Page 103 - E-BOOK SEJARAH DAN BUDAYA INDONESIA

HISTORY OF THE MALAY TRIBE

The Malay tribe is certainly no longer a foreign ethnic name in the ears of the Indonesian
people because this tribe is included in the largest tribe in Indonesia. In fact, the Malays are not
only scattered in Indonesia, but also in other countries such as Malaysia and Singapore. Although
it is known as the largest tribe, there are still many who do not know how the origin of this tribe
entered the territory of Indonesia and what the actual form of culture is. The origin of the use of
the name Malay is thought to have come from the Malay Kingdom, a kingdom that once existed
in the Batang Hari River area, Jambi. The Malay kingdom in its development submitted to the
power of the Srivijaya Kingdom and made it under the control of the Srivijaya Kingdom. From
this event, the term Malay began to be widely known by the public, not only in the Sumatra area.
But it has expanded to the Java and Kalimantan regions. In addition to this origin, it is said that
the spread of the Malay nation was also supported by the Laguna Copper Chip inscription which
stated that Malay traders had traded in Southeast Asia and participated in spreading Malay culture.
Due to this, the Malay language has gradually become the most widely used language replacing
Sanskrit. The golden age of the Srivijaya Kingdom is also considered the golden age of Malay
civilization, especially in the archipelago. In fact, the Malay civilization continued until the era of
the Dharmasraya Kingdom and the Malacca Sultanate in the 14th century. It is said that the spread

103