How did living on an archipelago affect the culture of the early Malays in Southeast Asia?
1 Answer
The natural environment of an archipelago means that all landmasses are surrounded by the sea.
Explanation:
Do take note that not all people in the Southeast Asian Malaysian Archipelago are Malays - just that many of the early settlers were Malay.
On the larger islands, Malay and other ethnic communities gradually adapted to become hunter-gather societies, taking what they need from the forest and tending and protecting the natural habitat in return. An example would be the Bornean forest communities (collectively known as Dayaks) on the island of Borneo. Do refer to the http://minorityrights.org/minorities/dayak/ website for more information.
On the smaller islands or towards the coastal regions, Malay and other communities become fisherman or cultivators. An example would be the Orang Seletar (literally, people of the straits) of the Johor region in Malaysia.
A final way that such communities evolved would be into trading ports like Singapore, where people of many origins (including Malays, Chinese, Indians, Europeans and others) settled down to create a life in the busy trade town.
