Literally means “a child born of”, referring to people of Chinese and Malay or Javanese descent in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Southern Thai. In Malaysia, it refers to an ethnic group of people with paternal Chinese ancestry who observe Chinese customs and associated belief systems, but speak fluent Malay. They are descendants of the Ming courtiers who arrived in Malacca in the 15th Century. Although many of the Nanyang Chinese of the Malay Archipelago also have a mixture of Malay, Javanese or indigenous blood, the Peranakan people stand out because of their high social status, their sociopolitical achievement and the fluidity with which they adopt the local cultures.
They are, however, distinct from another group of people of Chinese ancestry who, once integrated into the Malay and Javanese ruling classes, decided to move beyond the “Chinese Muslim” identity to become Malaynised and Javanised. An example of this is the Cirebons of West Java, in particular those who earned the titles “Raden” (prince) and “Temenggung” (regent or viceroy) such as the Jayaningrat and Puspanagara clans.
Salina Christmas 