political upheaval, education or other purposes, leaves one geographical area for prolonged stay or permanent settlement in another geographical area. It must be
emphasized that migration is not only a trans-national process but can also be rural–urban. Any such process involves not only leaving social networks behind
which may or may not be well established but also includes experiencing at first a sense of loss, dislocation, alienation and isolation, which will lead to processes
of acculturation. A series of factors in the environment combined with levels of stress, the ability to deal with stress, and the ability to root oneself according to
one’s personality traits, will produce either a sense of settling down or a sense of feeling isolated and alienated.
Rural–urban migration is more likely to be for economic or educational reasons, whereas migration across nations may be for social, educational, or
economic. Thus reasons for migration, prior preparation to the act of migration and social support will all enhance an individual’s coping mechanisms.
3.1 Economic
Most of those who migrate for economic reason seeking better living standard. The situation of hunger and misery in many developing countries forces
many migrants to risk their lives and to loose it many times. Usually the poor or lower class seeks his fortune by migrating to the city. Or it could be the opposite
where the rich went to the area to build or expand a business. Another explanation is that population growth is not accompanied with the
increase in natural resources that can be processed. If the first crops and
Universitas Sumatera Utara
plantations, the main source of life where they can support the family, so now the natural resources that became their main income is no longer enough to give the
results to meet together, because it must be shared by several families. Also new is the growth opportunity with the opening of the plantation and mining areas.
These factors are then prompted Minang people “merantau” try his luck abroad. For his first arrival to the ground overseas, usually the nomads settled first at
home considered a landlord. The new nomads are usually living as small traders. In addition, the Minangkabau economy since previously been sustained by
the ability to trade, especially to distribute their produce. Minangkabau rural area, geologically to have reserves of raw materials especially gold, copper, tin, zinc,
mercury, and iron, all materials have been able to be processed by them. Hence the nickname suvarnadvipa island of gold that appear on the legend in India BC,
probably referred to the island of Sumatra as this. Merchants of Arabs in the 9th century, it has been reported that people on the island of Sumatra have used a
number of gold in its trade. Meanwhile, from the geological record of the Netherlands, on 42 found the
Batang sehiliran former gold mining reaching a depth of 60 m and in Kerinci that time, they still see the gold miners. Until the 19th century, the legend will contain
Minangkabau gold interior, is still pushing Raffles to prove it, so he is listed as the first European who reached Pagaruyung through the west coast of Sumatra.
3.2 Educational Factors
