Know the Tribe Minang Kabau

The name of the Minangkabau tribe comes from two words or sentences ie minang which means win and kabau which means buffalo. The origin of the name comes from one of the legends and it is said that in the 13th century, a kingdom called Singasari made an expedition to the Minangkabau area. Therefore to break the war, local Minangkabau community proposes to hold a battle buffalo Minang with Javanese buffalo.

The Majapahit Kingdom strongly agrees with the proposed offer and prepares a large and aggressive buffalo and the Minang community provides one hungry buffalo with a knife ready on both its large horns and in this fight, the buffalo seeks buffalo from Java and immediately tore his stomach and membantainya, therefore buffalo from minangkabau think the buffalo is the mother who is again breastfeeding.

The intelligence that Cervenak on Minang society at that time or create an idea that makes the inspiration that gave rise to the name Minangkabau. But from some sources, it can be said that the name Minangkabau has been created before the battle of buffalo happened, where the more precise term is "Minangkabwa" or "Minangakamwa" then become "Minangatamwan" and "Phinangkabhu". Minangakamwa or Minangkamba term that means Minang or can be called the Twin river that leads to two rivers called Kampar Kampar Kiri and Sungai Kampar Kanan.

While the term on Minangatamwan which means to the River named Kampar is suadah mentioned in a Kedukan inscription on the Hill where it is mentioned that there is someone Founder of the Kingdom of Sriwijaya named Dapunta Hyang who do the action that is mass migration from upstream Kampar or Minangatamwan River that has been lies in the vicinity of Lima Puluh Kota, West Sumatera.

Minang Tribe name is one part of the community named Deutro Melayu or Melayu Muda who then migrate from a place in the mainland of South China in the direction is to the island of Sumatra around 2,500 to 2,000 years ago and can predict these community groups in from the east of the island of Sumatra along the Kampar river or Minangkamwa or Minangatamwan until it arrives on the plateau of Luhak nan Tigo or darek.

Furthermore, from Luhak nan Tigo the Minang tribe began to spread munuju coastal areas or in pasisie minang language located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra, which extends from Barus area in the north hinggake Kerinci area in the south. In addition came also from the Luhak nan Tigo region and coastal communities are also many who come from the South India region and also the Persian region. Where one of the migrations of society is what will happen when on the west coast of Sumatra which has become an alternative port that is used for trade other than Malacca, but when it finally fell to the Portuguese kingdom.

The social character of the Minangkabau region itself is made up of many nagari. The Nagari is a large, autonomous region with the highest power system in Minangkabau. There has never been any power other than social power and other political power that can not interfere in a nagari. These different Nagari may occasionally have very different customary properties with the others.

Each Nagari must be led by a council of tribal leaders from all the tribes in the Nagari. This Council is what is called the Density of Adat Nagari or can be briefly KAN then From the results of the deliberations and consensus and in this council created a good decision and binding regulations for the Nagari was produced.