Rawa (tribe)
Encyclopedia
Rawa or Rao is a term given to a Malay community living in the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...

, now the West Malaysia. It is common for the Rawa to identify themselves as Oghang Rawo or Oghang Rao or even Rao.

History

The Rawa or Rao people came to Malaysia from Kecamatan (Sub-District) Rao Mapat Tunggul, in Kabupaten (District) Pasaman
Pasaman
Pasaman is a regency of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It has an area of 3,947.63 km² and a population of approximately 243,000 people. The capital is Lubuk Sikaping....

, Propinsi (State) Sumatera Barat, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

 in 1773 to 1848 to Negeri Sembilan
Negeri Sembilan
Negeri Sembilan, one of the 13 states that constitutes Malaysia, lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, just south of Kuala Lumpur and borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the south....

, in 1857 to 1863 to Pahang
Pahang
Pahang is the third largest state in Malaysia, after Sarawak and Sabah, occupying the huge Pahang River river basin. It is bordered to the north by Kelantan, to the west by Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, to the south by Johor and to the east by Terengganu and the South China Sea.Its state...

, in 1867 to 1873 to Selangor
Selangor
Selangor also known by its 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 east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...

, in 1875 to 1876 to Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...

 and some in Kelantan
Kelantan
Kelantan is a state of Malaysia. The capital and royal seat is Kota Bharu. The Arabic honorific of the state is Darul Naim, ....

.

Population

The population spread around Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...

, several parts in Penang, Selangor and Pahang. Gopeng
Gopeng
Gopeng is a town located in Mukim Teja, District of Kampar, Perak, Malaysia. It is situated approximately 20 km south of Ipoh, the state capital. The town is located on the west side of the North-South Expressway stretch of Tapah-Simpang Pulai...

, a small town in Perak is a well known town for its Rawa community who is still preserving most of its tradition and dialect for centuries, way before the formation of Malaysia.

Rawa Dialect

Among the most notable suffixes used by the Rawa is kuak, sang, tang. For instance:
  • Bak mano tang means "how could that be"
  • Ompek ringgit sang means "four ringgit only"
  • Nyonyo nak bergolek kuak means "maybe he wants to sleep"


Other significant phrases such as:
  • Bak siko cipier to means "give me the plate"
  • Ondeik! Gudang utak bak nyonyo means "owh! stubborn just like him"
  • Beserendeng tukong means "carrying things excessively/overloaded"
  • Banyak uta kareknyo means "he's mischievous/cunning"
  • Lotowk dongen kayu to means "Hit it with the stick"
  • Ako ngincah/kincah kain isowk means "i'll rinse the clothes tomorrow"
  • Bak kato jako...means "like i just said"
  • Aghri Senoyen means "Monday"
  • Pukol ompek karang nyo means "its at 4 o'clock"
  • Kao idak poie menjongouwk means "will you be going for the funeral?"
  • Abeih berkerotang sado alahnyo means "everything is a complete mess" (when the mouth gets messy with foods while eating)
  • Hopak! bergayo tang kawo genaghain/genarin means "Wow! you looks stylish nowadays"
  • Sempureh kawo! means "to hell with you!" (offensive)
  • Ku sipak kang means "i'll kick you" (offensive)
  • Abeih tekelayak means "it tears apart" (specifically for open wound)


The Rawa is well known for its distinctive deep vocabulary and exquisite grammar, very different from the ordinary Bahasa Melayu
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

or Standard Malay speakers.

Rawa Cuisine

The Kelamai and Gulai Nangka has become the signature cuisine of the Rawa community in which they mastered every inch of its details and procedures. Many tourist who joined the Gopeng Homestay Program in Gopeng will experiencing these wonderful cuisine. The Kelamai or pronounce as Kelamei is a sweet dark brown delicacy similar to the Lemang. It is cooked for hours inside a specifically chosen bamboo under very tedious supervision. Not to mention the complicated pre cook procedures of preparing the down.

Tradition

Adet Berjojak or Adat Berjejak (in standard Malay) is a traditional ritual usually practiced for children. There are very detail protocols and constrains to abide upon completion.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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