Negri Sembilan's power crisis puts the spotlight on its forgotten women

FOR months, Negri Sembilan had been embroiled in an extraordinary constitutional and adat crisis, pitting the palace, state government and customary chiefs against one another over questions of authority.

The dispute also cast a spotlight on a centuries-old system of customary rule unique to the state.

At its heart is Adat Perpatih, the matrilineal system of customary law and social organisation practised in Negri Sembilan, where descent is traced through the mother's line and ancestral property is traditionally passed down through women.

The crisis has introduced Malaysians to many unfamiliar words, such as Undang, Lembaga, Buapak, waris and luak. Yet, one title has received far less attention: Ibu Soko.

Despite the focus on men at the centre of the crisis, the Ibu Soko offers a glimpse into another side of Adat Perpatih, where women have long held a quiet but important place in the workings of adat.

Hence, the observance of International Day of the Girl Child on Oct 11 is a reminder of the contributions that women make to families and communities — contributions so familiar they often go unacknowledged.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Adat Perpatih can appear bewildering to an outsider, but its basic structure begins with the family and works upwards.

A perut sits at the base of this social structure, comprising families who share a common female ancestor.

Several groups of these families make up a suku, or clan, and the clans live in a luak, also known as customary territory.

The Negri Sembilan society is traditionally structured around 12 primary suku — Biduanda, Batu Hampar, Seri Melenggang, Tanah Datar, Seri Lemak, Mungkal, Tiga Nenek, Paya Kumbuh, Anak Melaka, Anak Acheh, Batu Belang and Tiga Batu.

Leadership also rises through different levels. A Buapak looks after the affairs of families within his perut, while a Lembaga heads a suku.

At a higher level are the Undang, chiefs of the four principal luak of Sungai Ujong, Jelebu, Johol and Rembau.

The four Undang, together with the Tunku Besar of Tampin, have a constitutional role in choosing the Yang di-Pertuan Besar.

Unlike a system where authority simply flows from the top down, Adat Perpatih has traditionally placed great importance on consensus and selection through different levels of the community.

Running through it all is the maternal line.

Traditionally, a child belongs to the mother's suku, and members of the same suku do not marry one another as they are considered close blood relatives. Marriages are also matrilocal, meaning the husband will move in with the wife's family.

Knowing precisely who belongs where is therefore not simply family history. It not only determines marriage and inheritance, but it can also matter when deciding who has the lineage to hold customary office.

THE WOMAN WHO KNOWS

This is where the Ibu Soko becomes far more than a keeper of family history.

Traditionally a senior woman, she knows her suku, its genealogy, relationships and customs.

In a system where customary leadership grows from family and clan upwards, that knowledge can help establish who has the standing to lead.

Although men traditionally occupy leadership positions, such as the Buapak and Lembaga, the Ibu Soko can play a part in identifying, supporting or rejecting candidates from within her community.

Her knowledge of lineage therefore sits surprisingly close to the question of power itself.

It reveals one of the most fascinating features of Adat Perpatih.

Men may occupy many of its highest customary offices, but the lineage from which their claim to those offices emerges runs through women.

A 2023 Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) study on the role of the Ibu Soko in Luak Johol described her as among the women most knowledgeable and experienced in Adat Perpatih.

Researchers Nurlisa Syuhada Mohd Radzi and Mohd Yuszaidy Mohd Yusoff found that the Ibu Soko was traditionally an elder who knew and understood the adat, with responsibilities towards individuals, society and the customary organisation.

They documented her practical duties, ranging from involvement in customary marriage practices, to receiving guests and ensuring traditions were properly observed.

The exact role can differ between luak, an important distinction at a time when interpretations of customary authority are themselves being contested.

The researchers also made a troubling observation — the Ibu Soko's role nowadays is becoming less understood, with many people no longer recognising its importance.

THE WOMEN WE DON'T SEE

Perhaps there's something familiar in that finding, even for those who never lived under Adat Perpatih.

Women everywhere have often carried the less-visible work of family and community — remembering relationships, stories and obligations, knowing who needs looking after and passing knowledge from one generation to another.

Much of it receives little recognition because it has simply come to be expected.

The Ibu Soko at least has a name for that responsibility, although her contribution is becoming less understood.

But this doesn't make Adat Perpatih a society ruled by women.

"Matrilineal" is a more accurate description than "matriarchal" because many prominent customary offices have traditionally been occupied by men.

Instead, it offers a more interesting understanding of power, where influence doesn't necessarily belong only to the person occupying the highest position.

WHAT WILL GIRLS INHERIT?

International Day of the Girl Child asks us to think about what girls need for their future, from education and equality, to safety and opportunity.

The story of the Ibu Soko invites another question: what are we teaching girls about the women who came before them?

For a girl born into an Adat Perpatih family, inheritance can mean ancestral property and a place within a maternal line stretching back for generations.

It can also mean understanding the knowledge and traditions that helped shape her community.

That's why the warning from the UKM researchers matters. If fewer people understand the Ibu Soko, there's a danger that the knowledge carried by generations of women will fade with them.

The present Negri Sembilan crisis will eventually pass, as will the names dominating today's headlines.

Long after that, the adat will still need people who know how it works and why it matters.

For generations, the Ibu Soko has been one of those people. For the girls who follow, perhaps the inheritance isn't simply knowing where they belong, but knowing enough to carry it forward.