Given the matriarchal
system in the district, I had many questions about this way of life. With the
patriarchal system of Kupang city close by, the matriarchal culture in
Malacca does not necessarily give full power to women. There are actually many
women's rights activists campaigning in Kupang. This added to my curiosity
about the matriarchal system in Malacca prior to my decision to observe the
culture.
I spent one week
observing the way of life of the people of Malacca. Women do have an important
position in society, with full control over inheritance such as land, rights
and traditional customs. A man who wants to marry a Malacca woman must obey the
Malaccan tradition of 'entering into marriage'. It is traditional that the
husband becomes part of his wife's family and lives in his wife's house. Any
children of the marriage will also become members of their mother's clan.
Women's power will only
be evident in land deeds and customary rituals, but not in everyday life.
Malacca women carry out a "dual role", namely as housewives and
participate in earning a living to meet family needs. Moreover, household
routines such as cooking, washing and caring for children seem to have become
women's duties. The concept that is often brought up, is "the nature of
women" which is also a kind of instrument to limit women.
In some regions, the
roles of men and women seem to have no boundaries. Men can do the cooking,
washing, caring for children and weaving, although not many do. In terms of
farming, men and women work together to cultivate the fields. Men prepare the
land, plant and also harvest. Meanwhile, women will be involved when planting
and harvesting. The role equality has begun to appear in Malacca, although it
has not shown a significant change.
Malacca women had
struggled to maintain their dignity and honor against sexual slavery when it
was colonized by Japan. One of the traditions against sex slavery in the
Japanese colonial era is engraved from the tattoos on their bodies. Tattoo as
an identity to clarify their status (marital status). If it is tattooed on the
feet, it shows that they are not married, while the tattoo on the hand is a
married identity. In colonial times, women hid their status by tattooing their
arms and legs to declare that they were married. Evidence of this struggle can
still be found in the arms and legs of Malacca women aged 60 to 90 years. For
now the tradition in Malacca has undergone many shifts as well as the tradition
of tattooing is no longer practiced.