Between 1928 and 1930 Sariamin was the head of the Bukittinggi branch of Jong Islamieten Bond, an Islamic youth group. By the 1930s she had become a vocal journalist in the women-run "Soeara Kaoem Iboe Soematra" under the name Seleguri, condemning polygamy and emphasising the need for a nuclear family. After Indonesia proclaimed its independence in 1945, Sariamin spent two years as a member of the regional representative body in Riau.