Just to start off my Blog, I would like to give a brief introduction about the Kristang History, especially in Malaysia.
The Kristang are a creole Eurasian ethnic group of people of mixed Portuguese and Malaccan descent based in Malaysia and Singapore. Many people of this ethnicity also have Chinese, Indian and other Asian heritage due to intermarriage, which was common among the Kristang. The creole group arose in Malacca (Malaysia) after the Portugese came to Malaysia in 1511 and made Malacca their base. Some descendants speak a distinctive Kristang language, a creole based on Portuguese. Today the government classifies them as Portuguese Eurasians or "Serani" (Malay).
Papiá Kristang ("Christian language"), or just Kristang, is the creole language that is spoken by the Kristang people. The language is also called Cristão or Cristan ("Christian"), Português de Malacca ("Malacca Portuguese"), or simply Papiá. The language still has a few thousand (approximately 5,000) speakers in Malacca and a few hundred (400) in Singapore. About 80% of the older Kristang in Malacca regularly speak it, where the "Portugese Settlement" (in Ujong Pasir, Malacca) is situated. Due to migration by the younger generation of Kristang, many have moved to the other states in Malaysia.
Kristang is also spoken by some immigrants and their descendants in the United Kingdom, where some settled after independence, and also in Australia. In particular the city of Perth, Western Australia, which is a popular destination for retirees from this community.
The Kristang language had a substantial influence on Macanese. Macau Creole is a creole language derived mainly from Malay, Sinhalese, Cantonese, and Portuguese, which was originally spoken by the Macanese community of the Portuguese colony of Macau, due to substantial migration from Malacca after its takeover by the Dutch
Even after Portugal lost Malacca and almost all contact in 1641, the Kristang community largely preserved its language. The language is not taught at school, although there are still some Church services in Portuguese, made up of elements of Portugese & Malay. Furthermore, the Malay language, or Bahasa Malaysia, as it is now called in Malaysia, has changed to incorporate many Kristang words. For example, garfu is Kristang for "fork" and almari is Kristang for "cupboard"; the Malay language incorporated these Kristang words whole.
The Kristang language originated after the conquest of Malacca (Malaysia) in 1511 by the Portuguese. Thus, scholars believe the Kristang community originated in part from liaisons and marriages between Portuguese men (sailors, soldiers, traders, etc.) and local native women. The men came to Malacca during the age of Portuguese explorations, and in the early colonial years, Portuguese women did not settle in the colony. Portuguese men married mostly women of Malay ethnicity, but also those of Chinese or Indian descent. Today intermarriage occurs more frequently between Kristang and people of Chinese and Indian ethnicity rather than Malay because of endogamous religious laws. These require non-Muslims intending to marry Malay Muslims or Indian Muslims first to convert to Islam. Eurasians are not always willing to alter their religious and cultural identity in this way. In earlier centuries, Portuguese and local Malays were able to marry without such conversions, because such religious laws did not exist.
It is wrong to use the name "Kristang" for other people of mixed European and Asian descent presently living in Malaysia and Singapore (this is a common mistake). 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 (after the Portugese came).
The name comes from the Portuguese creole kristang (Christian), derived from the Portuguese cristão. A derogatory term for the Portuguese-Malaccan community is 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).
This article is licenced under the GNU Free DocumentationLicence. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Kristang people.
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