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Sri Lankan Malays

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Sri Lankan Malays
Orang Melayu Langkapuri
Orang Melayu Sri Lanka
ශ්‍රී ලංකා මැලේ ජනතාව
இலங்கை மலாயர்
Sri Lankan Malay man and child, 19th century
Total population
40,189[1]
(0.2% of the population) (2012)
Significant portion of the Sri Lankan population with partial Malay ancestry[A]
Regions with significant populations
Provinces of Sri Lanka
 Western24,718
 Southern8,343
 Central2,889
 North Western1,675
Languages
Sri Lanka Malay language
Sinhala
Some Tamil and English
Religion
Islam (Sunni)
Related ethnic groups

Sri Lankan Malays (Sinhala: (ශ්‍රී ලංකා) මැලේ ජනතාව Shri Lanka Mæle Janathava (Standard); මැලේ මිනිස්සු / ජා මිනිස්සු Mæle Minissu / Ja Minissu (Colloquially); Tamil: இலங்கை மலாயர், romanized: Ilaṅkai Malāyar), historically known as Ceylon Malays,[4] are Sri Lankan citizens with full or partial ancestry from the Indonesian Archipelago, Malaysia, or Singapore. In addition, people from Brunei[5] and the Philippines[6] also consider themselves Malays.

The term is a misnomer, as it is used as a historical catch-all for all native ethnic groups of the Malay Archipelago who reside in Sri Lanka; it does not apply solely to the ethnic Malays. Sri Lankan Malays are primarily of Javanese,[7] Ambonese,[7] Bandanese,[7] Balinese,[7] Madurese,[7] Malay,[7] Bugis,[7] and Peranakan Chinese[8] descent. They number approximately 40,000 and make up 0.2% of the Sri Lankan population, making them the fourth largest of the five main ethnic groups in the country.

Sri Lankan Malays first settled in the country in 200 B.C., when the Austronesian expansion reached the island of Sri Lanka from Maritime Southeast Asia (which includes peoples as diverse as Sumatrans to Lucoes) and brought speakers of the Malayo-Polynesian language group to Sri Lankan shores.[9] This migration accelerated when both Sri Lanka and Indonesia were Dutch colonies (1640–1796), while a second wave (1796–1948) came from the Malay Peninsula, when both Malaya and Sri Lanka were in the British Empire. However, Sri Lanka has had a history of Malay presence dating back to as early as the 8th century.[3][2] Distinct from the present-day Sri Lankan Malay population, these migrants were primarily Malay and Javanese Buddhists who intermarried into the Sinhalese population.[3][2] Sri Lankan scholars suggest that the Sinhalese population possesses a notable Malay connection as a result, meaning a significant portion of the Sri Lankan population would have at least some Malay ancestry.[3]

History

[edit]

A significant Malay presence in Sri Lanka dates as far back as the 13th century, when Chandrabhanu Sridhamaraja, a Malay of Tambralinga, managed to occupy the northern part of the island in 1247; his followers assimilated into the local population.[10] Many ancestors of present-day Sri Lankan Malays were soldiers posted by the Dutch, and later by the British, for the colonial administration of Sri Lanka, who decided to settle on the island. Other immigrants were convicts or members of noble houses from the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), who were exiled to Sri Lanka and who never left. The main source of a continuing Malay identity is their common Malay language, the Islamic faith, and their ancestral origin from the Malay Archipelago. Many Sri Lankan Malays have been celebrated as courageous soldiers, politicians, sportsmen, lawyers, accountants, and doctors.

Society

[edit]
Main article: Sri Lankan society
Distribution of languages and religious groups of Sri Lanka on D.S. division and sector level according to the 1981 Census of Population and Housing
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1881 8,900—    
1891 10,100+13.5%
1901 11,900+17.8%
1911 13,000+9.2%
1921 13,400+3.1%
1931 16,000+19.4%
1946 22,500+40.6%
1953 25,400+12.9%
1963 33,400+31.5%
1971 43,500+30.2%
1981 47,000+8.0%
1989 (est.) 48,000+2.1%
2001 54,800+14.2%
2011 40,189−26.7%
Source:Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka|Department of Census
& Statistics[11]
Data is based on
Sri Lankan Government Census.

Language

[edit]
Main article: Sri Lankan Malay language
See also: Languages of Sri Lanka

Depending on where they live in the country and other socio-economic factors, Sri Lankan Malays speak Sinhala, Tamil, and/or English. According to the 2012 census, 79.2%, or 28,975 Sri Lankan Malays also spoke Tamil and 66.2%, or 24,202 also spoke English.[12]

Religion

[edit]

Like their ancestors in present-day Indonesia and Malaysia, Sri Lankan Malays are Muslim.[13] Mosques were erected by the local Malays along the coasts of Sri Lanka in places like Hambantota, Beruwela, and Galle. The Jawatte mosque in Colombo and Masjidul Jamiya, the military mosque on Slave Island, are renowned for their architecture and long history.[citation needed] The first two storeys of the Grand Mosque in Sri Lanka was built by Mohammed Balankaya, an exiled Malay noble of the royal house of Gowa (in present-day Sulawesi, Indonesia).[14] Today, the mosque is of great significance and is a symbol of Muslims in Sri Lanka; it is the Grand Mosque of Sri Lanka, where decisions affecting the lives of the island's Muslim population are made.[15]

During Dutch rule, the religious makeup of Sri Lankan Malays was diverse and consisted not only of Muslims but also Christians and Hindus who belonged primarily to the Ambonese and Balinese communities, respectively.[16] Due to skewed migration patterns of Ambonese and Balinese settlers to Sri Lanka, which consisted only of men, intermarriage with Sinhalese and Tamil women was common and resulted in the phasing out of the Christian and Hindu communities that existed in the community early on.[2]: 171  Evidence shows certain customs, such as marriage rites, performed by Sri Lankan Malays, fused Islamic practices with Hindu and Buddhist elements. However, their close connection to Wahhabi thought has resulted in the emergence of a clear Muslim identity, with many of these pre-Islamic practices facing extinction in the community.[2]: 171-172 

Sri Lankan Malay names

[edit]

First and last names among Sri Lankan Malays are mostly of Sanskrit origin and are similar (including equivalents) to names used by Sinhalese people.[17][18] Common last names include Jayah, Weerabangsa, Sinhawangsa/Sinhawansa, Jayawangsa, Singalaxana, Bangsa Jayah, and Wangsa.[17] Malay-origin last names include Lye, Samath, Cuttilan, Chunchie, Preena, Hannan, Sallay, Doole, Kitchilan, Kutinun, Kanchil, Sainon, Bongso, Bohoran, Kuppen, and Lappen.[17] Arabic names are also used by Sri Lankan Malays, including Saldin, Assan, Rahman, Drahaman, Bucker, Ramlan, Rajap, Jumat, and Mannan. Prefixes of Malay origin such as Tuan, Maas, and Raden for males and Gnei, Nona, Sitti Nona, and Gnonya for females are commonly used as first names among Sri Lankan Malays.[17][18]

Legacy

[edit]

Organisations

[edit]
  • All Ceylon Malay Political Union
  • Colombo Malay Cricket Club
  • Sri Lanka Malay Association
  • Malay Association Kolonnawa Electorate (MAKE)
  • Conference of Sri Lanka Malays
  • Dunia Melayu Dunia Islam
  • Kurunegala Malay Association

Malay place names in Sri Lanka

[edit]

Some place names in Sri Lanka have references indicating the presence of Javanese and Malay communities or their contribution to the location.[13] Some of these are:

Notable Sri Lankan Malays

[edit]
Main article: List of Sri Lankan Malays

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The long history of contact between Maritime Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka has resulted in extensive research on the peopling and genealogical and cultural development of the modern Sri Lankan population.[2]: 107 Cultural elements, place names, family names, Sri Lankan royal history, and anthropology have been used as early indicators in understanding the extent of the genealogical impact of early Malays on the Sri Lankan population.[3][2]: 97–110, 121–128  There is an extensive history of genetic mixing between native Sri Lankans and ancient waves of Malay and Javanese migrants who settled in Sri Lanka during and prior to the 13th century, particularly in the southeast of the country.[2]: 107–108, 371  Additionally, intermarriage of Ambonese and Balinese male settlers with Sinhalese and Tamil women was common during Dutch rule.[2]: 66, 170–171 Continuous contact through seafaring, conquests, religious connections, and later by colonialism, has resulted in a fair amount of the non-Malay Sri Lankan population, particularly Sinhalese people, having partial Malay admixture.[2]: 371 

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "A2: Population by ethnic group according to districts, 2012". Census of Population & Housing, 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Careem, Tuan M. Zameer (2017). Persaudaraan: Malay life in Sri Lanka (2nd ed.). Colombo, Sri Lanka: S. Godage & Brothers (Pvt) Limited. p. 126. ISBN 9789553082022.
  3. ^ a b c d Goonewardene, K.W. (July 1843). "Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Vol. VII". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 7: 257. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  4. ^ Said, H.M. (1926). "Ceylon Malays". Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 4: 266-268. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  5. ^ "The Malay Identity in Brunei Darussalam and Sri Lanka" By B. A. Hussainmiya(Universiti Brunei Darussalam)
  6. ^ "Locating the Filipino as Malay: A Reassertion of Historical Identity from the Regional Periphery" Published online by Cambridge University Press (20 January 2020)
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Adelaar, K.A. (1 January 1991). "Some notes on the origin of Sri Lanka Malay". Pacific Linguistics. Series A. Occasional Papers. 81: 24. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  8. ^ Ricci, Ronit (2019). Banishment and Belonging Exile and Diaspora in Sarandib, Lanka and Ceylon. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–22.
  9. ^ "Astronesians Historical and Comparative Perspectives" Page 146 "Annual trade between China and India through the Malacca Straits had opened by about 200 BC. Perhaps by that time Austronesian sailors were regularly carrying cloves and cinnamon to India and Sri Lanka, and perhaps even as far as the coast of Africa in boats with outriggers. Certainly they have left numerous traces in canoe design, rigs, outriggers and fishing techniques, and a mention in Greek literature (Christie 1957)."
  10. ^ "Malays in Sri Lanka".
  11. ^ "Population by ethnic group, census years" (PDF). Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  12. ^ "Census of Population and Housing 2011". statistics.gov.lk. Department of Census and Statistics. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  13. ^ a b Kalabooshana S. B. C. Halaldheen (25 January 2002). "Features: Sri Lanka Malays in focus". Daily News. Archived from the original on 27 April 2003.
  14. ^ B. D. K. Saldin (1996). Orang Melayu Sri Lanka Dan Bahasanya. Sridevi Printers Publication. p. 17. ISBN 95-594-1902-1.
  15. ^ DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Sri Lanka. Dorling Kindersley Ltd. 2016. p. 69. ISBN 978-02-412-8997-6.
  16. ^ Sebastian Nordhoff (2009). A grammar of Upcountry Sri Lanka Malay. Utrecht, Netherlands: LOT. p. 12.
  17. ^ a b c d Hussainmiya, Bachamiya Abdul (1987). Lost Cousins: The Malays of Sri Lanka. Institut Bahasa. p. 8.
  18. ^ a b "Names in Sri Lanka". asian-recipe.com. Asian-Recipe. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Mohammed Zameer Careem (Tuan) (2016). Persaudaraan (brotherhood): Malay Life in Sri Lanka. S. Godage & Brothers. ISBN 9789553069047.
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