<![CDATA[Indigenous language preservation requires specific strategies and thoughtful management. This study investigates the role of women in preserving and intergenerationally transmitting the Indigenous Matua language within the matrilineal Minangkabau community of West Sumatra, Indonesia, and explores the challenges they face. Using a descriptive qualitative case study approach, the study involved 40 Matur citizens, comprising women, men, elders, and youth with extensive knowledge of Indigenous languages and cultural practices. Data were collected through focus group discussions, interviews, and video recording. The Matur women are responsible for the language’s organic survival as a daily, lived activity. Additionally, men contribute to the transmission of languages through ceremonial and formal registers. The results, however, also highlight important modern challenges to this maternal role, such as the influence of urbanisation, the growing dominance of Bahasa Indonesia, and the emergence of digital technologies that replace traditional face-to-face storytelling. These factors have shifted maternal language management from a pervasive domestic habit to a situational practice often reserved for communal ceremonies. Despite these challenges, Pasambahan groups, the Bundo Kanduang organisation, and the Matua language activist all support preserving the Matua language. These results impart suggestions for enhancing the preservation of Indigenous languages in similar sociolinguistic contexts and contribute to the conversation about gender knowledge systems in Indigenous language maintenance.]]>
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