For the Minangkabau, the largest ethnic group on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, mothers are at the center of society. As a matrilineal community, the Minangkabau trace descent and inheritance through the female line, including the likes of land and housing.

The community’s guiding values are neither competition nor aggression, but rather care and nurture. It’s why Minangkabau live according to “adat,” a matriarchal tribal law that adheres to the rules of nature. Adat follows nature’s guide principles: growth and transformation; and it’s why Minangkabau women raise their children with strong ties to the land. Every aspect of their culture is interwoven with nature such as mimicking the patterns of bamboo sprouts into their weaving patterns.

The analysis of matriarchal societies is deeply political and liberating, especially as patriarchal power structures can be so destructive to our planet. In matriarchies, motherhood is not only a biological, but also a culture creating act. Mothers establish the next matrilineal relationship and create a society that respects our planet. According to Minangkabau member Pak Idrus, “In nature, every living being was born from a mother.” 

This series was photographed in West Sumatra, and documents ancestral practices of the Minangkabau people, their ties to Islam, and the many ways in which they stay rooted in the land.