More Than Mere Victims: A Portrait of Everyday Life and Resilience Among Minangkabau Children During the PRRI Era (1958–1961)

Abstract

For a long time, historical writing (historiography) regarding the PRRI in West Sumatra (1958-1961) has focused more on the political affairs of prominent figures and military movements. As a result, the experiences of ordinary people, particularly children, have often been forgotten from historical records. This article attempts to fill that gap by highlighting the everyday life history of Minangkabau children during the conflict period. This study utilizes the oral history method to unearth the memories of survivors who spent their childhood during that era. The findings indicate that children were not merely passive, helpless victims. Instead, they responded to the crisis through five everyday experiences: (1) adapting when school and the tradition of reciting the Quran at the surau (prayer house) were halted, (2) navigating play spaces that were strictly monitored by the military, (3) taking over economic driving roles by working hard in the rice fields and farms, (4) shifting parenting patterns and the dynamics of matrilineal families amidst the conflict, and (5) recording traumatic memories resulting from airstrikes. In conclusion, the PRRI upheaval indirectly forced these children into "premature adulthood." Children inevitably had to alter their roles for the sake of family survival, a bitter experience that ultimately left a legacy of collective trauma in the social history of the Minangkabau people.