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The Historical background of the Malacca

THE MALAY CHETTY CREOLE LANGUAGE OF MALACCA: A HISTORICAL AND LINGUISTIC Abstract This article is an attempt to describe the Malacca Chetties' historical and linguistic background. It begins with a discussion of the emergence of the Chetties who are descendents of two ethnically and culturally different groups, Indian men from South India and local women of Malacca. The intermarriage between the two groups, which was common especially before the arrival of Islam and throughout the Hindu-Islam transition period in Malacca, gave birth to this unique community. In terms of physical appearance, the Chetties' look more Malay than Indian, yet they maintained their Indian ancestors' Hindu beliefs. The Chetties' draw and adapt from other local cultures, in particular the Saba Nyonya and Malay cultures, in their every day life. The mother tongue of the Chetties for instance is a variety of Malay. As with the community itself, the Malay language used by the Chetties is an amalgamation of various cultures. Grimes (1996) labels the language spoken by the Chetties as a form of creole and names it Chetties Creole Malay or Malacca Malay Creole. The uniqueness of the language is explicated further in the second part of this article which discusses the linguistic similarities and distinctions between the Chetties Creole Malay and other Malay dialects in Malaysia. Introduction The term Chetty originates from the word chetti in Malayalam, shetti in Tamil and setti in Telegu, all of which refer to people from South India from the Chettiar caste. A review of the literature suggests that there are variations to the word including Chetin, Chati, Chatin, Chettijn, Sitty and so on (Moorthy, 1997: 40t In the context of Malaysia, the term Chetty generally refers to the Chettiars whose roots could be traced back to Kampung Keling in Malacca. The community is known for its socio-economic position as money-lenders, and because of the strong affiliation with this group, the word Chetty, in the local context generally connotes 'money-lenders'. Whilst it is true that Chetty means money lenders known as nagarathar nattukkottai chettiars , what is not generally known is that the term also refers to another community, the Malacca Hindu Babas. Also known as the Hindu or Indian Babas, the main settlement of this group in Malaysia now is in Kampung 7 in Gajah Berang, also an area in Malacca. The Chetty families have been living in the area for six generations . Although this is the case, the number of people in the community has overtime decreased and to date there are approximately 200 members of about 30 families still living there. This community is known as•the Babas as it resulted from intermarriages between merchants from South India and local women in Malacca during the 1600s. The merchants who were mostly Tamil Hindus married and settled with local women of various ethnic backgrounds including Malays, Javanese, Bataks and Chinese. The historical background of the Malacca chetties Historical evidence suggest that trade relations between certain region in india and those in the malay Archipelago fates as far as a few hundred years. Indian traders including the chulias , muslims from south India who came from Madras and the coromandel shore, and Hindu traders who came from other areas of India were some of the early merchants who were attracted to trade in the region. During their trading journey to the east, the merchants who were known for their sailing skills would stop at various trading post including the well-known port of Malacca. As the journey between India and Malacca to manage their business and barter for product such as gold, spices and porcelain to be bought back to their own country. As there were many Indian merchants in Malacca at that time, they were allowed to trade in certain areas that were authorized by the Sultan of Malacca. One area that Sulatan provided for them to live in and carry out their business was Kampung Keling. As stated earlier, the merchants from south India were two groups, Muslims and Hindus. The Muslims were much more influential, especially with regard to palace administration matters and trading policies. However, this did not in any way threaten the position of the Hindu merchants. They were able to manage their business and live in Malacca for long stretches of time . Whilst living and trading in Malacca, the traders who travelled from India without women began to marry local women. The Hindu merchants married local women of various ethnic group incuding malay (non Muslim) , Javanese , Batak and Chinese. The intermarriage between the merchants and local women was a common practice at that time. Beside their financial standing, the merchant did not have much problem in finding a local wife because there was no language barrier. Although the merchants spoke Tamil (or some south other Indian language), their economic position as traders required them to know the Malay language, the lingua franca of commerce and trade in the region, especially in Malacca at the time. So, although the merchants and their wives had different ethnic and linguistic background, communication did not pose a problem. Whilst being ,married to the locals, the merchants retained their Hindu names, religion, customs and traditions, and continued with these practices in bringing up their children. The only difference was the use of Malay instead of Tamil at home. As Malay became the children’s dominant language, the fathers also spoke in Malay. This was the situation during the time and it had since continue on until now. The mother tongue of the generation of Chetties since the Malacca sultanate period is malay. When the Malacca sultanate fell to the Portuguese in 1511, the Chetties were given the responsibilities to lead the other group of merchants, both Muslims and Hindus. This further encouraged intermarriage between chetties and local women. However, when the Dutch came into power in Malacca in 1641, The chetties trading activities were effected as the Dutch began to put suctions that made it difficult for them trades more for it.

The Chitty - Malacca's forgotten descendants

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BABA NYONYA HOUSE MUSEUM, MELAKA

• Opened to public in March 1985
• The house is a combination of three terrace lots that were acquired by the Chan family in 1861
• was once the family home of the Baba Chan family known as Rumah Abu
• illustrates the way of living of the Peranakans at the end of the 19th century, a unique blend of the east and the west
• The design of the building is influenced by the various European architecture such as the Victorian era chandeliers and floor tiles, with the building mainly framed by heavy Roman columns.

THE BABA NYONYA HOUSE MUSEUM MELAKA

The Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum is located in Melaka, a World UNESCO Site. The house is a combination of three terrace lots that were acquired by the Chan family in 1861. Four generations lived in the house before it was opened as a museum in March 1985. The name of the museum is derived from the term Baba, an honorific manner of addressing a Straits-born gentleman and Nyonya which addresses a Straits-born lady.

We welcome you on a journey into late 19th-century and early 20th-century Malaya. Meander through the home of Baba Chan Cheng Siew (1865-1919) whose eclectic taste offers a glimpse into the richness of the culture and the opulence that was  fashionable in many pre-World War II Peranakan homes.

Today the museum is still managed by the family. Our vision is to bridge communities to Malaysia’s history Peranakan identity and culture. By preserving this house for visitors and students we hope to honour the Peranakan spirit, keeping it alive for many generations to come.