Kristang people

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 This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (February 2009)

The Kristang are a creole Eurasian ethnic group of people of mixed Portuguese and Malaccan descent based in Malayasia and Singapore, although many people of this group also have Chinese, Indian and other ancestries due to intermarriage, which was common among the Kristang. The creole group arose in Malacca (Malaysia) between the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was a port and base of the Portuguese. Some descendants speak a distinctive Kristang language, a creole based on Portuguese. Today the government refers to them as Portuguese Eurasians.

The Kristang language is formally called Malacca-Melayu Portuguese Creole, made up of elements of each.[1] The Malay Language, or Bahasa Malaysia as it is now called in Malaysia, has modified and incorporated many Kristang words. For example, garfu is Kristang for "fork" and almari is Kristang for "cupboard"; the Malay Language incorporated these Kristang words as is.

The Kristang community is believed to have originated in part from liaisons and marriages between Portuguese men (sailors, soldiers, traders, etc.) who came to Malacca during the age of Portuguese explorations and local native women. In the early colonial years, Portuguese women did not settle in the colony.

The name "Kristang" is sometimes incorrectly used for other people of mixed European and Asian descent presently living in Malaysia and Singapore. This includes people of Portuguese descent who were not part of the historical Kristang community, and people with other European ancestry, such as Dutch or British, who also colonized southeast Asia at one time.

The name comes from Portuguese creole kristang (Christian), derived from the Portuguese cristão. A derogatory term for the Portuguese-Malaccan community was Gragok (slang term for Portuguese geragau or shrimp, referring to the fact that the Portuguese Malaccans were traditionally shrimp fishermen). The community historically called themselves Gente Kristang (Christian people).

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[edit] History

[edit] Portuguese expeditions

Malacca was a major destination in the great wave of sea expeditions launched by Portugal, around the turn of the 16th century, and it eventually became part of the Portuguese Empire. The first Portuguese expedition to reach Malacca landed in 1507. It is recorded in the Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) that the Malays first called them Bengali Puteh (White Bengalis), as they reminded them of traders from Bengal, but they were more pale. In the early years, the Malays called the Portuguese Serani (short for Malay Nasrani, meaning followers of Jesus the Nazarene.)[2] The story was recorded that the Portuguese landing party inadvertently insulted the Malaccan sultan by placing a garland of flowers on his head, and he had them detained. In 1511, a Portuguese fleet came from India to free the landing party.

At that time, Portuguese women were barred from traveling overseas due to superstition about women on ships, as well as the substantial danger of the sea route around cape Horn. Following the Portuguese colonization of Malacca (Malaysia) in 1511, the Portuguese government encouraged their explorers to marry local indigenous women, under a grand policy set by Afonso de Albuquerque, then Viceroy of India. The King of Portugal granted freeman status and exemption from crown taxes to Portuguese men (known as casados, or "married men") who ventured overseas and married local women. Mixed marriages flourished with Albuquerque's encouragement, and some 200 were recorded by 1604. By creating families, the Portuguese would make more settled communities, with families that would be Catholic and loyal to the Crown.

[edit] The Dutch takeover

The rising Dutch nation, a powerful sea power, took Malacca from the Portuguese in 1641. This coincided with a civil war in Portugal that saw the end to a 60-year period known as the "Union of the Crowns" (1580-1640), when Portugal was joined to Castilian Spain by political marriage. Almost all political contact between Portugal and Malacca ended. Trade relations with the former Portuguese outpost of Macau have continued to this day.

Even after Portugal lost Malacca in 1641, the Kristang community largely preserved its traditions, practicing Catholicism and using Portuguese and Kristang language within the community.

[edit] Present status

The Kristang community still has surprising cultural and linguistic continuities with today's Portugal (especially with the Minho region, from where many historic early settlers emigrated). The Kristang continue to hold some church services in Portuguese, and Malayasians continue to refer to the community as "Portuguese". As the Kristang language is not taught in schools, it is nearing extinction, with the exception of within the Portuguese Settlement in Ujong Pasir Malacca.

The Kristang in Malaysia do not have the status of bumiputra, although they can apply to be members of a trust scheme known as Amanah Saham Bumiputra, a privilege shared by Malaysians of Thai decent. This is a government-sponsored scheme to help the Malays in increasing their participation in the economy. The Kristang community in Singapore is part of a larger umbrella group known generically as the Eurasian community. Members have also emigrated to Perth, Western Australia over the past three decades.

The Portuguese Settlement is a thriving Kristang community in Malacca, established in 1933 with the goal of gathering the dispersed Kristang community and preserving their culture. A simple village of poor fishermen for many decades, it has recently become a major tourist attraction of Malacca, which has helped to improve the income of the Kristang population.

[edit] Kristang culture

[edit] Fishing

Since Portuguese times, the Kristang have been living by the sea, which is now an important part of their culture. Even today, with only 10 percent of the community earning their living by fishing, many men go fishing to supplement their income or just to relax with their neighbours. Traditionally fishing is done in small wooden perahus, or by pushing the langgiang, a traditional bamboo-poled shrimp net through the shallows. The popular option though is to swim and chase the fish, till they grow tired and 'sleep'; this takes hours and usually ends up in mass drownings.[citation needed]

[edit] Religion

The Kristang are practising Roman Catholics. Christmas (Natal) is the most festive occasion of the year, when many Kristang families get together to celebrate by eating seasonal dishes, singing carols and branyok, and revelling in saudade. Like many other Portuguese-speaking communities around the world, the Kristang also celebrate a string of major Saints' days at the end of June, beginning with St. John (San Juang) on June 24 and closing with St. Peter (San Pedro), the fishermen's patron saint, on June 29. The June festival of St. John's village is a major tourist attraction of Malacca. These festivals have become major tourist attractions despite the fact that they are religiously based.

[edit] Music and dance

Kristang music and dance, known as the branyok, can be easily mistaken for the Malay joget. The adoption of western music instruments and musical scales in traditional Malay and Indian orchestras suggest a strong Portuguese influence.

The most popular branyo tune is "Jingkli Nona", which is regarded as the unofficial "anthem" for Portuguese Eurasians in Singapore.

Portuguese fado music is not part of the Kristang culture, since it originated in the 19th century, after cultural links with Portugal were cut off. The Kristang culture tends to have more joyful expression than the characteristic melancholic mood of fado.

[edit] Cuisine

Influenced greatly by other local ethnic cuisines, Kristang food is similar to Malay cuisine, with the additions of stews and the inclusion of pork in the diet. Some roots of Portuguese-style cuisine are evident in kristang food; however, it has more of an eastern than western style, related to years of influence and local ingredients. With the limitations and lack of availability of ingredients, early Kristang and other colonials adopted the same ingredients used by the locals. Many Kristao also eat with the hand like the Malay. Typical Kristang dishes include curry dabel, porku tambrinu(babi asam stew)and pang su si cake.

[edit] Name

Kristang people traditionally have used Portuguese names. Malaysian Muslims of Arab, Malay, and Indian descent have such typical Muslim names as Fátima and Omar.

[edit] Portuguese influence on Malay language

The Portuguese ruled Malacca from 1511 to 1641, so it is not surprising that about 300 Portuguese words found their way into the Malay language. These include:

  • kereta (from carreta, (car);
  • sekolah (from escola, school);
  • bendera (from bandeira, flag);
  • mentega (from manteiga, butter);
  • keju (from queijo, cheese);
  • meja (from mesa, table); and
  • nenas (from ananás, pineapple).

[edit] Notable people

[edit] See also (Related ethnic groups)

[edit] References

 This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (June 2009)
  1. ^ Language Is the Soul of our Kristang Heritage, Joan Marbeck Website, accessed 12 Jun 2009
  2. ^ Gerard Fernandis, "Paipia, Relijang e Tradisang" (People, Religion and Tradition), The Portuguese Eurasians in Malayasia: 'Bumiquest', A Search for Self Identity", Lusotopie, 2000, Sciences Politiques - Bordeaux, accessed 12 Jun 2009

[edit] External links

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