After that we ventured a few miles further down the road to Balimbing, which remains a very traditional corner of West Sumatra. Again, we visited the family of one of Arman’s friends, and got to see what traditional homes which are still lived in, look like.

So many things to note… there are two levels of floor space. The upper level distinguishes the place of honor in the home. Guests usually stay on the lower level. The floors are mostly bamboo. The kitchen was fascinating for me. No stoves or fancy electrical stuff here. All cooking is done by fire and/or heating rocks.

Also- traditionally speaking, when daughters marry, the new family takes the room of the parents, and the parents move. Once there are no more bedrooms left, the parents sleep in the kitchen, or on a bed in the main living room area, as this grandmother is.
When sons marry, they are expected to leave the house & live with their new in-laws.
This is Minangkabau custom, and if living in ‘home town’,,, not optional. In other words- married children live with the wife’s family,,, or leave town. There’s no “getting your own house”. Hmmmm. I don’t know if I like that tradition (=
It’s the opposite in Bali. There the son stays when married, and the daughters are kicked out of the house.

These homes are hundreds of years old, and every one of them owned by women,,, and passed down the matrilineal line. The oldest home (last pic in the video) is 350 years old. Still lived in.

Many of these homes are fairly large, and in several cases there are multiple families living in them. I heard up to 7 families can live in a single house here.