Resolving Customary Inheritance Disputes within Indonesia’s National Legal System: The Case of Harta Pusaka Tinggi in Minangkabau Society, West Sumatra

Khairuddin Hasballah; Gamal Achyar; Aulil Amri; Mulia Rahman; Aisyah Idris

doi:10.22373/ujhk.v9i1.32765

Authors

Khairuddin Hasballah Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Gamal Achyar Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Aulil Amri Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Mulia Rahman Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Aisyah Idris Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22373/ujhk.v9i1.32765

Keywords:

Customary Inheritance, Harta Pusaka Tinggi, Compilation of Islamic Law

Abstract

This study examines the legal status and dispute resolution mechanisms concerning harta pusaka tinggi within the Minangkabau customary inheritance system in West Sumatra, as well as the urgency of its incorporation into Indonesia’s national inheritance framework through the Compilation of Islamic Law (Kompilasi Hukum Islam). The study focuses on the management and transfer of harta pusaka tinggi, which under Minangkabau adat law constitutes collective ancestral property that cannot be individually owned or transferred except under limited circumstances based on communal deliberation. This research aims to analyze the legal position of harta pusaka tinggi in Minangkabau customary law, examine the mechanisms for resolving inheritance disputes, and formulate the need for substantive legal reform regarding customary inheritance within the national legal system. Employing a qualitative socio-legal approach that combines legal anthropology and normative legal analysis, data were collected through interviews with customary leaders affiliated with the Lembaga Kerapatan Adat Alam Minangkabau (LKAAM), the Kerapatan Adat Nagari (KAN), community leaders, and court judges in West Sumatra, complemented by an analysis of statutory regulations and legal documents. The findings reveal that the governance of harta pusaka tinggi has undergone significant transformation due to modernization, economic pressures, and the absence of comprehensive national regulations governing customary inheritance. These conditions have generated legal uncertainty, increased inheritance disputes, and created difficulties for judges in determining substantive legal grounds in customary inheritance cases. This study argues for the reconstruction and accommodation of Minangkabau customary inheritance principles within the Compilation of Islamic Law in order to strengthen legal certainty, preserve indigenous customary values, and promote a more responsive inheritance dispute resolution system within Indonesia’s plural legal order

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Interviews

Interview with Jasri Datok Basa, Chairperson of the Kerapatan Adat Nagari (KAN) of Nagari Kasang, on August 21 2025.

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