It is uncertain whether the Rawa people 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 in
Mainland Southeast Asia, and west of
Lake Toba in
North Sumatra. C. W. Watson speculated that the Rawa people who settled the
Peninsular Malaysia in the 19th century were an admixture of the Indigenous people of the upper
Rokan River and
Kerinci settlers originally from Rawang, North Sumatra. A. C. Milner also notes a second group of
Rawas people (distinguish to the Rawa people) 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. The Rawa people were also known as farmers, traders, and administrators. Amran Dt. Joraho suggests that there was a majority-
Buddhist Rawa Kingdom in and around
Lubuk Sikaping 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, 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, and in the 18th century due to an increase in tin mining. Following the Dutch victory in the
Padri War in the mid-1830s, many Rawa people migrated to
East Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia to escape persecution. Some may have joined Sumatrans who had migrated in previous centuries. The Rawas helped spread
Islam to the Malaysian Peninsula. In
Pahang, many Rawa people settled in Raub. In
Perak, many Rawa people settled in
Gopeng and along the tin-rich
Titiwangsa Mountains after the Padri War and during the 1870s and 1880s. In
Selangor, many Rawa people settled in
Kalumpang 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 Rawa people supported Ahmed in the
Pahang Civil War, the Rawa people were viewed unfavorably by other Malay peoples. Many Rawa people fought against Ahmed in later wars. Some Rawa people fled to Bernam to escape the war. Leaders of
Sungai Ujong 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==