Malays, the dominant native race in the Eastern Archipelago and neighbouring Asiatic peninsula, which from them are commonly named respectively the Malay Archipelago and Malay Peninsula, and collectively Malaysia. Physically the Malays must be regarded as an oceanic branch of the Mongolic division of mankind, diversely modified by interminglings, especially with dark (Papuan) elements in the eastern, and light (Caucasic) elements in the western and central parts of the archipelago. The former (Malayo-Papuan), often designated by the somewhat vague term 'Alfuro,' merge gradually eastward through Timor, Ceram, and South Jilolo in the true Papuans of Arn and New Guinea. The latter form two distinct groups, the Indonesians showing more of the Caucasian, and the Malays proper showing more of the Mongolic element. The Indonesians, represented chiefly by the Battaks and Kubus of Sumatra, the Bughis and Mangkassaras of South Celebes, the Buled Upils and others of Borneo, the Manobos and Tinguians of the Philippines, the Mentawey islanders (west coast of Sumatra), and many of the tribes in the Moluccas (North Jilolo, Burn), are of medium and even tall stature, well proportioned, with light brown complexion, long (dolichocephalic) head, straight eyes, large nose, and regular features. The Malay race proper comprises all the rest of the inhabitants of Malaysia, except the Negritos of the Philippines and Malay Peninsula; also the Chams of the south-eastern extremity of Cochinchina, many of the Formosan tribes, the Hovas of Madagascar, and some of the Micronesian islanders.
They are of low size, averaging little over five feet, with yellowish complexion, straight black hair, round (brachycephalic) head, somewhat almond-shaped eyes, small nose, high cheek-bones, flat features, small hands and feet, in general so like the east Asiatic Mongols that Chinese dressed as Balinese could scarcely be distinguished from Malays, while many natives of Java might pass very well for Chinese (Wallace).
But linguistically the Malays are entirely severed from the Asiatic Mongols, all the Malay languages without exception belonging to the widely-diffused Malayo-Polynesian family, which extends across the Indian and Pacific Oceans from Madagascar to Easter Island, and from New Zealand northwards to Hawaii. This area includes many dark populations, such as the natives of the New Hebrides and Solomon Islands, who speak primitive or archaic forms of the organic Malayo-Polynesian tongue, of which the standard Malay, Kavi, Javanese, and other idioms of the more cultured Malay peoples appear to be later developments (Codrington). Thus in the oceanic world race and language are, so to say, antagonistic, and present many difficult problems, the solution of which must await further research.
The peoples of standard Malay speech—i.e. the Malays in the narrower and popular acceptance of the term—occupy a comparatively limited portion of Malaysia, being mainly confined to the Malay Peninsula to about 9° N. lat., the southern provinces of Sumatra (Menangkabo, Palembang, &c.), Lingen, Banka, and the other islands between Sumatra and Borneo; Banjarmasin, Pontianak, Brunei, and some other maritime districts in Borneo; Tidor, Ternate, and the Banda group in the Moluccas, and the Sulu Islands. But at all events since the 13th century these Malays have been the chief trading people of the archipelago, where their language was already the general medium of intercourse throughout Malaysia at the arrival of the Portuguese towards the close of the 15th century. The question of their origin has been much discussed, some fixing the cradle of the race on the Asiatic mainland, others in Sumatra. This island, and especially Menangkabo, was undoubtedly the point of dispersion of the later historic migrations both to the mainland and to the eastern parts of the archipelago, which migrations can be traced back to the 12th century. But the race itself, being a branch of the Mongolic stock, must have originally reached the islands from the mainland, where the Orang-Benüa ('men of the soil'), indigenous Malay tribes, are still found almost at as low a stage of culture as their Negrito neighbours. Others, the so-called Orang-Laut ('men of the sea'), have from times long anterior to the Sumatran migrations been scattered over all the inland waters of the archipelago, 'a vile people, living by fishing and piracy' (De Barros). Lastly, the Orang-Malayu themselves—i.e. the civilised Malays, formerly Brahmanists and Buddhists, now mostly Mohammedans—had already overrun the southern parts of Annam in the 8th century, and the Hovas had reached Madagascar at a still earlier epoch—i.e. before the spread of Hindu influences in the archipelago, for there are no Sanskrit words in the Malagasy language. Hence the Menangkabo dispersion can only be regarded as an episode in the history of the Malay race, whose origin must be sought, not in Sumatra, but in the Indo-Chinese peninsula. Their connection with the primitive inhabitants of this region is also shown by numerous practices, such as pile-building, head-hunting (Dyaks of Borneo), certain matriarchal customs, a dislike of milk, and fondness for putrescent fish, large ear-ornaments, cock-fighting and other forms of gambling.
Of late years the Malays have mostly abandoned their lawless roving habits, and are now spoken of as a somewhat mild, patient, and taciturn people, occupied chiefly with trade and agriculture, and distinguished especially for their extreme courtesy towards each other and strangers. But the old fiery spirit still smoulders beneath an apparently passive exterior, and too frequently reveals itself in those sudden outbursts of murderous frenzies known as 'running amuck.' The Malay intellect is of a low order, and the race has never developed a native culture, their civilisation being entirely due to foreign influences, chiefly Hindu and Arab. The Malay language, which is soft and harmonious and of simple structure, is written in the Arabic character, which is ill suited for the purpose. Lately the Roman system has been largely adopted, especially in the Dutch and English dependencies. The literature, which is copious, comprises poetical compositions, such as rhyming-proverbs, love-songs, and dramas displaying some originality, but little imagination. The prose-writings (histories and chronicles in which truth and fiction are inextricably interwoven, treatises on law, theology, and ethics) are mostly based on Arab or Persian models.
See J. Crawfurd, History of the Indian Archipelago; Logan, Journal of the Indian Archipelago and East Asia, and Ethnology of the Indian Archipelago; A. R. Wallace, The Malay Archipelago; T. J. Newbold, Account of the British Settlements in the Straits of Malacca; W. E. Maxwell, Manual of the Malay Language; Miklukho Maklay, Ethnological Excursion in Johor; A. H. Keane, Relations of the Indo-Chinese and Inter-Oceanic Races and Languages; Von Rosenberg, Die Malayische Archipel, und Folklore of the Malays; Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.