The Minang Kabau history

An afternoon in a region in Ranah Minang. Dozens of residents filled up the match arena. In the middle of the field, two solid water buffaloes faced each other. They will be pitted to be appointed as the champion. So appear at first glance pitted the water buffalo that became the culture for generations the Minangkabau community, West Sumatra. The culture of the ancestors's inheritance that took place hundreds of years until currently still was guarded well by the Minang community.

Minangkabau. The big ethnic group in this West Sumatra territory was rich in the history inheritance and the Culture. Minangkabau was taken from words minang that meant the victory and kabau that meant the buffalo. In other words Minangkabau was significant “ The Buffalo that Won ”. This naming had tight relationship to the history of the Minangkabau formation that was preceeded by the victory in a match pitted the buffalo to end warfare against the big kingdom from the Javanese Island.

The Minangkabau ethnic group indeed had the connection that really was close to the four-footed livestock animal that was acknowledged as the buffalo. That was in part seen in various identities of the Minang culture, like their traditional house roof (The Bogonjong House). The traditional house that often was acknowledged also as the Gadang House have the shape of like buffalo horns. So also to his female clothes (Tanduak Kabau clothes).

Already hundreds of length years of the water buffalo became one of the favorite animals in the West Sumatra Province. The big and solid buffalo body could it was considered help various work sorts of humankind. One of the old works that was done with help of the water buffalo power was to roll sugar cane. With the simple implement, the water buffalo was tied in a pieces bamboo that was connected to the traditional implement of the sugar cane blackmailer. While eight hours worked, the proceeding continually buffalo surrounded the blackmailer's implement. The uniqueness, so that the buffalo does not have a headache the head, the animal eyes were closed with two coconut shells that were covered cloth.

Sugar cane water produced by distillation the buffalo so that afterwards became the young coconut the future production of traditional palm sugar. The Minang community believed palm sugar produced by the hard work the water buffalo was more deliciously piquant compared with from the modern implement.

From the side of the history, the water buffalo animal for the big ethnic group in West Sumatra this delivered their glory in the past. It seems, a long time ago because of help of the water buffalo the community in West Sumatra won the war opposed the Javanese ethnic group. Finally now they named himself as the Minangkabau ethnic group. “ The war did not end also, so was proposed by us to compete the water buffalo. By the aggressor's side was looked for the water buffalo that was biggest was in his area placed in the middle of the field. The person here only buffalo children. Because of the buffalo that already two days did not drink milk, The buffalo ran pursued his mother's milk. So the big water buffalo stomach was torn and ran, ” narrated Datuk Bandaro Panjang, the leader of the tradition.

Source : Minangkita.com