WEST SUMATRA – People with Matrilineal System West Sumatra – is a land of scenic beauty with green lake and Blue Mountains. The city of Bukittinggi known as the West Sumatra center for culture and tourism, situated in the highlands, north of the provincial capital of Padang. According to the legend, the West Sumatra once challenged invaders from Java to a bull fight and fielded a starved buffalo calf with sharp knives tied to its short horns. Mistaking the opponent’s bull for its mother, it ran to suckle and stabbed it, winning the day for West Sumatra. The name Minangkabau means triumphant buffalo. The Minangkabau follow a community and family life based on a matrilineal system by which all inheritance passes through the womenfolk. The Moslems religion plays an important role in communities which cluster round mosques and traditional council house.