Jemberang and Alam Melayu: Crossing the Straits of Melaka, Singapore and Riau

In this paper, I deal with different modes of population movement, as well as the ethnic ramifications of such movement. The discussion is set in the Straits of Melaka, Singapore and Riau, the waterways separating Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Prior to the formation of these nation-states, the three straits, which flow into one another, provided a unifying focus for successive Malay kingdoms. International boundaries now run through them, but the populations form part of an Alam Melayu, Malay world, that transcends national borders. These indigenous populations may be land or sea oriented, sedentary or nomadic, with varying social and economic circumstances.