The Minangkabau Law Area

Abstract

[247] The Minangkabau law area comprises the Padang highlands and the coastal area of the Padang lowlands (Sumatra’s west coast), the densely forested riparian region (rantau) between the mountainous area and the eastern lowlands, the navigable part of the Siak, Kampar and Kwantan rivers (east coast of Sumatra and Riau) and also the lower Kampar region (excepting the coastal state of Pulau Lawan), and part of the lower Kwantan region (Indragiri). The rantau of the Batang Hari or Jambi river already falls within the Padang highlands. Kerinci and the remainder of Upper Jambi, on the other hand, belong to the law area of South Sumatra. Minangkabau colonies are found in Aceh, in Batang-Natal and Barus, in Muko-Muko (i.e. Moko-Moko, Bengkulen), in Kerinci and along the Upper Tembesi (Jambi), in Malacca [248] (Negri Sembilan as well as Kedah have been settled by Minangkabau from the L Koto * area), and even in Madagascar; though not in the Bataklands. The population of this law area is estimated at about 1,300,000. Areas which could probably be distinguished as law districts (p. 34) are, on the one hand, the tribal heartland, i.e. the three luhak (regions, lit. ‘river basins’) of Agam, L Koto and Tanah Datar, and on the other the ‘border regions’ (Willinck), i.e. the lowlands (pasisir) and the rantau [which actually extend to regions well outside the tribal heartland].