Malayisation

It is often described as a process of civilisational expansion, drawing a wide range of indigenous peoples into the Muslim, Malay-speaking polities of Maritime Southeast Asia.

[9] Examples of Malayisation have occurred throughout Asia including in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka.

Malayisation started to occur during the territorial and commercial expansion of Melaka Sultanate in the 15th century, which spread the language, culture, and Islam to the Maritime Southeast Asia.

Malayisation could either be voluntary or forced and is most visible in the case of territories where the Malay language or culture were dominant or where their adoption could result in increased prestige or social status.

There is significant genetic, linguistic, cultural, and social diversity among modern Malay subgroups, mainly attributed to centuries of migration and assimilation of various ethnic groups and tribes within Southeast Asia.

As a result, growth in trade between Melaka and the rest of the archipelago led to the dialect spreading beyond the traditional Malay speaking world, and eventually it became a lingua franca of maritime Southeast Asia.

The term 'Melayu' ("Malay") to refer to a distinct group of people had been clearly defined to describe the cultural preferences of the Melakans as against foreigners from the same region, notably the Javanese and Thais.

[21] After Melaka was conquered by the Portuguese in 1511, and the ruling family had established a successor polity in Johor, it would appear that the 'ways of Malay' continued to be fostered and began to have an influence in surrounding sultanates.

At the local level, individual Malay sultanates all over the archipelago that usually based on rivers and often close to the coast, exercised sufficient attractiveness, or suasion, to foster a process of assimilation.

Similar developments were underway in Asahan, to the south, and on the Barus frontier in the northwest of Sumatra where entry to the new sphere entailed not only a change in manners and clothing styles, but also the adoption of the Islamic religion and the Malay language.

[28] On the peninsula, the effects of the continued contacts between the non-Malays with Malay-dominated centre is suggested in a 19th-century account of Pahang, which mentions that some of the natives who had strong trading ties with the Malays had begun to emulate their speech and dress.

A colonial writing about Sarawak, observed that many non-Malays would be amazed to learn the degree to which the present Malay population derives from the local native sources, and among the latter are Sea (Iban) and Land Dayaks (Bidayuh).

Further down the east coast, the Paser polity had extended its influence into the Barito-speaking Dayak, and some of these people became Muslim and were eventually referred to as 'Paser Malays'.

In southern Borneo, the Malay-speaking Sultanate of Banjar had been pushing inland since the 17th century, bringing Dayaks into its Muslim culture.

These include titles such as datu and laksamana, as well as the terms for 'rank' (pangkat), 'sitting legs crossed' (bersila), 'treason' (derhaka), 'magical chanting' (mantera) and 'story' (hikayat).

Governmental agencies, both state and federal, including for many years the JHEOA (now known as JAKOA) itself, have accordingly spent much effort in converting the Orang Asli to Islam.

JHEOA officers have been heard to comment that the Orang Asli "problem" - usually defined as that of poverty - would disappear if they became Muslims, and hence Malays.

In September 1996, for example, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Land and Co-operative Development, Nik Mohamed Zain Nik Yusof, gave the following justification for the Federal government's newly announced review of legislation relating to Orang Asli land rights: "If these amendments are made, Orang Asli can be more easily integrated into Malay society.

One instance was in the Sedili valley, where modern anthropologists discovered in the 1970s that villages formerly reported by travellers to be Jakun, are now Malay communities.

The state government promoted Malay language in government-aided schools, sponsored the Quran-reading competitions and organised various dawah activities.

All these the Berjaya government considered to be in line with the spirit of Article 12(2) of the Constitution of Malaysia that provide legitimacy for the state to promote and assist in the funding of Islamic institutions and instruction, the core of which was to be derived from Malay-Muslim elements.

The emergence of Singapore-Malay community was added to by intermarriage with Arabs, Indian Muslims and Peninsula Malays immigrants, as well as the adoption of Chinese babies.

[citation needed] Contrary to Brunei and Malaysia, a major component of Malayness  — fealty to a ruling sultan — was removed from the modern Indonesian republican ideology.

In March 1946, a major uprising broke out against several Malay-Muslim Sultanates and rich Malay classes in East Sumatra, removing the traditional feudal social structure in the region.

[44] Today, several regional kingdoms or sultanate survive, despite holding no actual political power and without real authority, being replaced by provincial governatorial administration.

Officially, Malayness has no special position in Indonesian state ideology, except as one of the constituent regional cultures — which tend to be represented on a province-by-province basis.

[45] The strength of nationalist sentiments, rapidly progressing democracy, the destruction of the sultanates, and rampant Javanisation, ushered in a prolonged period of Malay political acquiescence, significantly reducing the momentum of Malayisation in Indonesia.

[47] There is a sizeable Malay community in Sri Lanka, descended from soldiers, convicts, and political exiles brought from the Dutch East Indies and British Malaya.

This move was favoured by the urban segment of the community as it enables them to feel linked to the larger Malay groups in Southeast Asia.

The community's effort to teach standard Malay to its members is largely aided by the Malaysian government through its high commission in Colombo.

3 Warna Melayu (the Malay tricolour ), a testament of the 3 core values of the defining Malay identity : Green ( Iman - Faith), Yellow ( Adat - Custom) and Red ( Keberanian - Bravery) displayed in Riau , Indonesia .
A typical Baju melayu assemble, worn together with the songket . Baju Melayu traces its origin to the 15th century Malacca Sultanate , [ 11 ] and today is one of the most important symbol of Malay culture.
The Malays and the Javanese , hand-coloured copper engraving from Jan Huyghen van Linschoten 's, Itinerario , 1596. The legend reads " Inhabitants of Malacca , the best speakers, the most polite and the most amorous of the East Indies . Inhabitants of Java , who are hard-headed and obstinate. " [ 17 ]
A copy of Undang-Undang Melaka ('Laws of Melaka'). The Melaka system of justice as enshrined in the text was the first digest of laws, compiled in the Malay world, and became a legal resource for other major regional sultanates like Johor , Perak , Brunei , Pattani and Aceh . [ 22 ] [ 23 ]
Siti Nurhaliza , the most prominent Malay pop star of her era, performing in full traditional Malay costume. She is credited with having introduced and popularised the Malay traditional pop culture throughout the Malay world .
Maimun Palace in Medan , a reminder of 19th century opulence of Malay Deli Sultanate . Although today the sultanate still crowned their sultan, he holds no actual political power, absorbed into North Sumatran provincial government.
Cham girls, wearing Baju Kurung .
Sri Lankan Malay Father and Son, 19th century