Cultural Dynamics in a Globalized World – Budianta et al. (Eds) © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-1-138-62664-5 Formation of Javanese Malay identities in Malay Peninsula between the 19th and 20th centuries L. Sunarti Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia ABSTRACT: This paper aims to explain the cultural ties between Indonesia and Malay- sia by examining the diaspora or migration of Indonesian people across the archipelago, especially the Javanese to the Tanah Melayu peninsula (Malaysia), from the early 19th cen- tury to the early 20th century. It focuses on searching the traces of Javanese diaspora in the states of Selangor and Johor (two areas in Malaysia with the largest population of Javanese descendants) and the culture they brought and developed in their new places in that period. This paper also seeks to discuss how they adapted, assimilated and formed their identities in the new environment. This study uses a historical approach involving both qualitative and quantitative data as well as a literature review. Qualitative data were obtained by interviewing cultural actors in both Indonesia and Malaysia. Malaysians who were interviewed were Indo- nesian descendants, academics and so on. Quantitative data were obtained through question- naires completed by a group of young people in Indonesia and Malaysia. A literature review was conducted by tracing written sources, especially archives, documents, newspapers and books in both countries. These data were analysed using a historical method which includes several steps, namely heuristics, criticism, interpretation and historiography. 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The arrival of the Javanese in Malaya The Javanese are an ethnic group that has high mobility and has spread widely across the globe. According to Lockard (1971, p. 43), the Javanese diaspora had begun before the 19th century, but they migrated on a large scale between 1875 and 1940. The large migration of the Javanese was caused by various factors. In the land of the Malays, the arrival of the Javanese has a long history that makes it an interesting phenomenon. Malaya region, in this case, covers the entire territory of the Federation of Malaya, including Singapore, as depicted in Figure 1. Although Singapore and North Borneo were also included in the Federation of Malaya, the researchers limit the scope of the discussion to the country of Malaysia. The number of the Javanese who immigrated to the Malay Peninsula reached approximately 190,000 in the 1960s. It shows that the Javanese diaspora in Malaya was larger than that in Suriname and New Caledo- nia, where there were 43,000 and 3,600 Javanese migrants, respectively (Lockard, 1971, p. 42). Although it is difficult to know precisely when the first Javanese migrated to the Malay Peninsula, with the establishment of the strait settlements by the British colonial govern- ment, the arrival of the Javanese in Malaya was written in the civil records. In Singapore, for example, Kampong Jawa was established in 1836 in the western part of the Rochore River. The growth of Javanese population in the region continued to increase slowly but signifi- cantly from 38 in 1825 to 5,885 people in 1881. In Malaya, Penang and Malacca regions, it was recorded that the number of ‘Indonesian’ residents, mostly from Java, reached 4,683 in 1871 (Bahrin, 1967a, p. 269). Most of the Javanese migrants were workers and traders work- ing in various sectors ranging from the plantation to services. The above situation illustrates that the Javanese had migrated before the introduction of the contract labour system. 225 ( ' \ 101. ?--.,., PERUS / \ ...... '------------' ( 60NIL£5 !i.. '~,..-~>j J ;., i ,-J \ i I<ELANTAN i_) ,. f \TRENGG ANU PERAK i~ ,/J~· , _.- . ~\., PAHANG SELANG~'R-~'-- . - ,. / ' ·,_ .- NEGRI ~ - } SEMBllAN / ' · - STRAITS S£TTLEN£NTS D FEO£RAT£D MALAY ST.Af£5 D UNFEOEAATEO IU.LA'I' STATES ,.,. FigureFigure 1. 1. MalMalayaaya FederFederationation underunder BritishBritish colonialcolonial admadministrationinistration (B(Bahrin,ahrin, 1967a, pp.. 268).268). JavaneseJavanese peoplepeople werewere familiarfamiliar withwith emigration.emigration. AsAs previouslypreviously mentionedmentioned,, thethe mobilitymobility ofof thethe JavaneseJavanese beganbegan toto increaseincrease rapidlyrapidly inin thethe latelate 18th century.century. InIn thatthat periodperiod,, therethere werewere sev­sev- eraleral factorsfactors thatthat encouragedencouraged thethe JavaneseJavanese toto migratemigrate,, oneone ofof whichwhich waswas thethe conditioncondition inin ruralrural JavaJava wherewhere accessaccess toto variousvarious basicbasic amenitiesamenities waswas difficult.difficult. Therefore,Therefore, manymany ofof thethe inhabit­inhabit- antsants ofof JavaJava werewere drivendriven toto migratemigrate toto various areasareas inin searchsearch of livelihoodlivelihood that wouldwould allowallow themthem ttoo bebe prosperous,prosperous, eithereither temporarilytemporarily oror ppermanently.ermanently. CliffordClifford GeertzGeertz (1966)(1966) describeddescribed thethe situationsituation inin JavaJava inin hishis bookbook AgriculturalAgricultural involutionInvolution thatthat therethere waswas aa scarcityscarcity ofof land,land, anan explodingexploding populationpopulation andand povertypoverty thatthat hithit mostmost areasareas ofof Java.Java. ThisThis conditioncondition encouragedencouraged peoplepeople toto migratemigrate to otherother areas.areas. HardjosudarmoHardjosudarmo statedstated that inin 1930 therethere werewere l1,200,000 ,200,000 oror approximatelyapproximately 2.9%2.9% ofof peoplepeople livingliving outsideoutside JavaJava (Lockard,(Lockard, 1971,1971, pp.. 44).44). TheThe migrationmigration of thethe JavaneseJavanese waswas notnot alwaysalways ddoneone voluntarilyvoluntarily.. SomeSome peoplepeople migratedmigrated becausebecause ofof thethe demandsdemands ofof workwork asas labourerslabourers inin variousvarious businessbusiness sectors.sectors. TheThe growthgrowth ofof thethe plantationsplantations inin JavaJava andand SumatraSumatra,, whichwhich waswas drivendriven by thethe so-calledso-called 'liberal‘liberal policypolicy’' inin thethe secondsecond halfhalf ofof thethe 19th century,century, ledled thethe JavaneseJavanese toto searchsearch forfor workwork asas labourerslabourers inin planta­planta- tionstions operatedoperated by thethe EuropeansEuropeans (Lockard,(Lockard, 1971, p.p. 45).45). TheThe openingopening ofof thethe plantationplantation inin thethe easterneastern partpart ofof SumatraSumatra inin thethe earlyearly 1860s alsoalso requiredrequired aa lotlot ofof labourerslabourers fromfrom Java,Java, butbut theythey werewere stillstill lessless competitivecompetitive thanthan thethe plantation workersworkers comingcoming fromfrom China.China. MostMost JJavaneseavanese were under pressurepressure toto signsign aa contractcontract andand workwork inin differentdifferent areas.areas. TheThe workersworkers,, whowho camecame fromfrom Java,Java, werewere sentsent toto differentdifferent aareasreas ofof thethe EuropeanEuropean colonies,colonies, bbelong-elong­ inging mostlymostly toto thethe BritishBritish.. TheThe JavaneseJavanese wwereere thenthen sentsent toto SurinamSuriname,e, NNewew CaCaledonialedonia andand thethe FederationFederation ofof Malaya,Malaya, includingincluding SabahSabah andand SarawakSarawak.. TheThe distributiondistribution ofof JavaneseJavanese labourerslabourers inin MalayaMalaya cancan bebe seenseen inin FigureFigure 2 2.. MalayaMalaya waswas thethe firstfirst regionregion toto receivereceive the JavaneseJavanese asas workers,workers, asas wellwell asas thethe biggestbiggest destina­destina- tiontion forfor thethe JavaneseJavanese migrantmigrant workers.workers. Previously,Previously, therethere werewere thousandsthousands ofof ChineseChinese brought toto MalayaMalaya toto workwork inin tintin miningmining.. ThenThen,, thethe expansionexpansion ofof thethe sugarsugar andand coffeecoffee industriesindustries inin thethe llateate 19th centurycentury accompaniedaccompanied by thethe risinrisingg demdemandand forfor lablabourersourers inin thethe rubberrubber industryindustry causedcaused thethe EuropeansEuropeans toto bringbring manymany JavanJavaneseese toto workwork inin Malaya.Malaya. InIn thethe llateate 19th century,century, thethe EuropeansEuropeans neededneeded JavaneseJavanese workers.workers. InIn generalgeneral,, thethe llabourersabourers inin Malaya originatedoriginated fromfrom IndiIndiaa andand China.China. However,However, thethe EuropeansEuropeans fearedfeared thatthat theythey wouldwould bebe tootoo dependentdependent onon ChineseChinese labourers.labourers. Moreover,Moreover, the ChineseChinese workersworkers werewere consideredconsidered toto workwork optimallyoptimally oonlynly under the supervisionsupervision ofof thethe ChineseChinese peoplepeople themselves. InIn addition,addition, 226226 Figure 2. Distribution of Javanese labourers in Malaya (Bahrin, 1967b, p. 235). the competition for Chinese labourers was quite tough, and so was the competition for the Indian workers. The Europeans preferred Javanese workers because they could easily assimi- late with the locals (Lockard, 1971, p. 46). It can also be said that since the living environment in Malaysia is similar to the environment in Java, the Europeans found it easy to open new plantations by employing Javanese workers. In the migration process of those workers, recruitment procedures were carried out by the Europeans by