WEST SUMATERA AND RIAU WERE IN THE BATAK LAND AT FIRST
By: Hamly Hadi
(History Observer)
Long before the Minangkabau and Malay peoples existed, the island of Sumatra, particularly the areas now comprising the provinces of West Sumatra and Riau, was a settlement of the Old Batak people.
The Minangkabau identity emerged after Adityawarman founded the Pagaruyung Kingdom in the 14th century. Adityawarman came from the Dharmasraya Kingdom, a Banjar people descended from Dapunta Hiyang Srijayanasa of Srivijaya. The Banjar people from Dharmasraya assimilated with the local Pagaruyung population (Old Batak), giving birth to a new identity: the Minangkabau people.
Meanwhile, in the eastern part, or what is now Riau Province and the East Coast of North Sumatra (Nagur), since the 15th century, it has been under the control of the Malacca Kingdom. The influence of the Malacca Malays on the Batak people in this region has created new identities such as Deli Malay, Serdang, Batubara, Asahan, Langkat, Panai, Kualuh, Kota Pinang, and Siak.
The Batak people in western North Sumatra still exist today because the western regions of North Sumatra, such as Toba, Mandailing, Simalungun, Angkola, Karo, and Pak Pak, were untouched by the influence of Pagaruyung and Malay kingdoms like Malacca, Johor, and others.**
Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, December 22, 2025
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