Peranakan

Peranakan refers to mixed Chinese and Malay/Indonesian people. Many Peranakans trace their origins to 15th-century Malacca.

The first Baba-Nyonya originated, from the 15th century, from marriages between Chinese merchants and Malay or Indonesian women.

The Baba-Nyonya partly adopted Malay customs in order to integrate into local communities. During British rule, they acquired a strong influence in the Straits colonies and were even nicknamed the King's Chinese.

Today, their particular identity tends to fade slowly, the younger generation adopting a more standardised Chinese culture.

In Java, Indonesia, the term Peranakan designates the mixed Chinese communities of locals from the cities of Pasisir (north coast of the island). In the Indonesian context, their outward characteristics fadesd all the more as the Indonesians categorized as Chinese properly speaking were forced, during the Soeharto regime (1966-98), to hide outward traces of their identity.

At various times and for various reasons, the Peranakan migrated extensively within the Nusantara region, between Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. This has resulted in a greater homogeneity of this population. The Peranakan culture is losing its positions and its popularity. Due to the political motives of the countries, the Peranakans of Malaysia and Singapore are increasingly approaching the culture of the Chinese on the mainland. At the same time, the Peranakans of Indonesia, due to the long ban on the Chinese language and the persecution of the Chinese during the reign of Suharto, are increasingly losing their native culture.

Baba and Peranakan Chinese speak a Malay creole, "Baba Malay", a mixture of English, Malay and Hokkien (a Chinese dialect).

Migrations to neighboring countries led to the emergence of small Peranakan communities in Vietnam and Australia .

Peranakan Media

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  Wedding portrait of a Peranakan couple

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  Njonja Majoor-titulair Be Biauw Tjoan (née Tan Ndjiang Nio), a prominent member of the Cabang Atas aristocracy

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  Two Peranakan women at a tin factory in Pulau Singkep, Riau Islands.

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  Tjhit Liap Seng (1886) by Lie Kim Hok was considered the first Chinese Malay novel.

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  Hok An Kiong Chinese Temple, Jalan Coklat, Surabaya c. 1900 – 1920. Large Chinese communities were already present in Java when the Dutch arrived just before the 1600s. Many Chinese had native concubines until a large group of mestizos arose, who spoke Malay or Javanese.

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  Kebaya Nyonya or Kebaya Encim, a traditional Peranakan attire.

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  A Chinese temple in Makassar, Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) c. 1900 – 1920.

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  The Kampong Kapor Methodist Church, Singapore.

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  Ayam buah keluak, a traditional Peranakan dish.

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  A Straits Peranakan bride and groom dated 30 May 1939.