KUALA LUMPUR: For the world’s largest matrilineal society – the Minangkabau – cultural preservation is the most precious gift that can be passed from one generation to the next. Numbering an estimated six million in Indonesia and scattered elsewhere in countries such as Malaysia and the Netherlands, the Minang have proudly held on to their traditions and roots. For that reason, trader Ridwan Munir, 69, has made sure that each of his five children, aged between 19 and 37, mastered the Minang language while they were growing up.“Both my wife and I are of the Minang ethnic group. The festival was a microcosm of the Minang culture, with food stalls offering various types of Minang food such as dendeng batokok, bubur kampiun and soto padang, stage performers presenting traditional dances and vendors selling cultural items. One of Malaysia’s most famous Minang, Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim, who is a patron of the Malaysia Minang­kabau Society Network (JM3), said that languages must be protected.

Source: The Star April 28, 2019 23:03 UTC