This is a piece of the tambo nagari story that I can write at the beginning of this section, as an opening discussion about the birthplace of Tuanku Nan Renceh.
B. Kamang in History
The Kamang area is located 12 kilometers east of Fort De Kock (Bukittinggi). This area was once so famous when Minangkabau was overwhelmed by the Paderi atmosphere. Kamang people generally live as farmers with large rice fields. However, if we approach the hilly areas, in the early 19th century the people were busy with woodworking and weaving, or growing valuable crops such as sugar cane, onions, potatoes, coffee and cassiavera/cinnamon. The economic progress of Kamang has been reflected since the middle of the 18th century, it can be read from Christine Dobbin's explanation that
*Kamang- Bukik experienced economic development in the late eighteenth century through the world demand for coffee and cinnamon bark. From the 1740s Europe needed cinnamon bark, continued with the world community's demand in 1790 for coffee, the result was that people scrambled to plant cinnamon bark and coffee in Minangkabau, especially in Kamang.
Kamang in the Paderi period in the 1820s was structured with the implementation of the Islamic Paderi government system by Tuanku Nan Renceh. He placed the center of Paderi power in Nagari Bukik. Then formed the unity of Kamang fort bonds whose territory stretched from Bukik- Kamang nagari to Magek, Salo, Koto Baru. This defense was one of the strongholds of the Paderi before moving to Bonjol.
Evidence of the strong religious values applied at this time is the confirmed role of tuanku imam and qadi for each region. Christine Dobbin mentioned that the center of Tuanku Nan Renceh's power was in the Mejang area, which in the local language is called Mejan in Bansa. Even until the end of his life Tuanku Nan Renceh lived and resided here.
de Steur, who served as resident and military commander in 1824, reorganized the division of administrative regions. This was due to the fact that the areas of the Residentie Van Padang en Onderhoorigheben had not been fully controlled. One of the areas that received special attention was the Padang Bovenlanden Afdelling.
*Tuanku is: a religious figure in a particular region (in Minangkabau).
*Qadi is: a judge who makes decisions based on Islamic law. Islam does not recognize the separation between religious matters and the law so the qadi plays a role in enforcing the rules for every Muslim.
(Afdelling Darek) with an area covering Tanah Datar, Agam and Lima Puluh Kota with the capital of the Afdeelling being Fort Van der Capellen. To give special attention for the Paderi center. For this purpose, the Assistant Resident received assistance from three civilian military commanders stationed in Agam (Fort de Kock), Simawang and Padang Gantiang.
After the defeat of the Paderi group, the Paderi-style Islamic structure that had confirmed the role of tuanku and qadi was overhauled and then replaced by the Dutch by forming a kelarasan system. For the Kamang area the kelarasan was centered in Nagari Kamang (now Kamang Hilir). The Kamang kelarasan as an administrative area was established by the Dutch colonial government in 1833. When the role of the Dutch in Fort De Kock (Bukittinggi) was getting bigger. The Dutch were able to organize the region and introduced the kelarasan system. Each kelarasan, which in Minangkabau is called a lareh, consists of several nagari that have historical ties and are considered to be homogeneous. The Oud Agam (Old Agam) area, which at that time was part of the Padang Darek Residency, included several areas, including:
1. Kelarasan Banuhampu.
2. Kelarasan Sungai Pua.
3. Batu Palano village.
4. Kelarasan Sihanok.
5. Kelarasan Koto Gadang.
6. Tilatang / Gadut family.
7. Kelarasan Magek
8. Kamang family
9. Kelarasan IV Angkek
10. Canduang Kelarasan.
11. Kurai Limo Jorong Kelarasan
In the 19th century there were at least twelve small villages in the Kamang area. However, according to the rules of the Kamang Kelarasan there are only four large villages, namely: Nagari Kamang, Nagari Bukik, Nagari Suayan and Nagari Sungai Balantiak.
