Perempuan Minangkabau dalam Dunia Pers di Sumatra’sWestkust

Abstrak: Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk mengelaborasi dan menganalisis bagaimana perkembangan dunia pers di Sumatra’s Westkust? Seberapa besar perempuan Minangkabau mengambil bagian di dalam kemajuan pers Bumiputra di Sumatra’s Westkust? Apa kontribusi kemajuan pers ini bagi peningkatan kualitas kehidupan perempuan Minangkabau masa itu? Berpijak pada empat tahapan metode sejarah yakni heuristik, kritik, interpretasi dan historiografi, hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa keterlibatan perempuan Minangkabau dalam dunia pers di Sumatra’s Westkust ditandai dengan kemunculan mereka sebagai penulis, editor dan redaktur surat kabar seperti Roehana Koeddoes, Zoebeidah Ratna Djoewita, Saadah Alim, Rasoena Said, dan Rangkaja Ch. Sjamsoe isteri Datoek Toemenggoeng. Kehadiran perempuan Minangkabau dalam dunia pers ini semakin kokoh melalui penerbitan beberapa surat kabar khusus perempuan seperti Soenting Melajoe (1912), Soeara Perempoean (1917), ASJRAQ (1925), Soeara Kaoem Iboe Soematra (1925), Medan Puteri, Suara Puteri. Kemunculan surat kabar khusus perempuan ini berhasil menjadi pemantik yang sukses mengobarkan semangat kemajuan di antara perempuan Minangkabau saat itu dan menginiasiasi perempuan-perempuan lainnya di Hindia-Belanda untuk semakin sadar akan pentingnya eksistensi perempuan dalam kemajuan kaumnya serta pergerakan kemerdekaan bangsanya.  Kata kunci: perempuan Minangkabau, pers, Sumatra’s Westkust.Abstract: This paper aims to elaborate and analyze how the development of the press world in Sumatra’s Westkust? How much the Minangkabau women had taken part in the progress of the Bumiputra’s press in Sumatra’s Westkust? What was the contribution of this press progress to improving the quality of life of the Minangkabau woman at that time? Based on four stages of historical methods namely heuristics, criticism, interpretation and historiography, the results showed that the involvement of Minangkabau women in the press world in Sumatra's Westkust was marked by their emergence as journalism, editor and newspapers editor in chief such as Roehana Koeddoes, Zoebeidah Ratna Djoewita, Saadah Alim, Rasoena Said and Rangkaja Ch. Sjamsoe.  The presence of Minangkabau women in the press world was strengthened through the publication of several women’s newspapers such as Soenting Melajoe (1912), Soeara Perempoean (1917), ASJRAQ (1925), Soeara Kaoem Iboe Soematra (1925), Medan Puteri, Suara Puteri. The publication of this women's newspaper became a successful flintstone that fueled the spirit of progress among the Minangkabau women at the time and initiated other women in the Dutch East Indies to become increasingly aware of the importance of women's existence in the advancement of their people and the independence movement of their nation.Keywords: Minangkabau women, press, Sumatra’s Westkust.