Minangkabaunese’s Merantau: Imagined Identity through Conflict Between Darek and Rantau at West Sumatra Indonesia 1999-2009

Padang’s restaurant is one of the important pointer of the Minangkabaunese’s merantau to another area and abroad. The merantau itself can not be divided from their adat—is usually defined as that local custom which regulates the interaction of the members of a society—for many long times ago. Merantau is interdependent relationship or conflict of darek and rantau. The conflict itself is seen dialectically, as essential to achieving the integration of the society. The darek benefited from wealth and innovation brought in from rantau. The darek furnished the rantau with an identity as part of Minangkabau world’s ideology. At 1999 after fallen of Suharto, the ideology was constricted to construct identity called adat basandi syarak, syarak basandi kitabullah (ABSSBK) [custom based on canon, canon based on the Book of Allah] within West Sumatra society. Merantau on this position is seen not merely area migration, but is the journey of response of social change at the time. Foundings of the research point out that interconnection of traditional leader, religious leader, and government official have boosted collective contestation on that identity. The contestation takes place due to several causes. First, divergent and increasing awareness of traditional leaders towards authority and elegance of Minangkabau tradition in response to the government’s political interest. Second, mainstreaming Islamic values in the space of ABSSBK. Third, wild state intervention in spheres of socio-cultural and religious Minangkabaunese. As a consequence, people regarded as modern Minangkabaunese for ulama (Muslim scholar) and local government officials are those who are Muslims, highly swayed by Minangkabau culture and stay in West Sumatra. In truth, state and Islam do not take whether people adopt matrilinealism or not into account. Different from the previous two parties, traditional leaders actively explore every avenue to preserve noble tradition and integrate it into local-based curriculum, like Minangkabau, Nature and Culture (BAM).