Adat Perpatih Continues...

                                The Malay model house in Seremban

The origin of the Adat Perpatih was from West Sumatera, and the story goes that there were two brothers named Datuk Perpateh nan Sebatang and Datuk Temenggong who started the two customs which differ in system, one matrilineal and the other patrilineal. Between the two brothers, Datuk Perpatih was the cleverer one, and the democratic election of leaders was attributed to him. The popular notion is that migrants from Minangkabau brought the custom to Malaya sometime in the 15th Century,when they came from Siak across the Straits of Malacca and entered upstream the Linggi river  in Negeri Sembilan. They were welcomed by the local chiefs and  settled inland because they were mainly farmers from agrarian societies in their Minagkabau homeland.
                Many seemed to be perplexed how the term Negeri Sembilan came about. It came from the original districts or small jurisdictions of the chiefs as below:-
1. Sungai Ujong
2. Jelebu
3.Rembau
4. Gunong Pasir
5. Terachi
6. Inas
7. Ulu Muar
8. Jempol
9.Johol

    The social structure consists of 12 clans or 'suku' as explained in the saying below:-

Raja beralam
Penghulu berluak
Lembaga berlingkungan
Buapak beranak buah
Anak buah duduk bersuku suku
Berapa sukunya?
Dua belas

The 12 suku consist of the following;

1. Biduanda
2.Batu Hampar
3.Paya kumbuh
4. Mungkal
5. Tiga nenek
6. Seri melenggang
7. Seri Lemak
8. Batu belang
9.Tanah datar
10. Anak acheh
11. Anak melaka
12.Tiga batu

Each suku is divided into 'perut','ruang' and 'rumpun'. Each perut is headed by a 'Buapak' elected by members of the perut and the suku is headed by the ' Lembaga ' who is responsible for everything that happens in the perut that form the suku.
             Adat Perpatih encompasses wholly the political and economic life of its members form the cradle to the grave in the past. Each 'luak' or district is headed by a Penghulu or Undang. Currently there are four Undangs, namely for Jelebu, Johol, Rembau and Sungei Ujung. Sungei Ujung is now the district of Seremban. The position of the Undangs are rotated amongst the members of the Biduanda or waris suku, the most potent power of the Undangs is the election of the Ruler, known as the Yam-Tuan.
             The appointment of the lembaga is for life and the selection is done by the buapak on a rotational basis according to the perut in the particular suku. The appointment of the buapak is with the approval of the Lembaga and he deals with matters pertaining to family laws of the adat such as marriages,division of property and small conflicts within the perut. Appeals on his decision is forwarded to the lembaga. The hierarchy of positions in the system is bottom-up,where elected leaders are subject to dismissals from the members below. This is depicted in the saying below;

Anak buah yang mengangkat buapak
Buapak yang mengangkat lembaga
Lembaga yang mengangkat Penghulu

Essentially Adat Perpatih is made up of four parts, viz;

Adat yang sebenar adat
Adat nan diadatkan
Adat nan teradat
Adat istiadat

The first covers the customs that are codified into laws, the second from local practices, the third compiled from adages and sayings and the fourth on etiquette and protocols.

Thus for those from Negeri Sembilan, bear in mind that the adat is much alive today and still held dear by the people as the saying goes;

Tak lekang dek panas
Tak lapuk dek hujan
Gemuk berpupuk
Dianjak layu,dicabut mati.