Adat Perpatih : A Timeless Beauty

In his book, History of Negri Sembilan, R. O. Winstedt called the Adat Perpatih society of Malaya a democratic people.

As practitioners of the matrilineal Adat Perpatih system they upheld the rights of women without jeopardizing the rights of their menfolk. Women inherited the ancestral home and land while men held positions as leaders of the society, Their ancestors, the early Minangkabau settlers also respected the rights of indigenous peoples in the matter of land procurement.

These progessive concepts of the Adat Perpatih system that were ahead of time are the inspiration for this book. Created in the first century by Datuk Perpatih Nan Sebatang, the system was introduced to Negeri Sembilan by those escaping political unrest and Dutch imperialism in the Minangkabau province of Sumatera, Indonesia, birthplace of Adat Perpatih.