, Indonesia , Thailand , Brunei . They live on the Malay Peninsula, including the areas of the Kra Isthmus belonging to Thailand, in the coastal strip of Sumatra and Kalimantan and on the islands of the South China Sea belonging to Indonesia, and make up the majority of the population of the Australian possessions of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island. They also live in South Africa, Myanmar, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Australia and other countries. IN XIX-XX centuries immigration of Malays to other countries grew. In older literature, the ethnically diverse population or inhabitants of the coastal regions of Malaya and the Malay Archipelago were often referred to as Malays. There are 7.8 million people in Malaysia, 10.8 million in Indonesia, 2.1 million in Thailand, 450 thousand in Singapore, 190 thousand in South Africa, and 125 thousand in Brunei. The total number of 21.3 million people.
They speak the Malay language of the West Austronesian group of the Austronesian family. The first monuments - the middle of the 1st millennium AD - used a script of South Indian origin; from the XIV-XV centuries. the Arabic alphabet spread, partially supplanted by the Latin alphabet in the 19th century. There is rich folklore, epics, historical works, medieval novels in the Malay language, and professional literature since the 19th century. In the 20th century, Indonesian and Malaysian literary languages were created on the basis of the Riau dialect - the official languages of Indonesia and Malaysia.
Believers are Sunni Muslims. Islam is seen in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei as hallmark Malays. A small number profess Christianity of various persuasions.
The Malays are divided into a number of large groups. The most significant of them are the following: Malays of Malaysia (Malaysians) are divided into 2 groups. The Malays of West Malaysia are settled on the Malay Peninsula (most compactly in the northeastern states of Kelantan and Terengganu) among the numerically and economically predominant Chinese and Indian population. Despite the government's policy of creating a single Malaysian nation, relations ethnic groups often take on an antagonistic character. Immigrants from Indonesia (Malays of Indonesia, Javanese, Minangkabau, Bugis) and natives of Malaysia (Semangs, Senoi, Jakuns) are consolidated with the Malays of West Malaysia. Malay rulers are at the head of the sultanates within West Malaysia and are alternately elected to the post of head of state. The Malays of East Malaysia (numbering 300 thousand people) are ethnically related to the Malays of Indonesia living in the Indonesian part of Kalimantan, they are integrated with the numerically predominant Dayaks: the Ibans in Sarawak and the Kadazans in Sabah.
The ancestral home of the Malays is obviously West Kalimantan, their settlement along the coast of the South China Sea (Sumatra, Malacca, etc.) took place in the 1st millennium BC and was associated with the development of international trade in Southeast Asia. By the middle of the 1st millennium AD, the first Malay states arose in Sumatra, which united by the 7th-8th centuries. to the Buddhist empire of Srivijaya, which controlled the main sea routes of Western Indonesia. Many peoples of Indonesia and the Malacca Peninsula participated in the ethnogenesis of the Malays. From the XIII-XIV centuries. the Malays of Indonesia fell into the sphere of influence of the Javanese Majapahit empire; significant cultural influence of the Javanese. Adoption in the XIV-XV centuries. Islam contributed to the consolidation of the Malays. The Malacca Sultanate, which arose in the 15th century, controlled trade routes in the island part of Southeast Asia. The Malays assimilated other ethnic groups involved in trade, the Malay language became the intermediary language in the Malay Archipelago. During the period of Dutch colonial rule (XVII - the first half of the XX centuries), numerous sultanates arose: Palembang, Jambi, Siak, Linga, Indragiri (Inderagiri), Kutei, Kota Waringin, etc., within which modern groups of Malays were formed. In the 19th century, the ethnic integrity of the Malays was finally violated by colonial borders.
The main occupations are agriculture (the main crop is jellied and dry rice, hevea, coconut palm, coffee) and fishing. Many Malays, especially in the north of Kalimantan, north of Sumatra, in Singapore, in the west of the Malay Peninsula, are employed in industry, trade, services and management. A significant stratum of the urban population (Singapore, Indonesia). Crafts are developed - jewelry, weaving, in some areas - the production of batik, weaving, the construction of boats and ships. Characterized by navigation, piracy (in the past).
The Malays of Malaysia are predominantly a rural population. Rural settlements(kampung) linear, less often cumulus layout. A traditional dwelling made of bamboo, piled, frame-pillar, single-chamber, rectangular, surrounded by an open veranda.
Traditional clothing - sarong and kebaya swing jacket - is preserved in women, in men the sarong and baju jacket are replaced by European clothing.
The main food is boiled rice (nasa) seasoned with vegetables, meat, fish. Festive food - plov (nasi-goreng) with big amount spices, small skewers of goat or chicken (sate).
Social relations are multilayered: communal traditions that regulate the life of the rural population are combined with feudal forms and capitalist relations.
Belief in spirits, folklore are preserved: ditties (pantuns); menari dances, a peculiar singing style of keronchong, a theater of flat parchment puppets (wayang) (in Kelantan), etc. Professional literature and art are developed.
Malays - 1 The Malays proper are an Austronesian Muslim people in Southeast Asia who speak the Malay language of the Austronesian family of languages. In ancient times, the Malays used the South Indian script, from the 14th-15th centuries. - Arabic alphabet. Regions with significant Malay populations: Brunei, Timor, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Pattani (in Thailand) Other areas where Malays live: Australia, Canada, Comoros, Germany, Japan, Myanmar, Netherlands, Palau, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Hainan, Hong Kong, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Reunion.
2 . Malay-related peoples of the Malayo-Polynesian branch of languages. Sometimes the term is used in this wider sense. Languages: Malay, Indonesian, Tagalog, Javanese, Tetum and hundreds of other languages. Religion: Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, tribal religions. , Jarai, natives of Taiwan, Polynesia, Micronesia and other peoples of Austronesian language family. In general, these inhabit a large group of islands called the Malay Archipelago, and others neighboring territories. They founded in ancient times a number of Islamic sultanates, the kingdom of Pattani, the kingdom of Champa (Champa) in Vietnam. The Malays are related to the Polynesians and Micronesians who inhabit the islands Pacific Ocean. Malay skin color ranges from light bronze to dark brown.
Etymology of "Malays"
According to the History of Jambi, the word "Malay" comes from the name of the Melayu River, which flows next to the Batang Hari River, or now Muara Jambi, in the province of Jambi in Sumatra. The founder of Malacca, Parameswara, was the prince of Palembang, which belonged to the Malayu people. I Ching (635-713) points out in his diary that a people called "ma-la-yu" already existed then. According to archaeological research in Jambi, many ancient artefacts and architecture of Malaya have been found there. The word "Malay" came into English and Dutch through Portuguese in the form "Malayo", and was derived from the native "Melayu". According to popular theory, it means "fugitives" or "settlers", in view of the great mobility of this people. In 1775, the doctoral dissertation of the anthropologist I.F. Blumenbach distinguishes four races according to skin color; Caucasian (white), Ethiopian (black), American (red), Mongoloid (yellow). In 1795, he introduced another concept: the Malay race, as a subspecies of the Mongoloid. He described it as "brown". He referred this term to the inhabitants of the Mariana, Philippine, Moluccas, Sunda, Tahiti and other Pacific Islands. Since Blumenbach, many anthropologists adhere to the same classification. The term "Malays" is perceived by many Filipinos, referring it to the indigenous population of the country, as well as to the peoples of neighboring countries, Indonesia and Malaysia. The American anthropologist H. Otley Bayer suggested that the Filipinos were descended from Malays who migrated from Indonesia and Malaysia. This idea was taken up by Filipino historians and introduced into the school curriculum. However, a number of anthropologists believe that on the contrary, the Malays migrated south from the Philippines to Indonesia and Malaysia. This is Peter Belwood, Robert Blust. Malcolm Ross, Andrew Pauley, Lawrence Reid.
Malay settlement area
In a broad sense, the term "Malays" is used for all peoples that inhabit the Malay Archipelago. These are Aceh, Minangkabau, Bataks, Mandailings living in Sumatra, Javanese and Sunda in Java, Banjars, Ibans, Adazans and Melanaus in Borneo, Boogies and Torajs in Sulawesi, ethnic groups in the Philippines, such as Tagals, Ilokans, Ifugao on about. Luzon, Visayas in the central Philippines, Maguindanao, Tausug and Bajau in Mindanao, peoples of the Sulu Archipelago and East Timor. IN narrow sense this name belongs to the people who migrated from the east of Sumatra to the Malay Peninsula or the Riau archipelago, they are called "Riau Malays". In a narrow sense, the Malay settlement area is Malaysia and Indonesia. In Malaysia, Malays are those whose ancestors are Malays, who speak Malay, profess Islam and belong to the Malay culture. Other groups classified as Malays living outside the Malay Archipelago are - Tyams (in Cambodia and Vietnam), Ugsuls living on about. Hainan. The descendants of the Malays live today in Sri Lanka, South Africa, Australia and Madagascar.
Languages
The language of the Malays proper is Malay, official language Malaysia. It was also adopted as a state language in Indonesia, and in 1945 it received the name Indonesian there. It is used as a language of international communication, as the peoples of Indonesia have their own languages.
Other languages related to Malay are classified as a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language branch, which is part of the Austronesian language family. This includes such languages as Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), Malay (Bahasa Melayu), Tagalog, other languages of the Philippines, Tetum (East Timor), Malagasy of Madagascar. This also includes the Polynesian branch, which includes Samoan, Hawaiian, Rapanui, and Maori in New Zealand.
Art and culture
In ancient times, the Malays used the South Indian alphabet, from the 14th-15th century. - Arabic, now the Malay language uses Latin graphics.
The oldest examples of literature are pantuns (quatrains), sejars (chronicles-genealogies), hikayats (knightly novels), fairy tales, for example, about Kanchil, a pygmy deer. Abdullah bin Abdulkadir Munshi (1796-1854) stood at the origins of the new literature. In 1956, the National Union of Writers was established in Kuala Lumpur.
In music, there is a peculiar singing style of keronchong. The national orchestra is called nobat, consists of 3 drums, 2 flutes, gongs. Serunai flute leads the leading part.
National theater - wayang kulit, puppet. Developed national dances. There is another type of theater - bangsavan, travels around the villages, performances are held in the assembly house. In the 20th century it was supplanted by cinema, but a little later it was revived.
One of the favorite pastimes - cockfighting, is now banned.
In Malaysia and Indonesia, the national sport is silat, a karate-type hand-to-hand combat. Competitions on it are now held in a non-contact version. Competitions are accompanied by the launch of kites.
Links and sources
- "Encyclopedia "Peoples and Religions of the World", ed. V. A. Tishkov, M.-1998.
- S. V. BYCHKOV On the green hills of Malaysia, M.-1979.
- English section of Wikipedia, article "Malays".
- Pogadaev, V. "Love comes after the wedding" - "Asia and Africa today", N 4, 1999, p.79-80.ak:Malay people
:
8.8 million
Thailand:
3.3 million
Singapore:
653 thousand
Brunei:
262 thousand
Malays:
- The Malays are an Austronesian people in Southeast Asia who speak the Malay language of the Austronesian family of languages. In ancient times, the Malays used the South Indian script, from the 14th-15th centuries - the Arabic alphabet. Regions with significant Malay populations: Brunei, Timor, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Pattani (in Thailand) Other areas where Malays live: Australia, Canada, Comoros, Germany, Japan, Myanmar, Netherlands, Palau, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Hainan, Hong Kong, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Reunion.
- Malay-related peoples of the Malayo-Polynesian branch of languages. Sometimes the term is used in this broader sense. Languages: Malay, Indonesian, Tagalog, Javanese, Tetum and others. Total number Austronesian languages exceeds 1000, which is associated with the isolated life of peoples on large numbers islands. Religions: Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, tribal religions. This also includes ethnic groups such as Cham, Jarai, the natives of Taiwan, Polynesia, Micronesia and other peoples of the Austronesian language family. In general, these peoples inhabit a large group of islands called the Malay Archipelago, and other neighboring territories. They founded in ancient times a number of Islamic sultanates, the kingdom of Pattani, the kingdom of Champa (Champa) in Vietnam. The Malays are related to the Polynesians and Micronesians who inhabit the islands of the Pacific Ocean. The skin color of the Malays ranges from light bronze to dark brown.
Etymology
According to The History of Jambi, the word "Malay" comes from the name of the Melayu River, which flows next to the Batang Hari River, or now Muara Jambi, in the province of Jambi in Sumatra. The founder of Malacca, Parameswara, was the prince of Palembang, which belonged to the Malayu people. I Ching (635-713) points out in his diary that a people called "ma-la-yu" already existed then. According to archeological research in Jambi, many ancient artefacts and architecture of Malaya have been found there. The word "Malay" came into English and Dutch through Portuguese in the form "Malayo", and was derived from the native "Melayu". According to popular theory, it means "fugitives" or "settlers", in view of the great mobility of this people.
In 1775, the anthropologist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach's doctoral dissertation identifies four races based on skin color; Caucasian (white), Ethiopian (black), American (red), Mongoloid (yellow). In 1795, he introduced another concept: the Malay race, as a subspecies of the Mongoloid. He described it as "brown". He applied this term to the inhabitants of the Marianas, Philippine, Moluccas, Sunda, Tahiti and other Pacific Islands. Since Blumenbach, many anthropologists have followed the same classification.
The term "Malays" is perceived by many Filipinos, referring to the indigenous population of the country, as well as to the peoples of neighboring countries, Indonesia and Malaysia. The American anthropologist H. Otley Bayer suggested that the Filipinos were descended from Malays who migrated from Indonesia and Malaysia. This idea was taken up by Filipino historians and introduced into the school curriculum. However, a number of anthropologists believe that on the contrary, the Malays migrated south from the Philippines to Indonesia and Malaysia (Peter Belwood, Robert Blust, Malcolm Ross, Andrew Pauley, Lawrence Reid).
Settlement area
In a broad sense, the term "Malays" is used for all peoples that inhabit the Malay Archipelago. These are Aceh, Minangkabau, Bataks, Mandailings living in Sumatra, Javanese and Sunda in Java, Banjars, Ibans, Adazans and Melanaus in Borneo, Bugis and Torajs in Sulawesi, ethnic groups in the Philippines, such as Tagals, Ilokans, Ifugaos on about. Luzon, Visayas in the central Philippines, Maguindanao, Tausug and Bajau in Mindanao, peoples of the Sulu Archipelago and East Timor. In a narrow sense, this name belongs to the people who migrated from the east of Sumatra to the Malay Peninsula or the Riau archipelago, they are called "Riau Malays". In a narrow sense, the Malay settlement area is Malaysia and Indonesia.
In Malaysia, Malays are considered to be those whose ancestors are Malays, who speak Malay, profess Islam and belong to the Malay culture. Other groups classified as Malays living outside the Malay Archipelago are the Tyams (in Cambodia and Vietnam), the Ugsuls living on about. Hainan. The descendants of the Malays live today in Sri Lanka, and in South Africa, in Australia and Madagascar.
Languages
Cloth
men in Cekak Musang
The traditional dress for men consists of a long shirt and trousers (baju melayu) and a sarong, which is wrapped around the waist and hung over the trousers. Headdress - songkok hat, on the biggest occasions they put on a folded head scarf in a special way - tanjak or tengkolok.
Women wear a sarong and a long, loose blouse (baju kurung) or a short, tight-fitting blouse (baju kebaya) with a sarong.
Art and culture
Joget - traditional Malay dance
In ancient times, the Malays used the South Indian alphabet, from the 14th-15th centuries - Arabic, now the Malay language uses Latin script in writing.
The oldest examples of literature are pantuns (quatrains), sejars (chronicles-genealogies), hikayats (knightly novels), fairy tales, for example, about Kanchil, a pygmy deer. Abdullah bin Abdulkadir Munshi (1796-1854) stood at the origins of the new literature. In 1961, the National Union of Malaysian Writers was established in Kuala Lumpur.
In music, there is a peculiar singing style of keronchong. The national orchestra is called nobat, consists of 3 drums, 2 flutes, gongs. The leading part is played by the Serunai flute.
Rites of the life cycle
Among the rites life cycle- rituals at the birth of a child, ear piercing for girls at 5-10 years old and circumcision for boys, engagement, a wedding ceremony, which are accompanied by treats and reading prayers in Arabic. The marriage is conducted in accordance with Muslim laws, but the wedding ceremony itself contains many elements of pre-Muslim beliefs. The funeral ceremony is also in line with Islamic practice: the body is wrapped in a white shroud and buried with its head towards Mecca.
Malay cuisine
Spicy bubur pedas
The basis of food is
Please, format it according to the rules for formatting articles.
| Malays | |
| Modern area of settlement and population | |
|---|---|
|
Total: 27.8 million |
|
| Language | |
| Religion | |
| Related peoples | |
Malays - 1 The Malays proper are an Austronesian Muslim people in Southeast Asia, speaking the Malay language of the Austronesian family of languages. In ancient times, the Malays used the South Indian script, from the 14th-15th centuries. - Arabic alphabet. Regions with significant Malay populations: Brunei, Timor, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Pattani (in Thailand) Other areas where Malays live: Australia, Canada, Comoros, Germany, Japan, Myanmar, Netherlands, Palau, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Hainan, Hong Kong, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Reunion.
2 . Malay-related peoples of the Malayo-Polynesian branch of languages. Sometimes the term is used in this broader sense. Languages: Malay, Indonesian, Tagalog, Javanese, Tetum and hundreds of other languages. Religion: Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, tribal religions. This also includes ethnic groups such as Cham, Jarai, the natives of Taiwan, Polynesia, Micronesia and other peoples of the Austronesian language family. In general, these inhabit a large group of islands called the Malay Archipelago, and other neighboring territories. They founded in ancient times a number of Islamic sultanates, the kingdom of Pattani, the kingdom of Champa (Champa) in Vietnam. The Malays are related to the Polynesians and Micronesians who inhabit the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Malay skin color ranges from light bronze to dark brown.
Etymology
According to the History of Jambi, the word "Malay" comes from the name of the Melayu River, which flows next to the Batang Hari River, or now Muara Jambi, in the province of Jambi in Sumatra. The founder of Malacca, Parameswara, was the prince of Palembang, which belonged to the Malayu people. I Ching (635-713) points out in his diary that a people called "ma-la-yu" already existed then. According to archeological research in Jambi, many ancient artefacts and architecture of Malaya have been found there. The word "Malay" came into English and Dutch through Portuguese in the form "Malayo", and was derived from the native "Melayu". According to popular theory, it means "fugitives" or "settlers", in view of the great mobility of this people.
In 1775, the doctoral dissertation of the anthropologist I.F. Blumenbach distinguishes four races according to skin color; Caucasian (white), Ethiopian (black), American (red), Mongoloid (yellow). In 1795, he introduced another concept: the Malay race, as a subspecies of the Mongoloid. He described it as "brown". He attributed this term to the inhabitants of the Marianas, Philippine, Moluccas, Sunda, Tahiti and other islands of the Pacific Ocean. Since Blumenbach, many anthropologists have followed the same classification.
The term "Malays" is perceived by many Filipinos, referring to the indigenous population of the country, as well as to the peoples of neighboring countries, Indonesia and Malaysia. The American anthropologist H. Otley Bayer suggested that the Filipinos were descended from Malays who migrated from Indonesia and Malaysia. This idea was taken up by Filipino historians and introduced into the school curriculum. However, a number of anthropologists believe that on the contrary, the Malays migrated south from the Philippines to Indonesia and Malaysia - Peter Belwood, Robert Blust, Malcolm Ross, Andrew Pauley, Lawrence Reid.
Settlement area
In a broad sense, the term "Malays" is used for all peoples that inhabit the Malay Archipelago. These are Aceh, Minangkabau, Bataks, Mandailings living in Sumatra, Javanese and Sunda in Java, Banjars, Ibans, Adazans and Melanaus in Borneo, Boogies and Torajs in Sulawesi, ethnic groups in the Philippines, such as Tagals, Ilokans, Ifugaos on about. Luzon, Visayas in the central Philippines, Maguindanao, Tausug and Bajau in Mindanao, peoples of the Sulu Archipelago and East Timor. In a narrow sense, this name belongs to the people who migrated from the east of Sumatra to the Malay Peninsula or the Riau archipelago, they are called "Riau Malays". In a narrow sense, the Malay settlement area is Malaysia and Indonesia. In Malaysia, Malays are considered to be those whose ancestors are Malays, who speak Malay, profess Islam and belong to the Malay culture. Other groups classified as Malays living outside the Malay Archipelago are the Tyams (in Cambodia and Vietnam), the Ugsuls living on about. Hainan. The descendants of the Malays live today in Sri Lanka, South Africa, Australia and Madagascar.
Languages
The language of the Malays proper is Malay, the official language of Malaysia. It was also adopted as a state language in Indonesia, and in 1945 it received the name Indonesian there. It is used as a language of international communication, as the peoples of Indonesia have their own languages.
Other languages related to Malay are classified as a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language branch, which is part of the Austronesian language family. This includes such languages as Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia), Malay (Bahasa Melayu), Tagalog, other languages of the Philippines, Tetum (East Timor), Malagasy of Madagascar. This also includes the Polynesian branch, which includes Samoan, Hawaiian, Rapanui, and Maori in New Zealand.
Cloth
The traditional dress for men consists of a long shirt and trousers (baju Melayu) and a sarong that is wrapped around the waist and hung over the trousers. The headdress is a songkok cap, on the biggest occasions they put on a folded head scarf in a special way - tanjak or tengkolok. Women wear a sarong and a long, loose blouse (baju kurung) or a short, tight-fitting blouse (baju kebaya) with a sarong.
Art and culture
In ancient times, the Malays used the South Indian alphabet, from the 14th-15th century. - Arabic, now the Malay language uses Latin graphics.
The oldest examples of literature are pantuns (quatrains), sejars (chronicles-genealogies), hikayats (knightly novels), fairy tales, for example, about Kanchil, a pygmy deer. Abdullah bin Abdulkadir Munshi (1796-1854) stood at the origins of the new literature. In 1956, the National Union of Writers was established in Kuala Lumpur.
In music, there is a peculiar singing style of keronchong. The national orchestra is called nobat, consists of 3 drums, 2 flutes, gongs. Serunai flute leads the leading part.
National theater - wayang kulit (leather puppet theater). Developed national dances. There is another type of theater - the Malay opera bangsavan, travels around the villages, performances are held in the assembly house. In the 20th century it was supplanted by cinema, but a little later it was revived.
Of the entertainment, cock and buffalo fights (now banned), kite launches (wow), playing sepak takraw (Malay volleyball), spinning tops (gasing), boat racing, national types of wrestling (silat) such as karate) are especially popular.
Rites of the life cycle
Mutual Rice Feeding Ceremony During a Malay Wedding
Among the rituals of the life cycle are rituals at the birth of a child, ear piercing for girls at 5-10 years old and circumcision for boys, engagement, a wedding ceremony, which are accompanied by treats and prayers in Arabic. The marriage is conducted in accordance with Muslim laws, but the wedding ceremony itself contains many elements of pre-Muslim beliefs. The funeral ceremony is also in line with Islamic practice: the body is wrapped in a white shroud and buried with its head towards Mecca.
Malay cuisine
Holidays
The main religious holidays: Aidilfitri or Hari Raya Puasa (the end of the Muslim fast), Aidiladha or Korban (the day of sacrifice), Maulud Nabi (the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad), Awal Muharram (the day of the pilgrim).
Notes
Literature
- Encyclopedia "Peoples and Religions of the World", ed. V. A. Tishkova, M.-1998.
- S. V. BYCHKOV On the green hills of Malaysia, M.-1979.
- Pogadaev, V. A. Malaysia. Pocket encyclopedia. M.: Ant-guide, 2000.
- Malays: Ethnogenesis, statehood, traditional culture (MII. Issue IV). M.: Moscow branch of the Russian Geographical Society, 1991.
- English section of Wikipedia, article "Malays".
- Pogadaev, V. A. The Malay World (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore). Linguistic and regional dictionary. Over 9000 entries / Pogadaev, V.A. Dunia Melayu (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapura). Kamus Lingua-Budaya / Pogadaev, V.A. Malay World (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore). Lingua-Cultural Dictionary). Moscow: Oriental book, 2012 ISBN 978-5-7873-0658-3
| |||||||
Formation of the Malay nation
Malay belongs to the Indonesian group of Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) languages. The Malay language is divided into many local dialects and closely related languages.
The ancestral home of the Malays is obviously West Kalimantan. Their settlement along the coast of the South China Sea (Sumatra, Malacca, etc.) took place in the 1st millennium BC. and was associated with the development of trade in Southeast Asia.
funan
On the territory of Malacca there were trading posts of the Cambodian Hindu state of Funan (Bapnom).
Srivijaya
By the middle of the 1st millennium AD. in Sumatra, the first Malay states arose, united in the Buddhist empire of Srivijaya, which controlled the main sea routes in southeast Asia.
The so-called ancient Malay language (7th - 10th centuries AD) is represented by epigraphic monuments located mainly in South Sumatra.
The Malay language, which was widely spoken there as the language of trade, became the language of culture and the Muslim religion in many parts of the Malay Archipelago from the 15th century (the adoption of Islam in the 14th-15th centuries).
Majapahit
From the 13th-14th centuries. the Malays fall into the sphere of influence of the Javanese Hindu empire of Majapahit; Javanese had a significant cultural impact on the Malay ethnic group.
Malacca Sultanate
The Sultanate of Malacca, which arose in the 15th century, came to control trade routes throughout most of Southeast Asia. During this period, the Malays actively assimilate foreign ethnic groups involved in trade, the Malay language becomes the language of interethnic communication in the Malay Archipelago.
In XV - XIX centuries in Malay (with Arabic script), classical national Malay literature was created (its language is conditionally called classical Malay).
period of colonial rule
Numerous sultanates arose during this period: Palembang, Jambi, Siak, Linga, Indragiri, Kutei and others, within which modern ethnographic groups of Malays were formed.
There were also pidginized (the so-called bazaar Malay, or low Malay) and creolized forms of the language (Jakarta dialect, Ambon Malay and others).
In the 19th century, the ethnic integrity of the Malays was finally violated by colonial boundaries.
From 2nd half of XIX century in the Dutch Indies, the press is published in the Malay language. As a result of the synthesis of low and so-called high Malay (which was guided by the norms of the classical national language) formed the modern Indonesian language.
Modern literary language Malaysian (also called Malaysian) differs from Indonesian mainly in terms of terminology, partly in phonetics, and some features of morphology and syntax.
Settlement of the Malays
Currently, the Malays of Malaysia (Malaysians) are divided into 2 territorially separate groups: the Malays of West Malaysia and the Malays of East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak).
The Malays of western Malaysia are settled on the Malay Peninsula (most compactly in the northeastern states of Kelantan and Terengganu) among the numerically and economically predominant Chinese and Indian population.
Despite the government's policy of creating a single Malaysian nation, relations between ethnic groups often take on an antagonistic character.
At the same time, the Malays of West Malaysia are consolidating with immigrants from Indonesia (Indonesian Malays, Javanese, Minangkabau, Bugis) and Malay natives (Semangs, Senoi, Jakuns).
The Malays of East Malaysia (Kalimantan) - numbering only about 300 thousand people, are ethnically related to the Malays of Indonesia living in the Indonesian part of Kalimantan. They integrate with the numerically predominant Dayaks: the Ibans in Sarawak and the Kadazans in Sabah.
The main occupations are agriculture (cultivation of jellied and dry rice, rubber plants (hevea), coconut palm, coffee) and fishing. Navigation is typical, in the past piracy.
Currently, many Malays are employed in industry, trade, services and management.
Traditions and culture of the Malays
IN modern world the most stable were those elements material culture, which are associated with the main traditional occupations of the Malays - rice cultivation and fishing.
It is in them that the commonality of the material culture of the Malaysian Malays with the inhabitants of the Indonesian part of the Malay Archipelago, who use similar agricultural and fishing tools, is most manifest.
Social relations are multifaceted: communal traditions that regulate the life of the rural population are combined with feudal forms and commodity-money relations.
Literature
Medieval Malay literature
The oldest examples of Malay folklore include incantations and spells (mantra), rhymed riddles (teka-teki), folk songs, lyrical and didactic pantuns. The main hero of the animal epic is the pygmy deer pelanduk (kanchil), and of farcical tales - Pak Kadok (Daddy Pea Pod), Pak Pandir (Uncle Mutton), Lebei Malang (Klutnik) and others.
