Cocos Malays

Cocos Malays
Melayu Cocos
Total population
(4,000-5,000[1])
Regions with significant populations
 Malaysia 4,000[1]
 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 400
Languages
Cocos Malay, English and Malaysian
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Malays, Javanese people, Betawi people Bantenese

Cocos Malays are a community that form the predominant group of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, which is now part of Australia. Despite that they all have assimilated into the ethnic Malay culture, they are named in reference to the Malay race, coming from places such as Bali, Bima, Celebes, Madura, Sumbawa, Timor, Sumatra, Pasir-Kutai, Malacca, Penang, Batavia and Cirebon.[2]

History

Homeland

The first Malays are believed to have arrived and settled in the Islands in 1826 "when Alexander Hare, an English adventurer brought his Malay harem and slaves there." [3] In 1827 John Clunies-Ross changed the lives of the Malay slaves when he settled the Islands with his family. The existing Malays and a large number of newly arrived Malay immigrants that Clunies-Ross brought with him were employed to assist with the harvesting of coconuts for copra.[3] In September 1978, the Clunies-Ross family sold Cocos Islands to the Australian government. Since then, the Chief of State has been Queen Elizabeth II, represented by the current Governor-General, Administrator Brian Lacy. The Chairman of the Islands is Council Haji Wahin bin Bynie.

Cocos Malays in Malaysia

The Cocos Malays in Malaysia primarily reside in a village known as Kampung Cocos near Lahad Datu in Tawau Division of Sabah.[4] Originally from the Cocos Islands, they settled on this area in the 1950s after been brought by the British.[5] The number of those who participated in the first emigration is thought to be around twenty, but it increased when they expanded their settlement in Lahad Datu. Their culture is closely related to the Malay peoples in Malaysia[6] and their current population in Sabah is around 4,000, about eight times larger than the population remaining in the Cocos Islands.[1] They are accorded bumiputra status by the Malaysian government and also a part of the Malaysian Malays ethnic group found in the state of Sabah.

Religion

Most of the Cocos Malays follow the Sunni branch of Islam.[7]

Dress code

The Cocos Malays have their own dress code - Baju Kebaya for the women and Baju Melayu for the men. Baju Kebaya consists of a loose tunic (which refers to a long collarless shirt with a short neckline that is pinned together with a brooch) and is worn over a skirt or sarong. Baju Melayu is a loose shirt (either with a collar with three or more buttons or collarless with a neckline). The Baju Kebaya and Baju Melayu of the Cocos are indistinct of the attire of typical Malay. The dress of the community are believed to be having a blend from several cultures, the Javanese and the Scottish.

Language

Cocos Malays have their own language variety, which is being called Basa Pulu Kokos. It is considered rough and unsophisticated because of the use of slang in it and the constant change in word meanings. The language is predominately Betawi Malay[8] a Jakarta creole mix of Malay and Indonesian (as well as Javanese, Sundanese and Hokkien in which the Betawi language derived from) with local pronunciation and elements of English and Scottish being mixed in.

Phrases/ Vocabulary

Addressing elders:

See also

External links

References

  1. 1 2 3 Yong Leng Lee (1965). North Borneo (Sabah): A Study in Settlement Geography. Eastern Universities Press.
  2. ↑ http://worldmap.org/maps/other/profiles/cocos%20(keeling)%20islands/Cocos%20Islands%20Profile.pdf
  3. 1 2 Cocos Malays
  4. ↑ "RTM documenting unique culture of Sabah Cocos community". The Borneo Post. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Sabah: history and society. Malaysian Historical Society. 1981.
  6. ↑ Frans Welman. Borneo Trilogy Volume 1: Sabah. Booksmango. pp. 168–. ISBN 978-616-245-078-5.
  7. ↑ Cocos Malays
  8. ↑ "Malay-based creole languages | School eBook Library - eBooks | Read eBooks online". www.schoolebooklibrary.info. Retrieved 2016-01-07.
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