Indonesia - Traditional Settlement at Nagari Sijunjung

Traditional Settlement at Nagari Sijunjung (Perkampungan Adat Nagari Sijunjung) located at two villages, Jorong Koto Padang and Tanah Bato, of Sijunjung regency of West Sumatra. The main setting of settlement is in a linier position lies between two large rivers, namely Batang Sukam and Batang Kulampi. The compound of traditional houses is surrounded by hills, forest, paddy fields, and plantation. There are 76 houses in this area inhabited by nine clans and their subordinate clans. The traditional houses symbolize matrilineal-based clans in nagari, customary village of Minangkabau. It consists of paddy fields and plantation, graveyards, mosques and madrasah-Islamic school, market, and balai adat (customs hall). Traditional Settlement at Nagari Sijunjung represents matrilineal system of the Minangkabau society. Not much settlement in Minangkabau area have a complete components and people living in the houses with its traditional ways. However, the clans of Sijunjung settlement are still lived in their social organization system based on unique of its following traits: system of lineage through female descendants, each clan member is required to espouse other clan members (exogamy), matri-local marriages, and rights and heirlooms are inherited from mamakto kamanakan (a woman’s brother to his nephews).This system represented by stratified family group consists of nuclear family, extended family, family clan. Each stratified family group headed by a male clan member called mamak and amongst mamak, they will elect a clan leader called penghulu. Each traditional house in this region symbolizes proprietorship of inheritance by and through female descendants bound by the mother’s genealogy.