Minangkabau are perhaps best known within Indonesia for their exceptional mobility and entrepreneurial spirit. Due to the matrilineal society, the men had fewer familial obligations, which freed them to travel & trade. This led to the rise of merantau, meaning "to go abroad." Some Minang express the belief that to become a man you must merantau and prove yourself. Minang men are visible throughout Indonesia in business, academic and government positions.
Economic factors played a role in this widespread dispersion. There is some debate over whether the mobility caused the matrilineal system or the matrilineal system caused the mobility. Some experts believe that because of the matrilineal inheritance system, men were quick to travel because they had few material interests in the village, as land and inherited wealth were in the hands of women. Other scholars believe that the matrilineal system of inheriting wealth was devised to overcome the social problems caused by the highly mobile men.
The Minang are -- Successful | Matrilineal | Proud | Muslim|Mobile
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