minang-ness

I just read this really cool article on wiki about minang people.
If I'm not mistaken it was my great- grandfather that came over here from Padang in Indonesia and settled in Negeri Sembilan. I'm not sure if my grandfather was born here..I should ask my mom.

I just found it cool that I 'knew' a few of the stuff mentioned in the article. I put knew in inverted brackets cos I always thought it was just a norm in the family. I had no idea it was related to our 'minang-ness'.

For example, it says education is really important and that they were encouraged to travel away from the village to learn. Then they were expected to come back and be useful to the community. This has always been stressed in our family.

And of course I've heard the language and eaten the food (rendang!) but other than that I know nothing about my ancestors. They're from a place so very close to Malaysia and yet we've never been there. Well my grandma and a couple of relatives have been there...me and my family specifically haven't.

I think its time for a visit to the homeland..don't you agree Ibu?