Oghe Nayu Klate ملايو كلنتن | |
|---|---|
_(14583575210).jpg) A Kelantanese Malay woman with children in traditional attire, 1908. | |
| Total population | |
| Between 2 million[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Malaysia (Kelantan,Gerik andBesut) Thailand (Southern Thailand) | |
| Languages | |
| Kelantan–Pattani Malay (native) Malay (in Malaysia) Thai,Southern Thai (in Thailand) | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam (Shafi'i branch) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| OtherMalays |
Kelantanese Malays (Standard Malay:Orang Melayu Kelantan;Kelantan Malay:Oghe Nayu Klate) are a sub-ethnic group ofMalays indigenous to the state ofKelantan,Malaysia as well as in NorthernTerengganu (in the districts ofBesut and NorthernSetiu). The Kelantanese Malays are closely related toThai Malays (especially those inPattani,Narathiwat,Yala, and some parts inSongkhla andPhatthalung provinces) andTerengganuan Malays in neighbouring Terengganu, these two Malay sub-ethnic groups shared historical, cultural and linguistic as well as kinship ties with the Kelantanese Malays. Kelantanese Malays form 94% of Kelantan's population, which makes them the largest ethnic group in Kelantan (other ethnic groups also lives in the state such asKelantanese Chinese andPeranakans,Siamese,Tamils,Temiars and others) and around 150,000 in Besut, Terengganu.[1]
The Kelantanese Malays, along withTerengganuan Malays andPahang Malays (and sometimesThai Malays and the Malays ofAnambas Islands andNatuna Islands inIndonesia) are collectively referred to as theOrang Pantai Timur 'People of the East Coast' which have a distinct identity than those of other parts of Malaysia, especially those in the North, South and Western coasts ofPeninsular Malaysia.
A research on population genetic structure of Malay sub-ethnic groups published in 2011 revealed that Kelantanese Malays formed a separate independentclade, suggesting that Kelantanese Malay had an ancestry that is more divergent than any other Malay sub-ethnic groups.[2] This means, there might be evidence that the Kelantanese Malays are genetically different from other Malay populations. It was suggested that there are two explanations to the findings. First, the geolocation of the cradle of Kelantanese in the northeast of the Malaysian peninsula, separated byTitiwangsa mountain range, accounted for their limited links to the Indonesian Archipelago. The other explanation is that the sub-ethnic group might be an admixture with the Indian population in ancient times during the early existence of the Malays.[3] There is also evidence of admixture with theCham people who migrated from their homeland in present-daysouthern andcentral Vietnam after the fall of Champa, especially after the conquest ofPanduranga, the Champa city-state by theDai Viet in the 17th to 19th centuries.[4][5]
Kelantanese Malays speak a highly divergent Kelantanese Malay, also known asbaso Kelate orkecek Kelate by its native speakers. The language is known for its "e" and "o" sounds which is very different from standard Malay. One of the examples aresaye 'love' but inStandard Malay it is calledsayang andmano 'where' but in Standard Malay it ismana. Kelantanese Malay has its own distinct grammar and vocabulary which makes other Malay speakers (except those in Terengganu and Southern Thailand) find it very difficult to understand. Kelantan-Pattani Malay has its own ISO 639-3 code "mfa". Kelantanese Malay has its own regional dialects but still mutually intelligible to one another, it is also spoken natively in Besut and Setiu (Terengganu) and similar varieties can be found in neighbouringPerak andKedah but the latter two are considered variants of Pattani dialects instead of Kelantanese.[6]
Kelantan is known by many as the "Cradle of the Malay civilization" in Peninsular Malaysia. Its culture is unique and different from those of other Malay sub-ethnic groups other than those in Southern Thailand. Due to their historic and geographic location, it also has considerable influences fromIndian,Thai and evenCham cultures, especially duringHindu-Buddhist times.[6] After the arrival ofIslam in the region, the Kelantanese have been affiliated themselves with Islam and considered Islam as part of their culture (much like other Malays,Minangkabaus andAcehnese ethnic groups). Kelantan today is one of the most conservative states in Malaysia and the state has been under thePan-Malaysian Islamic Party since 1990. However, Kelantan is also known for its tolerance towards other religions and ethnic groups. There are many giant Buddhist statues all across the state as well as Christian churches and Hindu temples as well as indigenous religions ofOrang Asli can still be seen in the state. The level of assimilation between Kelantanese ethnic groups is unique in Malaysia because they all share the sense of strong united Kelantanese identity.
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There are a variety of Kelantanese Malay cuisine that includes:-[8]
Among the popular traditional Kelantanese Malay dance are such as:-[10]