History of Negeri Sembilan

Published on Nil | by serembanonline.com

Negeri Sembilan is one of Malaysia’s thirteen states and lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, just south of Kuala Lumpur.

The name, which lierally translates as NIne States, is believed to have come from the nine villages settled here in the 14th century by the Minangkabau people, originally from West Sumatra in

Indonesia, fleeing violent raids from the Javanese.

Minangkabau, derived from the Indo-Malay words “menang and kerbau” meaning “winning buffalo”, are well-known for their unique roof architecture, which resembles buffalo horns.

When the Minang’s settled in Negeri Sembilan they brought with them a matrilineal societal tradition called Adat Perpatih, whereby women are afforded a higher social status than men and have property and land titles ownership passed from mother to daughter and not father to son- a law that still applies today.

Other features of the Minang culture are still visible today in the food that is eaten here which can be very, very, spicy, the dancing style, as well as the music and storytelling passed down over the generations.

Seremban is the capital of Negeri Sembilan and today the state has an economy based mainly in the agricultural sector with palm, rubber and fruit and vegetable farms taking up half the state’s land area. They are also one of the leaders in the country in organic farming.

Recently, residential growth demand has seen housing estates with affordable homes being built at a furious pace in and around Seremban which is just 40 minutes from Kuala Lumpur, a plus point for middle-class Malays who cannot afford the astronomical cost of living in the capital.

Many residents choose to commute and live in Negeri Sembilan as the area offers great beaches on the coast around Port Dickson as well as lush mountainous forest and river environments throughout the state for those who enjoy an outdoor lifestyle-something like the Sunshine or Gold Coast in Queensland where residents work in Brisbane but commute daily.

Negeri Sembilan has over 1 million people living within the district and the state’s ethnic composition consists of approximately 57.8% Malay, 21.9% Chinese,14.3% Indian and other ethnic groups at 0.35%.