Forces of the cosmos in alam minangkabau: A phenomenological perspective

Abstract

The literature of the Minangkabau tribe of the Malay World is rich with proverbs based on their view of ‘nature and nurture’. By and large, they construe the world (alam) as an open book and a ‘guru’ into the mysteries of life. In this paper, the author will examine some of those proverbs based on the book Kato Pusako Papatah Patitih Ajaran dan Filsafat Minangkabau. Towards the end, an outline of their belief regarding the destiny of man, levels of reality and the gradation of what is occult and manifest is analysed within the unfolding drama between skies and earth.