Proto Malay
Encyclopedia
The term Proto-Malay which translates to Melayu asli (aboriginal Malay) or Melayu purba (ancient Malay), are the Mongoloids and Austronesian speakers from mainland Asia who moved to the Malay peninsular and Malay archipelago
in a long series of migration between 2500 and 1500 BC.
The Proto-Malays are believed to be seafarers
knowledgeable in oceanography
and possessing advanced fishing as well as basic agricultural skills. They moved around from island to island in great distances between New Zealand
and Madagascar
, and they served as navigation guides, crew and labour to Indian, Arab, Persian and Chinese traders for nearly 2000 years. Over the years they settled at various places and adopted various cultures and religions as a result of acculturation
and interracial and inter-tribal marriages with most of the people they come in contact with including with other Orang Asli
tribes such as the Semang
and Senoi
peoples.
The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Early History, has pointed out a total of three theories of the origin of the Proto-Malay:
Some historical linguists have concluded that there is scant linguistic basis for a Proto-/Deutero-Malay split. The findings suggests that the Proto-Malay and the Deutero-Malay peoples possibly belong to the same stock and origin. Previous theories suggested that the Deutero-Malays came in a second wave of migration, around 300 BCE compared to the arrival of the Proto-Malays who came much earlier.
However, the linguistic based theories presented above could probably be rendered obsolete and in need of revision due to new scientific evidence presented by the Human Genome Organization (HUGO) through genetic studies of the Asian races that points to a single Asian migration from South East Asia traveling northwards and slowly populating East Asia instead of the other way around; the latter theory which is more popularly adhered to as exemplified in some of the linguistic theories above. From these studies, it was theorized that the South East Asian civilizations could possibly be much older compared to the widely researched and well documented East Asian ancient civilizations.
Malay Archipelago
The Malay Archipelago refers to the archipelago between mainland Southeastern Asia and Australia. The name was derived from the anachronistic concept of a Malay race....
in a long series of migration between 2500 and 1500 BC.
The Proto-Malays are believed to be seafarers
Seafarers
Seafarers can refer to ethnic groups living by the sea in Southeast Asia, and also other sea-living ethnic groups in the world. The ethnic group name refers to a large distribution area, reaching from the islands of Indonesia to Burma...
knowledgeable in oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
and possessing advanced fishing as well as basic agricultural skills. They moved around from island to island in great distances between New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, and they served as navigation guides, crew and labour to Indian, Arab, Persian and Chinese traders for nearly 2000 years. Over the years they settled at various places and adopted various cultures and religions as a result of acculturation
Acculturation
Acculturation explains the process of cultural and psychological change that results following meeting between cultures. The effects of acculturation can be seen at multiple levels in both interacting cultures. At the group level, acculturation often results in changes to culture, customs, and...
and interracial and inter-tribal marriages with most of the people they come in contact with including with other Orang Asli
Orang Asli
Orang Asli , is a generic Malaysian term used for people indigenous to Peninsular Malaysia...
tribes such as the Semang
Semang
The Semang are a Negrito ethnic group of the Malay Peninsula. Lowland Semang tribes are also known as Sakai, although this term is considered to be derogatory by the Semang people. They are probably the indigenous peoples of this area. They have been recorded to have lived here since before the...
and Senoi
Senoi
The Senoi are a set of Malaysian hunting and gathering Orang Asli peoples.-Demography:The Senoi tribes live in the central part of the Malaya peninsula, and consist of five different groups, the Semai, Temiar, Mah Meri, Jah Hut, Sema Berisi and the Che Wong, all of who speak Senoic languages and...
peoples.
The Encyclopedia of Malaysia: Early History, has pointed out a total of three theories of the origin of the Proto-Malay:
- The YunnanYunnanYunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
theory, MekongMekongThe Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
river migration (first published in 1889). The theory of Proto Malay originating from Yunnan is supported by R.H Geldern, J.H.C Kern, J.R Foster, J.R Logen, Slametmuljana and Asmah Haji Omar. Other evidences that support this theory include: stone tools found at Malay Archipelago which are analogous to Central Asian tools; similarity of Malay customs and AssamAssamAssam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
customs; and the fact that the Malay and Cambodian languages are kindred languages because the ancestral home of Cambodians originated at the source of Mekong River. - The New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
theory (first published in 1965). - The TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
theory (first published in 1997). For more information, see Austronesian languagesAustronesian languagesThe Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia that are spoken by about 386 million people. It is on par with Indo-European, Niger-Congo, Afroasiatic and Uralic as one of the...
.
Some historical linguists have concluded that there is scant linguistic basis for a Proto-/Deutero-Malay split. The findings suggests that the Proto-Malay and the Deutero-Malay peoples possibly belong to the same stock and origin. Previous theories suggested that the Deutero-Malays came in a second wave of migration, around 300 BCE compared to the arrival of the Proto-Malays who came much earlier.
However, the linguistic based theories presented above could probably be rendered obsolete and in need of revision due to new scientific evidence presented by the Human Genome Organization (HUGO) through genetic studies of the Asian races that points to a single Asian migration from South East Asia traveling northwards and slowly populating East Asia instead of the other way around; the latter theory which is more popularly adhered to as exemplified in some of the linguistic theories above. From these studies, it was theorized that the South East Asian civilizations could possibly be much older compared to the widely researched and well documented East Asian ancient civilizations.
See also
- Aboriginal Malay languagesAboriginal Malay languagesThe Aboriginal Malay languages is a group of languages spoken by the Orang Asli community in Peninsular Malaysia. There are four languages in the group:...
- Malay peopleMalay peopleMalays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, including the southernmost parts of Thailand, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands which lie between these locations...
- Prehistoric MalaysiaPrehistoric MalaysiaPrehistoric Malaysia may be traced back as far as 200,000 years ago from stone tools found at Bukit Jawa, an archaeological site in Lenggong Perak. The earliest human skeleton in Peninsular Malaysia, Perak Man, dates back 11,000 years and Perak Woman dating back 8,000 years, were also discovered in...