The language is spoken by the descendants of Minangkabau settlers from Sumatra, who have migrated to Negeri Sembilan since as early as the 14th century.
[3][4] The Minangkabau people began migrating from the Sumatra highlands to the Malay Peninsula in the 14th century.
The opening of new mukims inland resulted in the formation of nine nagaris – also known as luaks – that were governed by Penghulus.
During this period, Negeri Sembilan was under the Bugis, insofar as the Datuks of Negeri Sembilan cooperated to make a request to the Sultan of Johor (Abdul Jalil Shah IV) to invite a king from Pagaruyung to make him the leader, a request which was accepted.
[5] The invitation of the king (Raja Melewar) brought along the second migration wave of Minangkabau people[7] and resulted in the formation of the state of Negeri Sembilan with the Yamtuan Besar as its leader and Adat Perpatih as its law.
This Malay variety later diverged by the influence of English as an administrative language of the Federated Malay States which Negeri Sembilan became a part of whereas the Minangkabau homeland became a part of the Dutch's Sumatra's Westkust itself instating Dutch into the those people's vernacular.