AKU BUDAK NOGORI - BAHAGIAN 1

Coretan yang pernah ditulis olehku suatu ketika dahulu yang diterbitkan di salah satu egroup ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Relexjap ) ketika usia mudaku. Mohon maaf, coretan ini ditulis didalam bahasa Inggeris.

My name is Zaidi Ismail , I was born in Negeri Sembilan. A state that practice “ Adat Pepatih” as the way of life. There’s a lot of confusion on “adat pepatih” especially pertaining to the rights of the man and women. Let me set the record straight, I’m not trying to explain what is “ adat pepatih” and how we practice it but more about my experience living in such society and what is expected from me as a “ adat pepatih” practitioner.

I was born in one of the oldest living “suku” or family in Negeri sembilan, my entire descendents reside at Rembau, Negeri Sembilan , I come from the suku called “Pekumbuh” a very respectable suku in “Adat Pepatih”. The original family of Pekumbuh came from Padang in Indonesia, a descendents of warrior and noblemen as what I been told, the Pekumbuh is known for their bravery, hardwork and intelligence and my great grandfather who was one of the warrior and noblemen who escorted Raja Melewar the first Yang Dipertuan Besar Of Negeri Sembilan.

As noblemen’s, “Pekumbuh” family has become one of the “Perut” in the hierarchy of Negeri Sembilan traditional system. We are the “Undang berempat” advisor who selected the “Undang” of the four biggest districts in Negeri Sembilan and then “Undang berempat” will choose and elect the next “ Yang diPertuan Besar”. We are known as Dato’ Raja or Dato’ Semaja”.

So, what all of this got to do with me. I have a choice in my hand to choose to live as a normal ordinary man or choose to live as a noblemen, I’m the last child of eldest “Yam” family in Rembau. My grandmother own one of the biggest land title in the district. If I want to retain my nobleship in the family I have to marry well, that’s mean married to another Negeri Sembilan women who also practice “adat pepatih” and she have to be in higher position then me in the noble society.

This is not to secure my future but the future of my sons and daughters. “Suku” in “Adat Pepatih” follow the blood stream of the mother, that means my sons and daughter will follow the mother’s “suku” and inherited the mother wealth and status in the “Adat Pepatih” society. Especially if I have a daughter, all the mothers’ wealth and 1/3 of the father wealth will go to her. My sons will inherit what’s left of my wealth and the opportunity that my title will bring in his future.

As an example, If I married to a Negeri Sembilan women who is from suku “Biduanda” , my sons will have the opportunity to contest for the “Undang” position , the second most important position after Yang Dipertuan Besar , a king in his own district. Only the Biduanda suku bloodline can hold this position. He has to be well educated, very knowledgeable in Islam and in the “Adat Pepatih” tradition and rituals.

All of this need to be planned before I married and for some, the family has already choose the partner of our life just after we were born. It is very important that someone need to carry the “Adat Pepatih” tradition in the family. It’s very important to sustain the noble bloodline.

In the case of my family, my eldest brother has renounced his noblemanship after he married a “Minang” lady an outsider from the “Adat Pepatih” circle. My second brother married to a lady from Negeri Sembilan but have a lower status “Suku” from him and so thus my third brother, It is prohibited for us to marry a woman from the same “Suku”, We will be outcast from the family. All my brothers can become the next Dato’ Raja but it will not make any difference to their family i.e. sons and daughter.

Now it up to me to choose whether to continue the tradition or choose to renounce it like the rest of my brothers. There will be a process that I need to go through if I choose to continue the tradition ( This is however before I meet my future wife, I will tell that story later).

To be Continue ..........