WEST SUMATERA

The land of the Minangkabau, West Sumatera, has a district culture and architecture which distinguishes itself from the rest of the island. A land with scenic beauty of green lakes and blue mountains, West Sumatera’s center of culture and tourism is Bukittinggi in the highlands, north of the provincial capital of Padang. The name of Minangkabau means a triumphant buffalo. Most prominent in the west Sumatera landscape is the horn shaped roofs of the houses in coconut groves. The Minangkabau follow a community and family life based on matrilineal system and the Moslem religion plays an important role in communities, which  cluster round mosque and traditional prominent village houses.