The Migration of Malays to Singapore

Who are the Malays?
Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian peoples 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.

The Malay ethnic group is distinct from the concept of a Malay race, which encompasses a wider group of people, including most of Indonesia and the Philippines.

Language
The Malay language is a member of the Austronesian family of languages. A vast borrowing of Sanskrit words and concepts facilitated the advanced linguistic development of Malay as a language.

Religion
Malay culture practiced Buddhism, Hinduism, and their native Animism during the Srivijayan times before converting to Islam in the 15th century.
Majority of the Malays in Singapore are Muslims.

Migration of Malays to Singapore from 1819

The Orang Laut - Orang Laut, or "Sea People" refer to sea nomads and sea gypsies. They were one of the earlier immigrants who inhabited along the coastline of Singapore island during pre-colonial days.

The Orang Laut who settled in Singapore around 1819 were made up of different groups; the Orang Kallang, Orang Seletar, Orang Selat and Orang Gelam were the Orang Laut that lived in Singapore. The only commonality they shared was some degree of Malay ethnicity and a preference for living on boats rather than on land.

The different groups settled in the different waters in Singapore.

The Malays - When Raffles came to Singapore, there were already many indigenius Malays living here. They were made up of the nobility that were headed by the Temenggong, the palace officials and his followers as well as the Orang Laut.

A few months later, hundreds of Malays from Malacca came to Singapore, encouraged by the British who wanted to develop Singapore as a centre for trade and administration (Siebel, 1961:27). More Malays from Riau, Sumatra, Penang, Malacca and Johore came to Singapore (Roff, 1967:33; Census 1931:72) when Singapore became more developed and there were better economic opportunities.

The Javanese - The second largest Malay ethnic group were the Javanese, from Java, Indonesia.

The Javanese came to Singapore in stages. In the mid-19th century, they came and worked as ironsmiths, leather makers as well as spice merchants and religious books dealers. There were also a group of Javanese printers and publishers in the Arab Street area and a community of pilgrim brokers that played an important role in encouraging the migration of the Javanese to Singapore.

The Boyanese - The Boyanese, originally from Bawean Island, Indonesia also came to Singapore. Most of them came in the late 19th century until the end of Second World War. The majority of them worked as horse cart drivers and later as motorcar drivers. They could not be considered poor as their lands in Bawean were fertile; they had come in search of cash earnings. They wanted to purchase jewellery made of gold and goods that they could bring back to their villages. Some also wanted to build a better life for themselves in Singapore.

The Bugis - The Bugis, well known for a long time as maritime traderes, came from the Celebes Islands in Indonesia. In the mid-seventeenth century, the Bugis were spreading out from Celebes to set up trading centres throughout the region. Often they had to sail to distant lands and fight indigenous tribes. They rarely lost and acquired a reputation as fierce warriors.

Because of the Dutch control in Indonesia and their blockades, the Bugis spice trading routes from Celebes to Java was cut off. They were forced to migrate to other areas to continue their trade.

The establishment of a free port in Singapore allowed the Bugis to expand their network in the archipelago. Sailing from Sumatra to north Australia, the Bugis ships brought cargoes of cotton cloth, gold dust, birds-of-paradise feathers, pepper, trepang (sea slugs), sandalwood, tortoiseshell, coffee and rice to Singapore. Most of these goods were very much in demand by the Chinese merchants in Singapore. The Bugis also traded in slaves.

The Minangkabau -

The Minangkabau came from Western Sumatra. They have been migrating to Malaysia and Singapore since long ago. This only stopped when Malaya achieved independence from the British in 1957, when the immigration laws were tightened. The majority of Minangkabaus who came to Singapore came from Pariaman and Agam in Western Sumatra. The majority of them were engaged in business, especially in selling nasi padang (a rice dish made of meat, vegetables and tempeh). The Minangkabaus also sold religious items, toys and clothes. They also worked as taxi drivers, gardeners and joined uniformed services. Many Minangkabaus also worked as sailors on ships owned by trading companies.