Living in the Street: Mother Role dynamics in Matrilineal System in Minangkabau, West Sumatra 1997-2008

Minangkabau lived in self-supporting villages called nagari and large family houses, known as rumah gadang which were collectively owned and occupied by a matrilineal extended family unit called the kaum. The Minangkabau family unit consisted of all the relatives who were members of the matrilineal kaum. For Minangkabau families, matrilineal systems are social, and culture safety nets. This system also assurance and feed all families with tanah ulayat or customary land.

Indonesian crisis called krismon (monetary crisis) in 1997 have changed those situation. Job and income loss and certification of tanah ulayat become individual own are sources family economic stress in years after of crisis. It also impact into marital relationships, and parent-child interaction or relationship. As result, women as mandeh (mother) lost her property right and guaranteed source of protection and support of the kaum. In past time she is queen of rumah gadang, but now street become new home to growth of her children while the kaum more individual.

There aren’t many mothers want to growth her children in the street. But one thing for sure, terms of beggar is become into a new of Minangkabau vocabulary that was nameless. Peoples called them with anak jalanan and amak jalanan (street’s mother) or the street family—include of father, mother, and child. In the last decades, the street families were raising in West Sumatra cities and its road become new vehicle of norms of Minangkabau family. Beside, existences of the street family are part of resistance of the traditional Minangkabau social structure and potential challenger to the royalty as the symbol of the "great tradition”. In the street, mother teaches her children about norms, good-evil, right-wrong, who they are-what they are, and many things on life. But occasionally, mother, by family economy stress, address her children into as beggar and prostitute.