THE EARLY RESIDENTS OF PAGARUYUNG WERE BATAK PEOPLE
By: Hamly Hadi (History Observer)
It is estimated that the early inhabitants of the Pagaruyung kingdom before the arrival of the Banjar people led by Adityawarman from Dharmasraya were Batak. This can be seen from Anthony Reid’s explanation, which states that even the Batak people, living in isolation, deeply revered the Kings of Pagaruyung, as written in his book “Is There a Batak History?”.
“Although free-spirited, the Batak people possessed a high level of respect and blind obedience to the Kings of Pagaruyung, their relatives, and their envoys. They believed that their lives would be ruined, their rice would be attacked by pests, their buffalo would die, and they would be cursed if the feelings of the holy envoys were offended.”
This means that the Batak people were ruled by the Pagaruyung kingdom, led by Adityawarman, and the Banjar people from Dharmasraya, descendants of Srivijaya.
Later, due to the cultural and linguistic acculturation between the Banjar from Dharmasraya and the Batak in Pagaruyung, a new identity was born, called Minangkabau.
The Minangkabau identity was formed when Pagaruyung became a sultanate in the 17th century, and matrilineal customs were established by Datuak Katumanggungan and Datuak Parpatiah Nan Sabatang in 1824.
The Padri War further divided the indigenous (Batak) community and the Minangkabau identity, which is rooted in the Quran and Islamic law. However, remnants of kinship ties can still be seen in the traditional houses, which share identical curved roofs and are both called “rumah besar” (large house). The Batak traditional house, Jabu Bolon, means “big house,” and the Minangkabau traditional house, Rumah Gadang, also means “big house.”**
Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, December 20, 2025
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