MALAY
Excerpts from Wikipedia.org
Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian peoples predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula and parts of Sumatra and Borneo. The Malay ethnic group is distinct from the concept of a Malay race, which encompasses a wider group of people, including most of Indonesia and the Philippines. The Malay language is a member of the Austronesian family of languages.
The Malay people are believed to have originated in Borneo and then expanded outwards into Sumatra and later into the Malay Peninsula. These people were descendants of Austronesian-speakers who migrated from the Philippines and originally from Taiwan. The main foundation of this school of thought lies in the fact that the oldest Malay settlements have been discovered in Sumatra and not in the Malay Peninsula. This suggests an upward - south to north - migratory route.
The Malay ethnic group is the majority in Malaysia and Brunei and a sizable minority in Singapore and Indonesia. This people speak various dialects of Malay language. The peninsular dialect is the standard speech among Malays in Malaysia and Singapore. Meanwhile, the Riau dialect of eastern Sumatra has been adopted as a national tongue, Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), for the whole Indonesian population. The ethnic Malay have had a Muslim culture since the 15th century.
Malaysia
Malaysia's population comprises many ethnic groups, with the Malays making up the majority, close to 62% of the population. By constitutional definition, Malays are Muslim who practice Malay norms and culture. Therefore, technically, a Muslim of any race who practices Malay norms and culture can be considered a Malay and have equal rights when it comes to Malay rights as stated in the constitution. About 24% of the population are Malaysians of Chinese descent. Malaysians of Indian descent comprise about 8% of the population. About 90% of the Indian community are Tamils but various other groups are also present, including Malayalis, Punjabis and Gujaratis. There are also various non-Malay peoples who are designated as indigenous, mostly in East Malaysia. These make up about 7% of the population.
Non-Malay indigenous groups make up more than half of the state of Sarawak's population—constitute about 66% of Sabah's population—and also exist in much smaller numbers on the Peninsula, where they are collectively known as Orang Asli. The non-Malay indigenous population is divided into dozens of ethnic groups, but they share some general cultural similarities. Other Malaysians also include those of, inter alia, European, Middle Eastern, Cambodian, Thai and Vietnamese descent. Europeans and Eurasians include British who colonized and settled in Malaysia and some Portuguese. Most of the Middle Easterners are Arab descent. A small number of Cambodians and Vietnamese settled in Malaysia as Vietnam War refugees.
Population distribution is uneven, with some 20 million residents concentrated on the Malay Peninsula, while East Malaysia is relatively less populated.
The Malay Archipelago by Alfred Wallace (e-book)
The Malay Archipelago became one of the most popular journals of scientific exploration of the 19th century, kept continuously in print by its original publisher (Macmillan) into the 2nd decade of the 20th century. It was praised by scientists such as Darwin (to whom the book was dedicated), and Charles Lyell, and by non scientists such as the novelist Joseph Conrad who called it his "favorite bedside companion", and used it as source of information for several of his novels, especially Lord Jim. (e-book)
Colonial House in Penang
Kuala Lumpur
Non-Malay Ethnic Groups in Malaysia
Bidayuh is the collective name for several indigenous groups found in southern Sarawak, on the island of Borneo, that are broadly similar in language and culture.
Originally from the western part of Borneo, West Kalimantan, the Bidayuhs are now most numerous in the hill country of Bau and Serian, within an hour's drive from Kuching. Historically, as other tribes were migrating into Sarawak and forming settlements, the meek-natured Bidayuhs retreated further inland, hence earning them the name of "Land Dayaks". The traditional Bidayuh abode is the "baruk", a roundhouse that rises about 1.5 metres off the ground. Typical of the Sarawak indigenous groups, the Bidayuhs are well-known for their hospitality, and are reputed to be the best makers of tuak, or rice wine.
The Bidayuhs speak a number of different but related dialects. To some Bidayuhs they either speak Malay or English as lingua franca. While some of them still practice traditional religions, most modern-day Bidayuhs have adopted the Christian faith.
The Ibans form the largest percentage of Sarawak's population, making up some 30%. Reputed to be the most formidable headhunters on the island of Borneo, the Ibans of today are a generous, hospitable and placid people. Because of their history as pirates and fishermen, they were conventionally referred to as the "Sea Dayaks". The early Iban settlers who migrated from Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo south of Sarawak) set up home in the river valleys of Batang Ai, the Skrang River, Saribas, and the Rajang River. The Ibans dwell in longhouses, a stilted structure comprising many rooms housing a whole community of families.
The Ibans are renowned for their Pua Kumbu (traditional Iban weavings), silver craftings, wooden carvings and beadwork. Iban tattoos which were originally symbols of bravery for the Iban warriors have become amongst the most distinctive in the world.
The Ibans are also famous for their tuak, a sweet rice wine which is served during big celebrations and festive occasions.
Today, the majority of Ibans practice Christianity. However, like most other ethnic groups in Sarawak, they still hold strong to their many traditional rituals and beliefs. Sarawak is unique to colourful festivals such as the Gawai Dayak (harvest festival), Gawai Kenyalang (hornbill festival) penuaian padi and Gawai Antu (festival of the dead).
The Iban language is spoken in Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo) and the Sarawak state region of Malaysia by the Iban. It belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family, and is closely related to Malay.
Singapore
The Malays in Singapore
The Malays in Singapore (Malay: Orang Melayu Singapura) constitute 13.9% of the country's population
The Malays in Singapore are generally of mixed descent. The local Malays, originally of aboriginal Orang Laut and other coastal Malay groups, have intermarried with non-Malays. The Orang laut are a group of Malay people living in the Riau Islands of Indonesia. More broadly, the term encompasses the numerous tribes and status groups inhabiting the islands and estuaries in the Riau-Lingga Archipelagos, the Pulau Tujuh Islands, the Batam Archipelago, and the coasts and offshore islands of eastern Sumatra and southern Malay Peninsula."
The Malay term orang laut literally means the sea people. They wander in their boats upon the sea. Historically, the orang laut were principally pirates, but they also played important roles in Srivijaya, the Sultanate of Malacca, and the Johor. They patrolled the adjacent sea areas, repelling real pirates, directing traders to their employers' ports, and maintaining those ports' dominance in the area.
Intermarriages prior to the British colonial period are largely restricted to people of Malay stock, notably the Javanese, Boyanese, Minangkabau and Bugis, as well as some Chinese and Indian traders. Such intermarriages become more widely practised during and after the British colonial period (particularly after World War II), and they were between the Arabs, and to a much lesser extent, the Europeans and Thais. More recently, some Malays have taken Filipino spouses, partly perhaps, due to the fact that they are closely related to the Malays.
Such intermarriages were made possible mainly in two ways; firstly, marrying a Malay Muslim individual simply requires the other party to be a Muslim or to convert to Islam (a relatively simple process as it does not involve any elaborate rites). Secondly, the Malays traditionally stress religious as opposed to racial affiliation between individuals, although acceptance and adoption of the Malay language and culture is viewed much more favorably.
Many modern Malay Singaporeans strongly identify with their Malay ancestry, and tend to understate whatever other ancestry the individual himself may have. This is evidenced in their speech, customs, language, and self-identity, although Malays may incorporate elements of foreign culture into Malay culture, especially Arab and Indian.
Linguistically, most Malays in Singapore speak the Johore-Riau variant of Malay similar to that spoken in Malaysia rather than that of Indonesia. English is also widely spoken. Some Malay Muslims may also learn a little bit of Arabic in their Islamic religious classes.
