The ceremonial dress a Minangkabau male wears conveys important information about a man's role and responsibilities in society. Although Minangkabau society is matrilineal, men play three important roles in the Minang society - husband, father and uncle. All these which are symbolically displayed in the man's costume, both in the way it is worn and in the motifs interwoven into the fabric of the clothing. Typically a Minangkabau man's costume will consist of a head covering (deta or saluak) such as this, a big shirt (baju gadang), trousers (sarawa gadang), a short sarong (sisampiang), a belt (ikek pinggang), and a shoulder cloth (salendang or salempang). In addition, he may also wear a dagger (karih) or other ceremonial objects such as a tobacco or betel box (salapah sireh).
