Akar Nusa
A harbour crowded with boats. A Malay boatman, a Chinese trader, a Bugis sailor and an Indian clerk all wait at the same quay.
The story
Singapore was once the Malay world's small outpost. In the 14th century there was a trading settlement on the island. Before the British came in 1819, its main people were the Orang Seletar, a sea people closely related to Malays.
When Stamford Raffles arrived in January 1819, only about 150 people lived at the river mouth, around 120 Malays and 30 Chinese. Perhaps 1,000 lived on the whole island. Singapore became a free port, so traders of every kind came. By the first census in 1824 there were 10,683 people. More than six thousand were Malays and Bugis, and the rest included Chinese, Indians, Europeans, Armenians and Arabs.
Within a few years the Chinese were the largest group. By 1845 they were more than half of the island. Most early migrants were men who came to work or trade. In 1901 there were about four Chinese men for every Chinese woman. Many families began later, when more women came and children were born.
From 1826, Singapore, Melaka and Penang were governed together as the Straits Settlements. After independence, Singapore sorted its people into four groups: Chinese, Malay, Indian and Others, which includes Eurasians. It has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil.
The island's story is shared with Malaysia. The island was nominally ruled by the Sultan of Johor in 1819, and under the British it was governed with Melaka and Penang as one colony. Many families on both sides of the Causeway are linked by history.
Singapore also has an older history. Evidence suggests a significant trading settlement on the island in the 14th century, well before the British came. This is why Singaporeans and Malaysians often say they share one long history, even though the two countries went separate ways in modern times.
Where you can still see it today
- Four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil.
- Singapore's Peranakan heritage, the same Baba Nyonya story as in Melaka and Penang.
What DNA can tell, and what it cannot
A study of 4,810 Chinese, Malay and Indian Singaporeans looked at whole genomes. It found these three groups cover much of the region's diversity. It estimated that the ancestors of Malays and Chinese split about 24,800 years ago, and that Malays mixed with East Asians about 1,700 years ago, matching the time of the great Austronesian movement. These dates are estimates from a model.
Malaysians we have tested show similar mixes. A region estimate can show the mix of Southeast Asian, East Asian and South Asian roots. DNA does not decide race, religion or bumiputera status.
