10 Family Norms in Aceh – Beliefs

Family is the most important role in a life. It also could be the best social control for people. It because the people will get their first education in family.  The building of the character is started from the family. Through family, the children could learn everything from their parents. That is why the family could be the role model for a child. Aceh as the special region in Indonesia, follow sharia rule for the family values.  The family will apply some islamics value to limit their habit and behavior. Thus, here we want to expand more about the family values in Aceh.

1. Bilateral Descent in Aceh

Aceh people have bilateral descent  for its system family lineage. Bilateral descent means all of the family member belongs to both mother and father. This family lineage system caused no difference between father and mother. The smallest family member consists of mother, father, and unmarried children. Because in Aceh follow bilateral descent system, the children in the family hava to honor both mother and mother, and also their family.

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• Tipping Etiquette in Indonesia
• Gift Giving Etiquette in Indonesia
• Etiquette of Communication in Indonesia
• Reading Habits in Indonesia

2. Parents will limit the relation with their 6 years old child

It is without no reason the parents in Aceh doing this. The children in age 6 and more have to socialite to others. Without limiting their afection, the parents would teach the children to be independent. That is why usually the boy in a family will leave their home to work or study after they grows adult.

3. Honoring each other in a family

In Gayo, a tribe in Aceh, the family member would honor each other with a unique ways. The children would call  their mothery by ‘ine’ (mother) and their father ‘ama’. The younger child will call their elder sister by ‘aka’ (sister) and their elder brother by ‘bang’ (brother). Meanwhile the elder sister or brother will call their younger by ‘win’ (for younger brother) and ‘ipak’ (for younger sister). This is the way how a family in Aceh apply the values of the family.

4. Honoring Husband and wife in a family

Honoring husband and wife is called ‘tutur kam’ in Aceh. If the husband is religious, understand Islam well, the husband could be called as Tengku. Kam is the way to honor a wife and husband.

5. Honoring the big family

For the bigger family  where there is also grand parents, they will have some unique call fo each other. This calling name is used to honor all the family member Grand mother will call their daughter or son in law by ‘inen nuwin’. The grand parents will call their grand children by ‘win’ or ‘ipak’. If they are so closed with their grand chidren, they will call them ‘kumpu’ or ‘kumpungku’.

6. Alang Tulung in Aceh

Alang Tulung is the family values that teach us to help each other. Alang Tulung is also applied in a big family. When a family member needs a help, other family member will should give their hand to help.

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• Famous Festivals in Indonesia
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• Javanese Wedding Culture
• History of Kuta Bali

7. Religion Values in a Family

Aceh is known as their belief in Islam. In a Aceh family, both father and mother will apply some Islamics value to their children. Since they children were kids, they should be familiar with prayer and also reciting al-qur’an. The family will conduct a praying together, reciting together, and so on. It is aimed to create their islamic characteristic when they grow adult.

8. The commuication in a familly

The communication in an Aceh family is important. Because the family system is bilateral descent, the children in a family have to build the good comunication to their parents and their siblings. Being not well communicated is not the tpical of Aceh people, that is why they should build a good communication in a family.

9. Silaturahmi to build a togetherness

‘Silaturahmi’ is the islamic terminology means keeping the good relation toward others. Silaturahmi is usually done in a very big family. When they have a big day, such as Eid Mubarak or wedding celebration, they will invite the big family to their house as the form of creating the ‘silaturahmi’.

10. Politeness toward older people

A family in Aceh will also apply a polite value in a citizen or in the family itself. The younger child in a family has to be polite toward the older people in a family. It means they should use polite expression or calling toward their elder sister or brother and their parents. The family member will continue to apply this polite values toward social environment.

See also:

• The History of Batik Indonesia
• Javanese Batik Fabric

Those are the ten family values in Aceh. Although it might already left by a modern family in Aceh now, there are still a number of the tribes in Aceh that still consistently apply those family values. If you are attracted more about Aceh,  you could visit Traditions in Aceh Indonesia or Saman Dance.