History of South Sumatra
South Sumatra or the southern part of the island of Sumatra, known as the province of South Sumatra was established on September 12, 1950 which initially covered the areas of Jambi, Bengkulu, Lampung, and the Bangka Belitung islands and the last four regions mentioned later each became a separate province but had the cultural roots of language from the same family, namely the Austronesian proto Malay language with regional divisions of languages and accents, such as Palembang, Ogan, Komering, Musi, Lematang and many other languages.
According to anthropological sources, it is stated that the origins of humans in southern Sumatra can be traced back to the Paleolithic era with the presence of objects from the Paleolithic era in several areas, including now known as Lahat Regency, Sarolangun Bangko Regency, Ogan Komering Ulu Regency and Tanjung Karang, namely Bengamas Slope Village. north of the Gumai mountains, at the bottom (a branch of the Musi River) of the Saling river, the Kikim river then in the Tiangko Panjang village (Tiangko Panjang Cave) and Padang Bidu village or the Podok Salabe area as well as discoveries in Kalianda and Kedaton where one can find traditions originating from the acheulean migrated via the Mekong river which was part of the Khmer Monk nation.
Since centuries ago, the province of South Sumatra has also been known as Bumi Sriwijaya; in the 7th to 12th centuries AD this region was the center of the Sriwijaya kingdom which was also famous for the largest and most powerful maritime empire in the archipelago. Its echoes and influence even reached Madagascar on the African continent.
From the 13th to the 14th century, this region was under Majapahit rule. Furthermore, this area was once a no man’s land and was home to pirates from abroad, especially from China.