Geographical Names Study of Nagari, a Local Customary-Based Community Unit in Agam Regency, Indonesia

. Nagari names in Agam Regency are lacking historical record despite being a fundamental spatial information. Preliminary research has revealed inconsistencies in nagari name records, even in official government documents. This paper conducts an analysis of nagari names within Agam Regency, West Sumatra Province, Indonesia. Geographical names depict both the natural landscape and human activities, including their interaction with the environment [1], and Agam Regency spans from sea level to 2891 meters, featuring diverse landscapes, while the formation of nagari is deeply rooted in local customary law. This raises a question: what are nagari names in Agam Regency, and what do they signify?. Therefore, the objectives are: 1) establishing a digital nagari name database for Agam Regency, and 2) analysing geographical names based on linguistic and historical meanings. Primary methods used are interviews and literature studies. Approximately 52.44% of names are related to man-made features, human activities, and interactions, while others derive from natural features or a combination of both. Nagari names were found to be clustered around Bukittinggi and Lubuk Basung, historically significant regions. This study contributes to the preservation of nagari names in Agam Regency, and the digital database holds potential for further spatial analyses.


Geographical Names Revisited
Geographical names are sources of linguistic information as well as geographical, historical, and socio-cultural information [2].Geographical names are utilized for identifying and referencing objects, their locations, and their interrelationships with other entities.Historically, place naming has often been associated with natural elements and historical events within and around the area, although its scope is not confined solely to these aspects.There are many other naming factors related to changes in the social, political, and economic conditions of the population [2].Hence, geographical names serve as records documenting the natural landscape and human activities within a specific region [1].Being an integral component of the cultural landscape [3], preserving geographical names was encouraged to preserve not only the history but also the richness of culture and languages in the area [3,4].
When designing a typology for geographical names, the initial step involves distinguishing names based on their generic and specific elements.The linguistic substance of geographical names, such as morphology and semantics, was analyzed together with the history of the bestowal of the names [5].Literature studies on geographical names have been carried out in various locations, including in Guangdong Province in 2016 [6], in the Sinai Peninsula in 2018 [2], in the Magelang and Menoreh Mountains in 2019 [7,8], and in the Province of Trento, Northern Italy, in 2021 [9].Studies can be carried out on geographical names that are still valid today or on historical geographical names collected from historical maps and historical documents.
A study of geographical names in the Sinai Peninsula reveals how the concentration of geographical name classification is based on their geographical and historical meanings [2].An analysis of geographical names in Trento and Guangdong provides conclusions that focus on the use of local dialects, which adds spatial insight into the history and social life of the people in these two regions.A study conducted in Magelang in 2019 revealed how regional dynamics, specifically constant changes in administrative borders, impacted the geographical names [7].
Lastly, there are unrecognizable geographical names on historical maps in the Menoreh Mountains compared to the updated topographic map in 2019.This suggests that topographic maps alone are unsustainable for carrying complete information about geographical names [8].The analysis of geographical names not only stores and preserves facets of culture and language but also holds potential for further development in various analyses, notably spatial analysis.Analysis of geographical names can give geospatial insights into historical understanding, environmental studies about landforms [10,11], historical river channels [1], and urban studies [12,13].

Agam Regency
Agam Regency is part of West Sumatra Province, which is on Sumatera Island, Indonesia.It has a 2232.30km2 area [14] and a total population of 527.415 people [15].The majority of its residents belong to the Minang ethnic group, native to the West Highlands of Sumatera Island [16].Topographically, Agam Regency was a very diverse relief type, with mountainous highland areas with volcanoes (Mount Singgalang, Tandikek, and Marapi Volcano), caldera lakes (Maninjau Lake), flat lowlands, and coastal areas.Local people separate the area with 'the cold area' (the mountainous and highland area), 'the hot area' (the flat lowland and coastal area), and 'Maninjau' for the area surrounding the lake.Agam Regency was formerly part of the territory of the Minangkabau Kingdom [17].The government system in the Minangkabau Kingdom was not completely dependent on the king but was decentralized in smaller areas called Nagari.Nagari has the right to determine the laws that apply to the community and its own property.This difference in applicable customary law is reflected in a customary philosophy that reads "Adaik salingka nagari," which means the customs of a nagari only apply within that nagari and cannot be imposed on other nagari.Presently, Nagari, alongside the statutory laws prevalent across Indonesia, maintain distinct customary laws and traditions within each nagari.Because of the significant role of nagari in society, the establishment of a nagari is regulated according to specific customary requirements, which were further strengthened by regional regulations following Indonesia's independence [18].
Nagari formed in four stages.It started with families who decided to settle and farm in an area; this is called taratak.Several taratak then formed a dusun, and then several dusun mutually agreed to form a koto.Nagari is formed from several koto that have fulfilled the requirements mentioned before for forming a nagari.One of the reasons why differences in customs between nagari can occur is because the nagari formation process is long and the residents are indirectly related by blood.Nagari was once reformed into a desa (village) and experienced changes in how it was managed up to the boundaries of the Nagari area.The division of subdistrict areas at that time even caused a nagari to split into two different sub-district areas [19].Most people did not accept these changes and wanted to return to the Kenagarian system.The community's loyalty to their nagari became increasingly visible when the nagari were again recognized as legitimate government units in 1999 through national regulation.Several nagari that were merged asked to separate themselves to return to being their own nagari, and previously separate nagari asked to return to being one nagari because of differences in customs within their community.
Agam Regency was one of the initial parts of the West Sumatra Highlands to become a choice for communities migrating from the Kingdom Center when the population of the area was determined to be overpopulated [19].Agam Regency, along with Tanah Datar and Limapuluh Kota Regency, were referred to as the Darek region.Traditional customs in the Darek region are thought to be stricter than in the rest of the region.Establishing new nagari in the Darek region takes longer, and there were considerably fewer nagari in the Darek region compared to other regions due to the solid requirements [19].This showed that people's traditional values had remained strong.

Geographical Names in West Sumatera
Geographical names in West Sumatra used Minang and Malay languages.The two languages are similar, with slight differences in the use of vowels and spelling [20].This similarity influences the writing of geographical names in West Sumatra.This difference in the spelling of names is often found in the writing of regional names.Regional names registered on the national list and names used by everyday people are different in writing and pronunciation.The Minang language (the language used by the Minang people) is written in Malay but read with different vowel sounds [20].This prevalence is proven by the writing of regional names in Minangkabau in old poems, which are also written with similar spelling.However, this can cause a misunderstanding of the meaning of a word that can be read in two different ways.An example of the case found is the name of the Sungai Sariak, which is written as Sungai Sarik.Sariak is the name of a type of bamboo, while Sarik means 'difficult'.Residents may recognize the name and read it as Sungai Sariak, in contrast to newcomers or tourists who are not familiar with the name and are prone to misunderstanding the meaning.Problems also arise when using search engines, as seen in figure 3. Differences in the nature and social conditions of society are unique to each region.Agam Regency, in this case, has its own uniqueness in that a customary community unit is still fully functioning as a legal government unit despite its diverse nature.Therefore, the main objectives of this study are: 1) establishing a digital nagari name database for Agam Regency; and 2) analyzing geographical names based on linguistic and historical meanings.Those aims will hopefully help to answer the following question: what are nagari names in Agam Regency, and what do they signify?

Methods
This study was conducted in the Agam Regency area, using the administrative boundaries of Agam Regency as geo-boundaries.The Nagari name used is the newest Nagari name, or the name currently used.Geographical name data was collected from several different sources.The purpose of using several sources was to check if there were other names used for the same area and to collect names with different spellings.The main source used is geographical name data from the 2014 topographic map of Indonesia (Peta Rupabumi Indonesia) at a scale of 1:50,000 from the Bappeda (Badan Perencanaan dan Pembangunan Daerah) of Agam Regency.Other data used are the attachment to Indonesian Ministry of Home Affairs Decree Number 050-145 of 2022 and the Nagari apparatus database by DPMN (Dinas Pemberdayaan Masyarakat dan Nagari) of Agam Regency.Each geographical name was digitized as a vector point shapefile.The attribute table is prepared following the format of a geographical name survey by BIG, with adjustments to keep the study focused on the meaning and history of Nagari names.
The next step is to find the meaning of nagari names using the Minang-Indonesian Dictionary by the Indonesian Ministry of Education.Gathering information regarding the meaning and history of the name nagari in more depth and detail was carried out through interviews.Interviews were conducted semiopen with a list of questions that had been prepared so that the interview remained on topic but did not limit the interviewee's answers during the interview.The list of questions and answer forms is prepared by referring to the attribute table columns that have been prepared previously.Main topic for the interview was meaning, history, alias/other names, and how the interviewee responded to the inconsistent spelling of nagari names in Agam Regency.Interviews were noted and recorded on the response form.
Requirements for the interviewees are residents who have lived in the area for more than 30 years, who are traditional leaders, cultural experts, or nagari officials who have knowledge of the name and history of their nagari.To make identity verification easier, the interview location chosen was the wali nagari office (nagari's government office), which is the center of nagari government and customary activities.The interview results were then added to the attribute table.

Results and Discussion
Nagari names study in Agam Regency can't be separated from the history of Ampek Ampek Angkek.Agam Regency was built in 4 stages, namely Ampek Ampek Angkek (4 steps, 4 nagari each), Matua Palembayan (Matua and Palembayan), Salingka Danau Maninjau (Maninjau lakes surroundings), and Garagahan Lubuk Basung jo sakitarannyo (Garagahan, Lubuk Basung, and its surroundings).Agam Regency was the second community called Luhak formed in Minangkabau Kingdom after Luhak Tanah Datar.Tanah Datar, specifically Pariangan, was considered so crowded that the people decided to migrate with coordination by Datuak (traditional leader) to go to other areas in the vicinity.The first development of nagari in Agam was carried out in 4 stages, and each stage produced 4 nagari; therefore, it was called Ampek Ampek Angkek (4 steps, 4 nagari each).Nagari formed in this stage are always referred to in two sets, like poetry.Some of the Nagari names mentioned in the title are still used today, and others have been replaced or combined with other names.The history of Ampek Ampek Angkek is currently enshrined as the name of a sub-district, namely Ampek Angkek Sub-District, with its territory being the territory of the first group of four groups who inhabited Agam Regency.This story also had an influence on society in the future, where the number 4 was considered the 'ideal' number for various things, including for naming nagari.Nagari that use the word Ampek as part of their name include the Taluak Ampek Suku and Ampek Koto Palembayan.The development of residential areas in Agam Regency was then continued in areas around the areas that were inhabited at the Ampek Ampek Angkek stage.
As many as 58% of the names, namely 48 of the 82 nagari names, are descriptive, with the words used as names being words that are commonly found and can be studied using a dictionary.The remaining 34 of them are unique names taken from plant names or formed from certain unique words and influenced by people's pronunciation from time to time.According to the source-persons the people of Agam Regency name an area based on the icon that characterized the area when it was first opened or passed through.Icons are not limited to natural features that are striking in the area but can also be man-made features that were first built or human interactions that often occur or are carried out in the area.Non-descriptive names are less towards the north side of the area as shown on the map below (Figure 4).The names in Table 1 below are very straightforward descriptive names.Koto, as mentioned before, is a community of people who have an agreement on the laws and customs of a particular society and are formed from among themselves.The name Koto was then taken to become the name of the nagari due to factors such as location, area size, or the center of community activities.Names with common words to describe regions make it possible for two regions to have the same name, but this situation is generally uncommon in neighboring Nagari.Several nagari added other defining words to differentiate the two nagari.An example of this is the name Ampek Koto.Nagari Ampek Koto in Palembayan adds the word Palembayan to its name to differentiate the nagari from the name of the Ampek Koto district.Two names for Koto Gadang were also found, but with different reasons for naming them.A more detailed explanation can be seen in the following table.Names such as Sitalang, Gadut, Kapau, Baringin, Sipinang, and Sariak are names taken from the names of plants that grow widely in the area or plants that become icons when crossing the area.Names containing plant elements are spread throughout the Agam region.Apart from that, the names Sungai Landia and Sungai Pua are nagari names that are related to topographic features as well as the plants that grow in their areas.The river in the name is a river, and then Landia and Pua are the names of the plants.The use of natural feature terms as specific names is also found in the names in Table 2 below.The outside meadow

Lambah canyon Canyon
There were also other names that are related to natural features but did not directly mention the name of it.These names were classified as "Depicting natural features".The rest of the nagari in Agam Regency were named after human activities and interactions.It can vary from a specific act people did when they first arrived, common interactions that used to happen there, or the result of human activities and interactions such as the number of tribes who lived there and the number of balai adat (community halls used for customary necessities) that were built there.This act of naming places with the activity of people did come from people's daily lives when referring to these places using "That place where people came to trade on Monday" which over time became the name of the area, Pakan Sinayan, which is translated literally as "Monday Market".More names from this category can be found in Table 4.

Kampung Tangah
The middle village There were six names (7.32%), four of which were derived from the same word, the meanings of which remained unidentified.The names are Malalak (North, East, West, and South Malalak), Panta Pauh, and Padang Tarok.There was an inadequate amount of information about the meanings and histories of the names.Due to poor road conditions and unfavorable weather, there was only a certain area that was accessible for interviews.The interview's progress was additionally held up by a landslide towards the location at several points.Another limitation of this study was the limited number of eligible sources who agreed to be interviewed.There were not many who owned knowledge of their Nagari names' histories.Potential sources often stated their inability to participate or declined interviews.On the other hand, some sources stated that there was a potential for an error in the answer or that there was another version other than the one they were familiar with.This study on nagari names in Agam Regency can be used to continue research by incorporating remote sensing data to perform spatial analysis related to the historical development of settlements, cultural landmarks, land use, and agriculture, particularly on names that are commonly used as the names of natural features and crops.The authors aim to extend this study by integrating geographical name data with DEM to examine how variations in elevation and topographic factors may influence the names.

Conclusions
In contrast to literature research, the compilation of a Nagari name database is seen more viable through the collection of information from community members via interviews.The lack of available printed or digital materials in nagari limits our understanding of the significance and historical context of their names.The absence of concrete documentation renders this knowledge extremely vulnerable.Moreover, a majority of the respondents conveyed their endorsement for the modification of name spellings and the implementation of a digital repository as a preventive measure against future data loss.

Fig. 1 .
Fig. 1.Map of the Area of Study

Fig. 2 .
Fig. 2. Inconsistent writing of the Nagari name on the sign of a state school

Table 1 .
Nagari names using "Koto" and common descriptive words.

Table 2 .
Nagari names that contain natural features terms.

Table 3 .
Nagari names that depict natural features

Table 4 .
Nagari names from human activities and interactions.