KyotoKyotoUniversity University Se#theast Ast'an Studiles, Vol. 26, No. 2, September 1988 Some Observations on Adat and Adat Leadership in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan Hj. IBRAHIM* NoRHALIM surnmarized. To some, the system is on its way out due to material advancement Introduction and its influence, which has penetrated the of are The Malays Negeri Sembilan char- practi$ing society at alI levels since colonial acterized by a matrilineal custom and descent times and continues to do so under the group erganization which they refer to as New Economic Policy of Malaysia today. the Adat Perpatih. The adat is fbund To others, due to its unique internal char- almost exclusively in Negeri Sembilan.i' acteristics, the system is being modified in The of Negeri Sembilan clairn that people its practical aspects but philosophically re- the Adat Perpatih originated in West Su- mains intact. Analysis in depth shows that matra and was subsequently to brought to some extent both views are correct. Negeri Sembilan by Minangkabau immi- "nine The name Negeri Sembilan means grants. states." It refers to the faet that, prior to to unique seciopolitical organiza- Due its European contact, Negeri Sembilan was a tien, Negeri Sembilan has, since the earlier confederacy of minor states (luak) with in- part of the nineteenth century, been the dependent chiefs (pe,qsehules or esnddng). focus of numerous studies both by foreign What the nine states were is still open to and local scholars (for example Abd. discussion. Scholars on Negeri Sembilan Rahrnan Haji Mohamad [1964], de Josselin disagree as to which luak made up the de Jong [1951], de Maubray [1931], Hooker confederacy. However, all of them agree [1969] and Nordin Selat [1976]). These that Rembau was one of them. studies deal with almost every aspect of Rembau, in fact, was generally accounted the system. From the vast amount of by the Portuguese and Dutch governments materials two general conclusions can be at Melaka as the principle of the nine states * [Newbold1836. (repr.1968): 61]. Jabatan Sains Kemasyarakatan, Fakulti Pen- According to Winstedt 1934: 57], the nine gajian Pendidikan, Universiti Pertanian [ Malaysla, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia states were first mentioned in the agreement 1) ln some parts of Negeri Sembilan, espeeiany of 11 November 1759 between Dayid Bulen, in the district of Port Dickson, the Adat Melaka, and Raja Muda Daing Perpatih is not practised. However, there Governor of are groups of people eutside Negeri Sembilan, Kemboja of Linggi, Raja Tua of Kelang such as in Naning, Melaka and in enclaves and Datuk of Rembau, who represented in Lukut in Kota Tinggi, Johore,practising the adat. Rernbau and itsnine states. A briefintro- 15e NII-Electronic Library Service KyotoKyotoUniversity University NoRHALIM Hj. IBRAHrM:Some Observations on Adot and Adat Leadership ,i" Scale 2ni[les 1 Inch rn 2 4 6 t- N..l" ),- ]1)'R`)s( 0 r -- 6 - s {ik t.-.. I{EMISAUTO"N '-N- ,i' - ut'- Se'ptz"t(iiiL' ,, ,f<.. :I--ll, i,:n･,1.:.. PEDAS 1) 'tti3CktoopNNG# t- 1't 7h･,N,"L EIE e'ks y sl.- : y N:k Kg.Betu･i.i' . , . /),i ."- l NBATU 1 fi viii i MIKU , )HAMPAR ..{,l ' , /tX,IL,i / < . - rd.", rS ee.l v's-..-..-.. N'Y. es- .-TANJONG "N. ty Xk.KELi.N'G- CHENGKAU KUNDuR z･Z' . '-L. x. .z' T c,:/ . .vr- 2 :'"-'l "ogs- s>+Nf t% , s. 't,/x.' NERASAU J - PiLIN ( g ).-'N. X,t...･K[1 { X : -,- .t. i L L - J SN.. , ".<LEGONG ULU, .-.-L. ' GADONG b)s/EffRoN b :I-vl: N G J-.- Kg,Keta 1' .--- '-"g,s"e ,.7" xTITIAN ...- .}.-S >tl BINTANGOR l,illl.Xlo'lli;;-.stl[. , '1 s･ L- -.x ( e sEMERBOK (' 1 -¢ >･ G 1&. / geis9･ -N4x. -l-/t- : "--N..." Stale Bouiidury 1 i" ."-k - -.- District Buund"ry : ;,6 ...----- 'x} 1 Mukim Boundary ,fv . tz' ': Railwayl{oad S )..n..t zt" n""ba!.S Fig. 1Map of Rembau District ductory survey of the complex socio-political modern Negeri Sembilan. It is bounded structure ef Rembau district is in order. in the north and northeast by the district of Kuala Pilah, in the east by the district of Tampin, in the northwest by the district Rembau District of Seremban, in the west by the district of Rembau is one of the sevendistricts of Port Dickson and in the south by the state 151 NII-Electronic Library Service KyotoKyotoUniversity University MM7ti7-N 26ts2e Table 1 Population of Rembau District by Mukim, 1970--80 %Change Annual Mukim in Growth Rate No.1970t % Ne.19802 % PopulationAverage (%) -O. -o. Batu Hampar 1, 8591, 4. 67 1, 8431, 5. 07 86m29. oo-3. BongekChembong 4975,0561, 3. 7612. 0585, 2. 9113. 33 41-O. 71 0341, 85 -O. 61 06 Chengkau 8315,1731, 4. oo12. 9774, 5. 4412. 7. 97-10. O. 07-L GedongKundorLegong 98 6491,4721,363 79 13-12. 06-1. 6901,618 4, 24 4.05 90-15. 37-1.70-1.82-5. Hilir 4. 06 3. 75 76- Legong Ulu 821 2, 06 683 1. 88 16. 81-45.03-25. MikuNerasauPedasPilinSelemakSemerbok 1711, O. 43 941, O. 26 81-2. 9e45,0921,2823,170 4. 7812. 4185, 3. 90 53 ee 78 4311, 4. 94 6. 66 O. 65-O. 3. 22 1892, 3. 27 -7. 25.12. 75-1. 7. 96 774 7. 63 49-13. 33-L46-4. 8041,4922, 2. 02 694 1. 91 68-35.66-12.09 SpriTaajong 3. 74 9601, 2. 60 31-1.28-1. Kling OIO4, 5.0510. 7673, 4,8610. -9. Titian Bintangor 362 95 944 85 58 00 -O.91 Total 39, 841100. 00 36,3501oo. OO -8. 76 Sources: 1. Community Groups, 1970 Population and Housing Census of Malaysia, Department of Statistics, Malaysia 2. Population Report for Mukims, 1980 by Department of Statistics, Malaysia of Melaka (Fig. 1). Its maximum length is Rembau and the district of Kuala Pilah. about 30.58km and its width･ about 20.92km. This range constitutes the southern part of Rembau covers a total area of 41,721 hec- the Iate Jurassic-early Cretaceous Main tares (254 square kilometers). Of this, range of Peninsular Malaysia. Itisheavily 73.6 percent is under agriculture, while wooded and accounts for much of the 24 18.4 percent is forest reserve, O.2 percent percent of Rembau district still fbrested. is industrial areas and 7.8 percent is gov- The hills in the district are low and the ernment land. highest mountain is Gunung Rembau (892 The district essentially an equatorial meters above sea-level). soils of the has The climate with no distinctly marked seasons. district are mestly alluvial. The daily temperature is in the range of There are altogether 17 mukim (sub- 78"-89eF, and relative humidity is around districts) in Rembau (Table 1). Each mukim 96 percent. The annual average rainfall is is further sub-divided into kamPu7ag` (vil- below 2, OOO mm. lages). There are 177 kampung in the Rembau has a fairly gentle topography, district. Between kampung there are no except for a range of mountains which clear social or geographical boundaries. Nl serves as a natural boundary between mukirn and kampung in Rembau are con- 152 NII-Electronic Library Service KyotoKyotoUniversity University NORHALIM Hj. iBRAHIM: Some Observations on Adat and Adat Leadership nected with Rembau town and other small therah (District Council). To assist him, towns by tarred or red earth roads. Small there are four assistant district odicers who towns play an important part in the lives are responsible for different units or divi-･ of Rembau people. It is there that they sions: development, land, land revenue, sell their products and buy consumer goods and general administration and district including rice. council. As in other parts of Malaysia, the popu- As mentioned earlier, the district is divided Iation of Rembau is multiracial, comprising into seventeen sub-districts <mzaleim), which Malays (26,978 persons), Chinese (5,350), in turn comprise a few kampung. The Indians (4,O05) and others (17). According mukim is the smallest administrative unit to the 1980 census, the estimated total pQpu- and is under the jurisdiction of a salaried Iation is 36,350, which shows a decline of Penghulu mukim (mukim headman). How- 8. 76 percent compared with the total popu- ever, there are only five penghulu mukim lation of 1970 (39,841). The district's pop- in Rembau and one penghulu has to ad- ulation density is high, 88.429 persons minister three or four mukim, depending per square kilometer. According to the on their size. 1980 census, its population distribution by The penghulu administer the mukim sex was 16,918 male and 19,432 female. under their jurisdiction with the help ef CQmpared with the other districts of Negeri ldwalankuasa lremay'uan don Keselamalan Rembau Sembilan, has a very small pro- Kampzang (JKKK-Village Committees for portion of males in the population, Le., Develepment and Security), of which there 87.1!100 females, which also shows a decline are altogether thirty-six in the district. One since 1970 census <90.41100 females). of the penghulu's tasks is to keep the Most of the people of Rembau are Malays. district oracer in touch with mukim affairs. They live mainly in rural areas and are At the kampung level, the head is known mostly farmers, rubber tappers, casual la- as detua kampu?4g" (kampung headman). bourers, school teachers and government The ketua kampung provides the link be- servants. The number ef Malavs " resident tween the penghulu and the villagers. Be- in towns, except Rembau town, is small sides being the head of the kampung he is compared with the Chinese.