Ethnics in Country of Malaysia

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One of the things you will find most fascinating about Malaysia is its people and culture. Being a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual society of 28 million is no easy feat, as race continues to be a hotly debated issue and permeates almost every aspect of Malaysian life.

The Malaysian population consists of 62% Bumiputeras, which includes Malays and the Indigenous peoples, 24% Chinese, 8% Indians, and the rest are other minorities. Or as we say in Malaysia, ‘lain-lain’ or others. Citizenship in East Malaysia or the states of Sabah and Sarawak are a little different from citizenship in Peninsular Malaysia for immigration purposes. When West Malaysians visit East Malaysia, they are required to bring their MyKad, a biometric smart chip identity card, which must be carried by citizens of Malaysia at all times.

The Malays form the largest community, and they are defined as Muslims in the Constitution of Malaysia- in other words, if you are Malay, you are automatically Muslim. The Malays are the big brothers of politics, dominating the political scene. Their native language is Malay, the national language of the country. They are also sometimes called ‘bumiputra’, or ‘princes of the soil’ and are favoured with certain affirmative action policies. This has been a point of discontent with a lot of minorities. Among others, getting a 10% to 25% discount when buying a house and receiving government tenders and scholarships are some of these benefits. How did this come about? I’ll tell you more in the economy section.

The second biggest group are the Chinese. They are mostly Buddhists, Taoists or Christians. The Chinese community speaks a variety of Chinese dialects including Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka, and Teochew- all from the native familial provinces in China. But today, many Chinese speak English as their first language; in fact there are some who speak only English. If the Malays dominate the political scene, the Chinese dominate the business scene. There is a sizable middle class consisting of the Chinese.

The third biggest group are the Indians. The Indians in Malaysia are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India whose native language is Tamil. Of course there are other Indian communities living here and they speak many dialects like Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi. Many middle to upper-middle class Indians in Malaysia also speak English as a first language. There is also a vigorous 200,000-strong Indian Muslim community that thrives as an independent cultural group. In fact, if you get hungry in the middle of the night, you most probably will head to a ‘mamak’, a kind of 24-hour restaurant that is often owned by an Indian Muslim. There is also a sizable Sikh community in Malaysia numbering over 100,000.

The largest non-Malay indigenous tribe is the Iban of Sarawak, who number over 600,000. Some still live in traditional jungle villages in long houses along the Rajang and Lupar rivers, though many have moved to the cities. Then, there are the Bidayuhs, who number around 170,000 and are concentrated in the south western part of Sarawak. Then there are the Kadazans, the largest indigenous tribe in Sabah and they are mostly Christian farmers. Then there are the 140,000 Orang Asli, or aborigines, living in Peninsular Malaysia. Traditionally nomadic hunter-gatherers and agriculturalists, many have been partially absorbed into ‘modern’ Malaysia.

Besides that, through interracial marriage, there are a significant number of racial groups such as the Eurasians, who are descendants of marriages among the British, Dutch and Portuguese and the locals. They speak a Portuguese-based creole, called Papiá Kristang. There are also Eurasians of Filipino and Spanish descent, mostly in Sabah. Descended from immigrants from the Philippines, some speak Chavacano, the only Spanish-based creole language in Asia. Then there are Cambodians and Vietnamese, who are mostly Buddhists. Then there are Thai Malaysians, who populate a big part of the northern peninsular states of Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Kelantan and Terengganu. Besides speaking Thai, most of them are Buddhists, celebrate Songkran or Water festival and can speak Hokkien, but some of them are Muslim and speak the Kelantanese Malay dialect.

Then there are the Bugis and Javanese, who make up a part of the population in Johor. In addition, there have been many foreigners and expatriates who have made Malaysia their second home, also contributing to Malaysia’s population. Then there are the Babas and Nyonyas, or Straits Chinese; descendants of Chinese who came to trade in ancient Malacca who married local Malays. They combine Malay and Chinese traditions in such a way as to create a new culture. Most of them dress in typical Malay fashion, wearing the kebaya ketat, which is a Malay traditional costume, and they speak a special kind of Malay, and cook food that is a mix of the both cultures.

Being a multiracial country, cultural exchanges and cultural integrations are inevitable. For example, this can be seen in Malay wedding ceremonies, which incorporates elements of the Hindu traditions of southern India. The bride and the groom dress in gorgeous brocades, sit in state, and feed each other yellow rice with hands painted with henna. Another example is that the Muslims and Hindus have adapted the Chinese custom of giving little red packets of money or ‘ang pau’ at festivals such as Aidilfitri, and Deepavali. The colours of the packets vary, but the practice is similar.

In Malaysia, it is entirely possible to go from a kampong or a village, to a rubber estate to a Chinese coffee shop and feel as if you’ve seen so many different sides to one country. Travel to any Kuala Lumpur suburb and observe. A Chinese house will have a mother praying and lighting joss sticks for her ancestors, an Indian family will be playing the radio featuring the latest Tamil hit, while the Malay family will be getting ready to walk to the closest mosque.

Malaysia is a multi-racial country consisting of Malays, Chinese, Indians and numerous indigenous people. With this, comes a myriad of religion, festivals, food and customs.

Malay - Today, the Malays, make up Malaysia's largest ethnic group, which is more than 50% of the population. In Malaysia, the term Malay refers to a person who practices Islam and Malay traditions and speaks the Malay language. Their conversion to Islam from Hinduism and Buddhism began when the Sultan of Melaka embraced it in the 14th Century. They are known for their good mannerisms.


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Chinese - The second largest ethnic group, the Malaysian Chinese form 25% of the population. Mostly descendents of Chinese immigrants during the 19th century, different dialects are spoken. Hokkien is spoken mainly in the North, in Penang and Cantonese in Kuala Lumpur. There are other dialects like Teochew and Hakka and other smaller dialects such as Foochow, Henghua, Kwongsai, Hokchia and Hokchui. Mandarin is widely spoken in the southern states. The Chinese are known for their diligence and keen business sense.


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Indian & Sikhs - The Indians constitute 10% of the Malaysian population and is the third and smallest of the three main ethic groups. Most are from Tamil Speaking South India who immigrated to Malaysia during British colonial times. Mainly Hindus, they brought their colourful cultures such as ornate temples, spicy cuisine and exquisite sarees. The Punjabi speaking Sikh community in Malaysia owes its beginnings in the country to the British connection and in particular with the recruitment of Sikhs for the paramilitary and police units in the 1870s and onward.


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Peranakan, Baba-Nyonya - Peranakan, Baba-Nyonya and Straits Chinese are terms used for the descendants of the very early Chinese immigrants(15thcentury) to the Nusantara region, including both the British Straits Settlements of Malaya and the Dutch-controlled island of Java among other places, who have partially adopted Malay customs in an effort to be assimilated into the local communities. The spoken language is Baba Malay, which is Malay language with Chinese Hokkien mix. However it is a dying language that only the older generation speaks. Peranakans are found mainly in Melaka and Penang, although there is a lesser known 300 year old Peranakan community in Kelantan.

Chitty - The Chitty are a distinctive group of Tamil people found mainly in Malacca, who are also known as the Indian Peranakans. Historical records stated that the Tamil traders from Panai in Tamil Nadu settled down in Malacca during the sovereignty of the Sultanate of Malacca. Like the Peranakans, they later freely intermingled with the local Malays and Chinese settlers. However, with the fall of the Malacca Sultanate after 1511, the Chitty eventually lost touch with their native land. Like the Peranakans, the Chitty speak a Malay patois, which is mixed with many Tamil loan words. Many of the Chitty are unable to communicate in Tamil fluently. The Chitty population is around 2000 and the traditional Chitty settlement is located at Kampung Tujuh along Jalan Gajah Barang, Melaka.

Portuguese Descendants - Known also as Eurasians, they are the descendants of the Portuguese who arrived in Melaka in 1511, coming from Goa, India. Upon arrival from Goa, they built settlements and married the locals. Their spoken language is Christang, which is an old form of Portuguese. The Eurasians are predominantly Catholic. Numbering around 2000, they live in a settlement in Ujong Pasir, Melaka.

East Malaysia

In East Malaysia, the indigenous people of Sarawak are known as the Dayaks, the Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu. The largest indigenous ethnic groups of Sabah's population are the Kadazan Dusun, the Bajau and the Murut.

Sabah’s indigenous people is also include Kadazan-Dusun, Kwijau, Murut, Bajau, Illanun, Lotud, Rungus, Tambanuo, Dumpas, Mangka’ak, Suluk, Illocano, Orang Sungai, Brunei, Kedayan, Tagalog, Bisaya, Tidong, Indonesian, Maragang, Orang Cocos, Paitan, Ida’an, Minoko, Rumanau, Serani, Chinese of mixed bumibutra parentage and Filipino of mixed bumiputra parentage.

Orang Asli-Orang Asli means Original People. These indigenous ethnic groups are found in both East and West Malaysia.

Dayak
Dayak means upstream or inland. Typically, they live in longhouses traditional community homes that can house 20 to 100 families.

Iban
Iban is the largest of Sarawak's ethnic groups with over 30% of the state's population. In the past, they were a fearsome warrior race known for headhunting and piracy. Sometimes wrongly called Sea Dayaks for their boating skills, they live in the heart of Kalimantan.

Bidayuh
The Bidayuh are peace loving and easy going but ironically have a history of headhunting. Their roundhouses are mainly located in Sarawak's mountainous regions.

Orang Ulu
Orang Ulu are the upriver tribes of Sarawak. Artistically inclined, their longhouses are ornately decorated with woodcarvings and murals. Their utensils are embellished with intricate beadwork; and aristocratic ladies cover their body with finely detailed tattoos.

Kadazan Dusun
The largest ethnic group of Sabah, the Kadazan Dusuns form about 30% of the state's population. Actually consisting of two tribes; the Kadazan and the Dusun, they were grouped together as they both share the same language and culture. However, the Kadazan are mainly inhabitants of flat valley deltas, which are conducive to paddy field farming, while the Dusun traditionally lived in the hilly and mountainous regions of interior Sabah.

Bajau
The second largest ethnic group in Sabah, the Bajaus make up about 15% of the state's population. Historically, a nomadic sea-faring people that worshipped the Omboh Dilaut of God of the Sea, they are sometimes referred to as the Sea Gypsies. Those who chose to leave their sea-faring ways become farmers and cattle breeders. These land Bajaus are nicknamed 'Cowboys of the East' in tribute to their impressive equestrian skills, which are publicly displayed in the annual Tamu Besar festival at Kota Belud.

Murut
Murut means ‘Men of the Hills’ and they are the third largest ethnic group in Sabah, making up about 3% of the state's population. Traditionally inhabiting the northern inland regions of Borneo, they were the last of Sabah's ethnic groups to renounce headhunting. Now, they are mostly shifting cultivators of hill paddy and tapioca, supplementing their diet with blowpipe hunting and fishing. Like most indigenous tribes in Sabah, their traditional clothing is decorated with distinctive beadwork. ‘Kaansayan Minatong’ means welcome in Murut language.