TheMinangkabau Highlands (Indonesian:Dataran Tinggi Minangkabau,Minang:Minang Darek) is a mountainous area in the province ofWest Sumatra, located around three mountains—Mount Marapi,Mount Singgalang, andMount Sago—in west-centralSumatra, Indonesia. The highlands are part of theBarisan Mountains, the largest mountain range in Sumatra. They are home to theMinangkabau people who refer to the area asAlam Minangkabau, or "the world of Minangkabau".[1] This area formed a kingdom known from at least the 7th century asMalayu.[2]
Wet rice cultivation probably evolved in the highlands long before it appeared in other parts ofSumatra, and predates significant foreign contact.[3]Inscriptions in the area have been found from the rule ofAdityavarman (1347–1375).[4] The Dutch began exploiting the gold reserves in the highlands in the 1680s.[5] They dominated the trade in the area, severely restricting the trade outlets between the highlands and the ports on the coast between 1820 and 1899, bringing about a marked decrease in rice production.[6] The highlands consist of three major valleys:Tanah Datar Valley,Agam Valley, andLimapuluh Valley.[7]
The village ofBelimbing in the highlands is well known for its examples of surviving Minangkabu architecture.[8]
See also
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References
edit- ^Ooi, Keat Gin (2004).Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor. ABC-CLIO. p. 887.ISBN 978-1-57607-770-2. RetrievedAugust 7, 2012.
- ^Wink, André (January 1, 2004).Indo-Islamic Society, 14th- 15th Centuries. BRILL. p. 47.ISBN 978-90-04-13561-1. RetrievedAugust 7, 2012.
- ^Miksic, John (2004). "From megaliths to tombstones: the transition from pre-history to early Islamic period in highland West Sumatra".Indonesia and the Malay World.32 (93):191–210.doi:10.1080/1363981042000320134.S2CID 214651183.
- ^Barnard, Timothy P. (2004).Contesting Malayness: Malay Identity Across Boundaries. NUS Press. p. 66.ISBN 978-9971-69-279-7. RetrievedAugust 7, 2012.
- ^Borschberg, Peter (2004).Iberians in the Singapore-Melaka Area and Adjacent Regions (16th to 18th Century). Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 156.ISBN 978-3-447-05107-1. RetrievedAugust 7, 2012.
- ^Schneider, David Murray; Gough, Kathleen (1961).Matrilineal Kinship. University of California Press. p. 476.ISBN 978-0-520-02529-5. RetrievedAugust 7, 2012.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ^Backshall, Stephen (June 1, 2003).Rough Guide to Indonesia. Rough Guides. pp. 404–.ISBN 978-1-85828-991-5. RetrievedAugust 8, 2012.
- ^Waterson, Roxanna (1990).The Living House: An Anthropology of South-East Asian Architecture. Oxford University Press.
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