#asia #portuguese #malaysia #singapore
In the Southeast Asian nations of Malaysia and Singapore, there exists a unique ethnic group of mixed Portuguese, Malay, Chinese, and Indian ancestry known popularly as the Kristang. The Kristang primarily descend from colonial Portuguese explorers and settlers, who arrived in the Malay peninsula from as early as the 16th century and intermarried with the local Malay population. After the defeat of the Malacca Sultanate in the year 1511, the port city of Malacca became an official territory of the Portuguese empire, marking the beginning of European colonialism in the Malay peninsula and in Southeast Asia. The Portuguese sought to increase the number of colonial settlements in their new territory, and soon began encouraging Portuguese soldiers and explorers stationed in the area to marry among the local Malay population and settle permanently in Malacca. Some working-class Portuguese men, mainly from the Minho region of northern Portugal, were also recruited to immigrate and form permanent settlements in Malacca. Catholic missionaries were also among the Portuguese settlers in Malacca and were particularly instrumental in converting some of the local Malays into Roman Catholicism and for the spread of the Portuguese language in the area. In later years, several South Asian Catholics from modern-day Southwestern India were brought to Malacca by the Portuguese, in an effort to increase the number of Catholic Christians in the area. These newly arrived South Asian immigrants were primarily involved in Malacca's lucrative spice trade, however, some also served as Catholic missionaries to the local Malay population. Like most trading hubs in Southeast Asia at the time, the city of Malacca also housed a significant number of Chinese merchants, many of whom had already developed permanent trading communities in the area, before the arrival of the Portuguese. Due to Catholic missionary activity in Malacca, some members of the local Chinese community converted to Roman Catholicism, contributing to the growth of Malacca's Catholic population. Later on, the Portuguese began intermarrying solely among Malacca's Catholic population, leading to the formation of a large mixed-race Eurasian community. These Eurasians were referred to as the "Kristang" by the local Malays and were known for their devout adherence to Roman Catholicism and for their strong ties to their Portuguese heritage. After the defeat of the Portuguese by Dutch forces in the year 1641, the city of Malacca became a territory of the Netherlands, ending over a century of Portuguese colonial rule in the area. In an effort to consolidate control over their new colony, the Dutch expelled a large number of the Kristang to Indonesia, however, a few managed to flee to Portugal's overseas Indian territories. A significant minority remained in Malacca and gradually began forming small fishing settlements along Malacca's coastal areas. The Kristang have historically spoken Malaccan Portuguese, which is a unique Portuguese-based creole language that is heavily influenced by Malay, Chinese, Cantonese, and several Indian languages. Malaccan Portuguese initially arose as a pidgin form of communication between newly arrived Portuguese settlers in Malacca and the local Malay population, but soon developed into a distinct language. Even though the vocabulary of Malaccan Portuguese is largely derived from 16th-century Portuguese, its grammatical structure is primarily based on the Malay language. Malaccan Portuguese is somewhat mutually intelligible with modern-day standard Portuguese, particularly to the dialect spoken in the Minho region of northern Portugal. The Kristang are known for their unique cuisine, which is mainly derived from traditional Portuguese cooking styles, but also includes influences from Malay, Chinese, and South Indian cuisine. One popular example of Kristang cuisine is "Kari Debal", which is a spicy curry dish that consists primarily of meat, red chili, curry powder, mustard seeds, candlenuts, galangal, and vinegar. Like most Portuguese-speaking Catholics around the world, the Kristang observe many Catholic religious festivals, most notably Easter, the June festival, and Christmas.
Timestamps:
Introduction - 00:00
History - 00:26
Malaccan Portuguese - 03:02
Spoken Malaccan Portuguese - 03:54
Kristang Cuisine - 04:23
Religion - 04:50
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