Difference between Minangkabau in Sumatera and Negeri Sembilan ( PART 2 )

There are two types of the Western Sumatera Minangkabau house designs (Widya [9]). They are based on the Koto Piliang district system and Bodi Caniago district system. Koto Piliang house is known as the Sitinjau Laut or ‘towards the sea’ which is located throughout the Tanah Datar region, while Bodi Caniago Minangkabau house known as the Rumah Gadang or ‘big house’ covers the entire region of Agam and Kota Lima Puluh (Asri [4]; Is [5]; Soeroto [6]; Jayatri [8]; Widya [9]).

 The difference between Koto Piliang house and Bodi Caniago can be seen on the porch at the side of the house. Koto Piliang house has balcony and a different floor height from the main house (figure 6). The Bodi Caniago house does not have a balcony and the entire floor has equal height (figure 7). 

 This difference arises from the system of government practiced by the two leaders of the custom systems. Koto Piliang was led by Datuk Ketemenggungan who was bureaucratic while the Bodi Caniago people were led by Datuk Perpatih who practiced democracy. Ultimately, the equal floor levels in the Bodi Caniago house represent the leader and his people of the same status while the different heights of the Kota Piliang house floor level represent a hierarchical people (Idrus [19]).