Minangkabau

Yet in the highlands where the Minangkabau culture remains strongest, change seems further off.

Some also say they see changes afoot among the Minangkabau that may be weakening the adat system.

If you are a Minangkabau woman and pregnant, people really hope for a girl for the first child.

She published a book about the Minangkabau in 2000 called Webs of Power: Women, Kin and Community in a Sumatran Village.

Over tea and sweet bananas, they agreed that in their community Minangkabau customs are cherished.