without news when her husband returned in quite a very worrying condition with a willing heart. Kaba Sutan Lembak Tuah tells the story of Sutan Lembak Tuah's engagement to Siti Rabiatun being disturbed by the behavior of Angku Lareh who also wanted Siti Rabiatun as his wife.

Kaba Tuanku Lareh Simawang said that even though Lareh Simawang had a wife, namely Siti Jamilah & 2 children. He married another woman, namely Siti Rawani. Tuanku Lareh Simawang, who has a wife named Siti Jamilah & 2 children, fell in love and wanted to marry Siti Rawani.

Kaba Bujang Piaman & Puti Payuang Lauik said that Puti Payuang Lauik's sister had strategies & tactics for Bujang Piaman's relationship with her sister. Kaba Silungkang in Sketches is a depiction of the Silungkang village expressed in sketches. In Kaba Inyo Ajo Awak Juo the author tells the dynamics of the 2005 Padang Pariaman Regent Election.

Kaba Raja Minangkabau tells a historical track discussing the Minangkabau King in a historical track regarding the nation's cultural heritage, the historical track of the King who ruled in Minangkabau in the past, his descendants, the period of his reign, how the ancestors of the Minangkabau people developed & the relationship between luhak and rantau. Under the protection of the Kaaba tells the story of Hamid who met Zainab's father & made him his adopted son. Hamid & Zainab fall in love with each other.

Hamid goes to Mecca & meets his old friend Saleh. Kaba The Sinking of the Van Der Wijck Ship said that Hayati died because the Van Der Wijck Ship she was on board sank. Kaba Siti Nurbaya tells the story of teenage love between Samsul Bahri & Siti Nurbaya, who wanted to fall in love but were separated when Samsul was forced to go to Batavia.

Kukuak Kekek's story tells that even though he was betrothed from childhood to his uncle's oldest daughter, he was more interested in his uncle's youngest daughter, Pati Bungsu. Kaba Ngalau Kamang said that he had been betrothed since childhood to his mother's daughter, Puti Jamilan. After having 2 children he remarried Rajimah.

Kaba Dendang Pauh suggests that this tradition has a historical connection with the Pauah area. The Head of the History of the People's Struggle in Solok Regency 1945 - 1949 tells of the Solok area as a refugee shelter & PDRI Headquarters for quite a long time. Kaba Veranda of Minangkabau Natural Culture tells the story of what the city of Bukittinggi was like in the past.

How did the Islamic religion develop in Minangkabau, his ancestors, his experiences, the struggles he had undertaken, his personality, his ideals, the people around him, the ulama who opposed him, and his students. For 300 years, they rejected the Islamic religion which was peacefully brought by traders in Singkil, Barus, Sorkam, around Sibolga Bay, Sikuang Natal, Labuhan Bilik, and Tanjung Balai. This book is a collection of papers & discussion results from NGOs that previously conducted research in areas including the Mentawai Islands with a focus on women.

Before Islam was widely accepted, by this community, from several archaeological evidences, shows that they had embraced Buddhism, especially during the Dharmasraya Kingdom, up to the reign of Adityawarman & his son Ananggawarman. Minangkabau culture was originally characterized by animist & Hindu-Buddhist culture. The ulama, spearheaded by Haji Piobang, Haji Miskin & Haji Sumanik, urged the Indigenous People to change the view of Minang culture, which was previously largely oriented towards animism & Hindu-Buddhist culture, to be oriented towards Islamic law.

This was marked by an agreement on Marapalam Hill between religious scholars, traditional leaders & clever cadiak. Their religion provides rules & regulations regarding Islam such as Friday prayers in the mosque, praying 5 times every day, fasting, circumcision, and stopping everything that is prohibited by the Koran. Still, within certain limits, you must adhere to Eastern customs & the Islamic religion.