Minangkabau language
Minangkabau (Minangkabau: , Jawi script: ; ) is an Austronesian language spoken by the Minangkabau of West Sumatra, the western part of Riau, South Aceh Regency, the northern part of Bengkulu and Jambi, also in several cities throughout Ind ...
, are an ethnic group originating in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
. Many Rawas migrated to
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...
during the 19th century.
History
It is uncertain whether the Rawas belong to the larger Minangkabau ethnic group. Fathil et al. note controversy but assert that most scholars believe the Rawas are part of the Minangkabau. Genetic analysis indicates a close relationship between the Minangkabau and Rawa peoples. Possible origins of the Rawa people include the district of Rao in Pasaman,
Champa
Champa (Cham language, Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ, چمڤا; ; 占城 or 占婆) was a collection of independent Chams, Cham Polity, polities that extended across the coast of what is present-day Central Vietnam, central and southern Vietnam from ...
in
Mainland Southeast Asia
Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...
, and west of
Lake Toba
Lake Toba (, Toba Batak: ᯖᯀᯬ ᯖᯬᯅ; romanized: ''Tao Toba'') is a large natural lake in North Sumatra, Indonesia, occupying the caldera of the Toba supervolcano. The lake is located in the middle of the northern part of the island of ...
in
North Sumatra
North Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan on the east coast of the island. It borders Aceh to the northwest, Riau to the sou ...
. C. W. Watson speculated that the Rawa who settled the
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...
in the 19th century were an admixture of the Indigenous people of the upper
Rokan River
Rokan River is a river in Riau province, central-eastern Sumatra, Indonesia, about 1,100 km northwest of the capital Jakarta.Kerinci settlers originally from Rawang, North Sumatra. A. C. Milner also notes a second group of Rawas in Jambi and Palembang, referring to this people as the 'Orang Rawa' and the West Sumatra people as the 'Orang Rau'.
By the 2nd century CE, the Rawa people were known for mining mining gold and
tin
Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...
. The Rawa people were also known as farmers, traders, and administrators. Amran Dt. Joraho suggests that there was a majority-
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
Rawa Kingdom in and around
Lubuk Sikaping
Lubuk Sikaping is a town and district in Pasaman Regency, of West Sumatra province of Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean ...
from the 12th century to the 14th century known as ''Negeri di atas Angin'' ('Country above the Wind'). After being absorbed into the
Pagaruyung Kingdom
Pagaruyung (, other name: ''Pagaruyung Dārul Qarār''), also known as Pagarruyung, Pagar Ruyung and Malayapura or Malayupura, was a kingdom that once stood in the island of Sumatra and the seat of the Minangkabau people, Minangkabau kings of ...
, the various Rawa clans continued to be ruled by lesser kings until the 19th century.
Some Rawa men immigrated to Peninsular Malaysia in the 5th century to work in the coastal trade. More immigrated to the Malay Peninsula in the 17th century due to an increase in gold mining in
Raub, Pahang
Raub is a town in Raub District, Pahang, Malaysia. Raub is one of the oldest towns in Pahang.
History
Raub was explored and founded in the 18th century. It is historically a gold mining settlement, and the gold mining industry is now undergoin ...
, and in the 18th century due to an increase in tin mining.
Following the Dutch victory in the
Padri War
The Padri Wars (also called the Minangkabau War) was fought from 1803 until 1837 in West Sumatra, Indonesia between the Padri and the Adat. The Padri were Islam, Muslim clerics from Sumatra who wanted to impose Sharia in Minangkabau Highlands, ...
in the mid-1830s, many Rawas migrated to
East Sumatra
The State of East Sumatra (''Negara Sumatera Timur'') was established by the Netherlands after the reoccupation of North Sumatra in July, 1947, during the first of the Dutch ' police actions' against the fledgling Republic of Indonesia. In 1949, ...
and Peninsular Malaysia to escape persecution. Some may have joined Sumatrans who had migrated in previous centuries. The Rawas helped spread
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
to the Malaysian Peninsula. In
Pahang
{{Infobox political division
, name = Pahang
, official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur
, native_name =
, settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State
, image_skyline =
, imagesize ...
, many Rawas settled in Raub. In
Perak
Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...
, many Rawas settled in
Gopeng
Gopeng (Jawi script, Jawi: ڬوڤيڠ) is a town located in Mukim Teja, Kampar District, Perak, Malaysia. It is situated approximately south of Ipoh, the state capital.
History
Gopeng was the most important town in the Kinta Valley until 1890 ...
and along the tin-rich
Titiwangsa Mountains
The Titiwangsa Mountains ( Malay: ''Banjaran Titiwangsa'', ), also known as ''Banjaran Besar'' (lit. 'main range') by locals, is the chain of mountains that forms the backbone of the Malay Peninsula. The northern section of the range is in sout ...
after the Padri War and during the 1870s and 1880s. In
Selangor
Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...
, many Rawas settled in
Kalumpang
Kalumpang is a mukim in Hulu Selangor District
Hulu Selangor is a Districts in Malaysia, district in Selangor, Malaysia. It contains the towns of Serendah, Batang Kali and Kuala Kubu Bharu. Its principal town is Kuala Kubu Bharu. The dist ...
due to large tin deposits and proximity to the states they were migrating from. Many Rawa people shifted from working in tin mines to rubber tree plantations when tin production declined in the late 1880s.
During the 19th century, Rawa warriors on the Malaysian Peninsula were involved in many wars as mercenaries. After many Raub Rawas supported Ahmed in the
Pahang Civil War
The Pahang Civil War ( Malay: ''Perang Saudara Pahang'', Jawi: ڤرڠ ساودارا ڤهڠ), also known as the Brothers War or the Bendahara War was a civil war fought from 1857 to 1863, between forces loyal to the reigning Raja Bendahara T ...
, the Rawa people were viewed unfavorably by other Malay peoples. Many Rawas fought against Ahmed in later wars. Some Rawas fled to Bernam to escape the war. Leaders of
Sungai Ujong
Seremban (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Somban'') is a city in the Seremban District and the capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia. The city's administration is run by the Seremban Municipal Council, Seremban City Council. ...
and Rembau complained to the British about oppression and robbery by Rawas in 1855, and the British viewed the Rawas as a threat to political stability. Because of this negative perception, some chose to conceal their Rawa identity.
Geography
In 1978, Milner reported that approximately 40,000 Rawas lived in
West Sumatra
West Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of ...
. The Rawa community of Malaysia is concentrated in
Gopeng
Gopeng (Jawi script, Jawi: ڬوڤيڠ) is a town located in Mukim Teja, Kampar District, Perak, Malaysia. It is situated approximately south of Ipoh, the state capital.
History
Gopeng was the most important town in the Kinta Valley until 1890 ...
, Perak, where there are more than 1,000 Rawa people.
Culture
In the Rawa community of Gopeng, children who are learning to walk and are at least thirteen months old must complete the ''adat berjojak'' ceremony before they are allowed to walk outside of their house. This ceremony is intended to prevent illness and poor academic performance.
Many young men practice ''adat merantau'', the tradition of leaving one's home village to gain life experience and new opportunities.
Lemang kelamai is traditionally eaten during
Hari Raya
Eid al-Fitr () is the first of the two main festivals in Islam, the other being Eid al-Adha. It falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the ...
. Lemang kelamai is a variant of
lemang
Lemang (Minangkabau: ''lamang'') is a Minangkabau traditional food made from glutinous rice, coconut milk, and salt, cooked in a hollowed bamboo tube coated with banana leaves in order to prevent the rice from sticking to the bamboo. Originating ...
that includes
palm sugar
Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar may be qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed simila ...
and toasted
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...