Back ملايو سريلانكا Arabic Малайцы Шры-Ланкі Byelorussian Malais de Sri Lanka French Melayu Sri Lanka ID Orang Melayu Sri Lanka Malay Malajowie lankijscy Polish Malaios do Seri Lanca Portuguese ලංකා මැලේ ප්‍රජාව Singhalese Sri Lankan Malays SIMPLE இலங்கை மலாயர் Tamil

Sri Lankan Malays

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.

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]

  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 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)."


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