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West Sumatra in Indonesia has been acclaimed as having the world’s largest matrilineal society: the Minangkabau. That society encourages its young males to undertake merantau (migration) for life experiences and economic opportunities. However, Minangkabau females were traditionally expected to remain within their matrilineal boundaries of their nagari (district) and kampung (village). In the twentieth century, single Minang women, too, began migrating in large numbers to the larger cities within Indonesia for education and work. This article reports on a study of the identity transition among Minang women who have migrated to the greater Jakarta region, which includes Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, and the nearby Tangerang city. The findings indicate that Minang women in the greater Jakarta region have “positioned” their identity in the context of a combination of Minangkabau matrilineal culture, the expected Islamic identity in Jakarta and a cosmopolitan urban life among many other ethnic groups. Keywords: Female migration, Indonesia, internal migration, Islamic attire, matrilineal society, Minangkabau identity