The Malay People

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The Malay People

• Migration across the Pacific
• 1000 B.C.E. 1200 C.E.

By Katie Zheng, Naveena Karusala, and Amanda
Richards
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Migrations began in 4000 BC near Taiwan and
reached New Zealand by 1250 AD.
Near Oceania- cultural diffusion led to the
Lapita people. Bright spots indicate last three
and most difficult migrations in the Pacific.
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Migrators brought the gourd (used to make
containers) and sweet potatoes (source of
nutrition) to New Zealand.
Cultural impact of Malay migration- undecorated
plainware, pottery.
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Used knowledge of the winds to travel against the
wind to easily return back with it.
Modern replications of double hulled voyaging
canoes- made navigation and settlement possible.
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Cultural impact- monumental religious structures
called moai, central cultural focus
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Impact Pacific Islands
Political The Pacific Islands were virtually untouched before the advent of the Malay migrants, who established small colonies. These colonies were run by leaders sort of like chieftains, but were often vacated in the quest for other colonies. In New Zealand, some colonies settled after traveling from West Polynesia and stayed. These people became known as the Maori and are present in New Zealand to this day. Intellectual Innovation Several sailing techniques were created, such as -Against the wind search and return voyages in which the travelers searched for habitable islands and returned to their original colonies. -Across the wind voyages in which the travelers made note of the islands in case they could not sail directly home. -Downwind voyages in which the travelers had to take circuitous, differing routes to return and discover intermediate islandsthis was the most difficult because navigators had to understand different weather systems. Religion In New Zealand, the Maori people introduced a new religion, which consisted of a belief in mana, which was a magic presence in all things, manmade and natural. Their predecessors and the original Malay migrants, the Lapita, were polytheistic with no real organized religion. Art/Architecture The Lapita are known for their intricate pottery, which has stylized faces on it. This pottery later became Polynesian plainware. Jewelry made out of shells was also popular in Lapita culture, as was pottery made out of obsidian rock. To this day, jewelry and dances probably created in the Lapita culture exist in Maori culture. The Easter Island heads were created by the Polynesian people.
Technology The Lapita people used some revolutionary technologies in their time, such as bronze metallurgy, canoe building, and stone tools. While they did know how to use bronze, they did not use it for tools simply because there was not very much bronze where they lived. The canoes they built were very important because these allowed them to transverse the Pacific and colonize many islands. The basic design of this canoe did not change for a very long time. To this day, it is a mystery as to how these people navigated to other islandsthey had no maps or other navigational devices. Economy The societies established by the Polynesian and the Lapita (who were the Polynesian peoples ancestors) were largely based on agriculture. They grew yams, taros, and bananas, as well as breadfruit. They also had large livestock and flightless birds as sources of meat. The Lapita established intricate trade networks all throughout Oceania, through which they obtained different commodities and spread their own art and agriculture. Society The Lapita had hierarchical, hereditary chiefdoms, in which the chiefs son was the next leader of the tribe. The Maori similarly have a kinship-based chiefdom system. 500 people or so of common descent form one tribe, and they sometimes band with other tribes that have similar ancestry to overcome threats. Nonetheless, every tribe is an independent and different social unit, and every tribe is self-sufficient.
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Impact East Asia
Political New evidence suggests that the Polynesian migration originated in Taiwan, due to similarities in mitochondrial DNA between the Taiwanese aborigines and the Polynesian people. In Taiwanese aboriginal groups today, patrilineal chiefdoms are generally the governmental structure, something that largely resembles the Lapita people of the Pacific Islands. Intellectual Innovations The Polynesian people are supposed to have radiated out from Taiwan according to one of three theories -Express-train In this theory, the people traveled from Taiwan to Melanasia and directly from there on to many other Polynesian countries. -Entangled bank The people integrated themselves into the cultural and genetic identity of many places, eventually spreading to Polynesia. -Slow boat Similar to the express-train idea, but a longer stay in Melanasia. Very sophisticated astronomy was present during this period. Religion A largely pantheistic religion is practiced by most Taiwanese aborigines, something that resembles the Lapita peoples polytheistic religion. Shamanism was also popular in this time, as was ancestor worship. Art/Architecture The Taiwanese aborigines practice ritual tattooing. However, their architecture was typically very humble and small, focusing on utility rather than appearance. This is similar to the humble architecture of the Lapita.
Technology Balsam log canoes are a theory proposed by one archaeologist by the name of Thor Heyerdahl concerning the Polynesian migration. Most of the Polynesian people use the same language, which has very few similarities with the Taiwanese languages. Economy Largely a trade and barter system, though there is very little communication between the tribes, similar to the Lapita people. Society The tribes of Taiwan, like their counterparts in the Lapita, are chiefdoms in which the men and women are largely equal. However, these societies are patrilineal.
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Chronology

• First millennium B.C.E. Malay immigrants begin
  to move into Southeast Asia. They arrive in a
  simple yet effective canoe known as an outrigger
  canoe.
• 700 B.C.E. Dongson-style pottery begins to show
  up in New Guinea. This suggests that Malay
  peoples have already begun settling in places
  like Malaysia and Brunei at this time.
• 500 B.C.E. By the time of the Bronze Age, the
  Malay Peninsula has become a center for maritime
  trade. It is an important area for seafarers
  from around Asia and even as far away as Egypt.
• 420 B.C.E. This is the earliest indication of
  human presence in Tonga, though people probably
  arrived even earlier.
• 200 B.C.E. Malay people from Southeast Asia
  introduce the long knife as they migrate to the
  Philippines and Indonesia. They also bring their
  expertise in fighting with daggers, spears, and
  bows.
• 200 B.C.E.-1000 C.E. During the Iron Age,
  artistry develops, becoming especially important
  in the Philippines. Jewelry and body tattooing
  are two major developments.
• 100 B.C.E. The Malay have reached the Marquesas
  despite its relative inaccessibility.

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Chronology Continued

• 1 C.E. In the Philippines, Malay peoples
  display their skill in engineering by carving
  mountains into terraces that could be used to
  grow rice.
• 200-300 C.E. Malay kingdoms appear on the Malay
  Peninsula, though the area does not have plains
  extensive or fertile enough to support a dense
  population.
• 500 C.E. By this point, the Malay have migrated
  as far as Japan, Hawaii, Easter Island, and
  Madagascar. The Malay plants, animals, language,
  and music that have shown up in these new areas
  evidence their arrival.
• 682 C.E. The first Malay text, known as the
  Kedukan Bukit Inscription, is written. Its
  language displays similarities to the Pallava
  (dynasty of Southern India) language family.
• 800 C.E. Seafarers make the long journey to New
  Zealand and colonize it.
• First millennium C.E. Malay sultanates arrive
  and initiate trade with the Orang Asli, a group
  of people native to Peninsular Malaysia. The
  Malays arrival forced the Orang Asli to move
  further inland to continue their isolated
  practices.
• 1000-1200 C.E. During the Porcelain Age, trade
  flourishes between the Malay and China, India,
  and Arabia. Naturally, one of the major goods
  that is traded during this time is porcelain.

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Comparisons

• In both East Asia and the Pacific Islands, the
  basic political structure was a chiefdom, which
  was largely patrilineal in nature.
• Sophisticated navigation techniques were
  developed in the interest of exploration.
• While the East Asian Polynesian peoples were
  pantheistic and believed in shamanism, the
  Pacific Islanders believe in a sort of magic
  present in all human beings.
• While the East Asian and Pacific Island
  architecture is very similar, there are some
  differences, such as the emphasis on body art in
  East Asia and the emphasis on jewelry in the
  Pacific Islands. This probably stemmed from
  cultural changes that took place because of
  location.
• Both East Asian and the Pacific Island
  Polynesians were focused on navigational and
  seafaring technology, such as canoes.
• In both cultures, there is an emphasis on
  agriculture and tradehowever, the trade in the
  Pacific Islands was more widespread and varied,
  due to the fact that there were more islands and
  therefore more variety in the Pacific Islands
  than there were places in East Asia.
• Self-sufficient tribes that had some separation
  but could band together in the face of a mutual
  threat were the norm.

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Change over Time

• Travel around Polynesia and South Asia required
  great skill with maritime technology. This began
  with the Malays sturdy outrigger canoes that
  were used to reach Southeast Asia. Gradually,
  this involved into great navigational technology
  that allowed the Malays to travel longer
  distances. It also became useful in maritime
  trade.
• In the Bismark Archipelago, a form of pottery
  known as Lapita Ware developed. It spread to
  other areas such as New Caledonia, Fiji, and
  Samoa along with many other features of
  Polynesian culture. However, the pottery
  disappeared by the time New Zealand was
  discovered, and replaced with other crafts such
  as fish hooks and stone crafts.
• Around 500 B.C. bronze became prominent in
  Vietnam in the form of large, decorative drums.
  Bronze also had other metallurgical uses in the
  area. To the northwest, similar drums developed
  in China however, the Chinese came to build even
  more elaborate drums as well as containers for
  cowrie shells, expanding upon the role of bronze
  in their culture.
• Interaction with Indian traders along maritime
  trade routes introduced the Malays to Indian
  religions and ideas. After many centuries, these
  Indian traditions had become a part of Malay
  culture and politics.

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Present Day Malay Populations
Major Malay Islands Population according to 2010 census
Indonesia 242,968,342
Malaysia 28,274,729
Philippines 99,900,177
Singapore 4,701,069
Papua New Guinea 6,064,515
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Role in Modern Day

• The descendents of original Malay people now make
  up the citizens of more than 1000 islands in the
  Pacific, including mainland Australia, New
  Zealand, and Hawaii.
• The Malay culture has split into different
  sectors, including Polynesia, Micronesia, and
  Melanesia.
• Historic Malay cultural aspects, such as the Moai
  (statues in Easter Island), textile work, wood
  carvings, and Aboriginal rock art, is the basis
  of attraction for modern day tourism.
• The people of modern day Polynesia and
  surrounding islands are heavily influenced by
  outside cultures, so it is prone to cultural
  fluctuation.
• Numerous Pacific islands have been used for
  military bases by other nations such as the US,
  UK, and Germany, notably during World War II.
• The Malay people have been the subject of many
  studies of mitochondrial DNA lineages in order to
  determine the original population of the
  migrating people, considering there is a very
  small literature base for population records.

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The Roles

• Katie Zheng
• Part 1 Spread/impact of Malay people on regions
• Part 4 Comparisons
• Naveena Karusala
• Part 3 Maps, charts, or images
• Part 5 Role of the Malay people in todays world
• Amanda Richards
• Part 2 Chronology
• Part 4 Change over time