HUMANIORA VOLUME 28 No. 1 Februari 2016 79 THE POSITION OF MINANG-CHINESE RELATIONSHIP IN THE HISTORY OF INTER-ETHNIC GROUPS RELATIONS IN PADANG, WEST SUMATRA Laila Kholid Alirdaus 1 , Eric Hiariej 1 , Farsijana Adeney-Risakota 1 1 Inter Religious Studies (IRS), Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS), Universitas Gadjah Mada Email: alirdaus_laila@yahoo.com ABSTRACT Generally tudies on pribumi and Chinese relationship in Indonesia are dominated with conlict perspectives. In fact, in practice, the relationship between the two groups can be very dynamic. Amongt social tension arose between them, there are often tories about social harmony, social engagement and social cohesion. This is also what we found in the Minang-Chinese relationship in Padang, Wet Sumatra. The Minang-Chinese relationship in Padang, Wet Sumatra, in current period has been not only about social tension. In spite of the trong tension arose due to diferences in ethnicity and religious belief, they are trongly tied in running local trading, political party, and other areas of public policy making. Competition in economy often tands together with cooperation. This similarly works in local politics, and, recently, community recovery pot 2009-earthquake. Such dynamic relationships is inseparable from ethnic politics contructed throughout Padang hitory in the pat. This paper sees that the relationships of Minang and Chinese are inseparable from the ethnic politics contructed throughout Padang hitory. This paper tries to portray briely the journey of Minang and Chinese relationship in Padang and the politics that contextualizes the making of that relationship based on literature research and in-depth interviews. Despite its shortness, this paper is supposed to provide background information for those intereted in discussing the issue of ethnicity in Padang and Wet Sumatra. Keywords: Minang, Chinese, Hitory, and Politics INTRODUCTION Pribumi and Chinese relationship in the tudies of ethnic politics in Indonesia is usually portrayed as full of conlict. In fact, the relationship between the two could be very dynamics. This can be found for example in the Minang and Chinese relationships in Padang, Wet Sumatra. Although the relationship between the two is sometime described as full of tensions (Olszewska, 2010), but they are quite often to get involved in collective works and social engagement. In scrutinizing this phenomenon, it becomes important to take into account the political context that tells us much about ethnic politics contructed throughout the hitory of the community. This article conirms that the relationship between the Minang and Chinese is inseparable from what they have been through throughout Padang hitory. Not only surrounded by tension, the Minang and Chinese have also experienced of cooperation, such as that during Revolution era in the 1950s. This seems to repeat in current the Minang and Chinese relationship, in which amidt the tension caused by religious diference and economic competition. The two Halaman 79-96