Orang Melayu Ampenan | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 12,000 (2021) [1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Indonesia (Mataram) | |
| Languages | |
| Ampenan Malay, Sasak, and Indonesian | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam [2] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Malays • Sasak • Bugis |
The Ampenan Malays (Ampenan Malay: Orang Melayu Ampenan) are a Malay-speaking and culturally ethnic groups who inhabit the old town of Ampenan in the city of Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. [3] It was originally formed based on the ethnic diversity there, such as the Malays, Bugis, Makassarese, Arabs, Javanese, Balinese, Chinese, Bimanese, Sumbawa, Banjar, and Bajau who eventually adopted the Malay language and culture, [4] [1] on the other hand acculturated with the local Sasak people, finally forming an ethnic group as the Ampenan Malays. [5]
The Ampenan coast played a role in a global trade network that flourished in the late 16th and 17th centuries. At that time, the Mataram Kingdom and the Karangasem Kingdom ruled from 1740 to 1894, the Ampenan Port is busy with sailors and merchant ships that cross the long route of New South Wales–Singapore–Bengal and New South Wales–Manila–Canton. [6] Apart from that, Ampenan was also a port for transporting and buying and selling slaves, although the Dutch colonial government had officially banned slavery since 1860, this practice could not be completely stopped. [7] During the Dutch colonial government era, it was developed in the 19th century and became the busiest port on the island of Lombok and the western part of the Lesser Sunda Islands. [8] The name Ampenan comes from the word amben in the Sasak language which means 'a place to stay'. [9]
Initially, Ampenan developed along the main road connecting the port with the center city of Mataram, continuing to Cakranegara. The east-west axis turns northwest crossing the Jangkok River which flows south of the harbor. The area to the north of Jangkok River originally had a main node or core of activity, namely the Ampenan Port with the Pabean Road which formed a loop together with Niaga Road I and II. The settlements in the northern area of Jangkok River are a mosaic consisting of, in clockwise order from the north-west quadrant, Bugis village, Arab village, Chinese village, and Malay village. The Bugis and Banjarese are immigrants who inhabited it around the 18th century. Most Chinese people were immigrants and settlers brought by the Dutch at that time as cheap labor. [10] Ampenan is described in the sentence "Ampenan did not grow from a single narrative; it is a multi-literate city, a city composed of Sasak, Chinese, Balinese, Middle Eastern traders, colonial officials, Bugis sailors, and sometimes also the dreams of the Dutch". [11]
After Ampenan's openness as a busy port town made it a stopover and settlement for traders and travelers from the archipelago and also foreigners, such as Arabs, Chinese, and Europeans. [12] The old town of Ampenan is divided into several parts, the Pecinan (Chinatown) area where the Chinese lives, the Arab village where the Arabs lives, the Bugis village, the Malay village, and other ethnic-based villages inhabited by various ethnic groups from the archipelago. [9] The inhabitants of the old town of Ampenan eventually assimilated, combining cultural elements from each ethnic group there, However, the dominant role of Malay language and culture in the archipelago is the main supporting aspect of the culture and language of the Ampenan Malays. [13] [14] Nevertheless, the Sasak people remain a major component of the Ampenan Malay-speaking people. [1]
After Indonesian independence, the glory of Ampenan Port began to fade in 1976 and 1977 after the main port was moved by the Mataram City Government to Lembar Port, considering that the sea waves at Ampenan Port are quite large, making it difficult for ships to dock, the business atmosphere is increasingly quiet, only dim and silent along with old buildings whose paint has faded and covered in moss. Despite this, diversity in Ampenan remains a priority as a multicultural town with Malay culture and language dominating. [15] [16] Intermarriage was common since the 1800s until now, among Malays, Sasak, Arabs, Chinese, and other ethnic groups in Ampenan. [17]
The Ampenan Malays primarily inhabit the Ampenan Tengah Urban Village in the city of Mataram. They live in several environments (lingkungan), especially in Melayu Bangsal, Melayu Tengah, and Melayu Timur. [18] However, they can be found in several other areas, but their numbers are not very large. In 2021, the population of the Ampenan Malays was around 12,000 people. [1] [19]
The Ampenan Malays are culturally and in their lives are greatly influenced by Islamic aspects. Islam is the primary religion of most, if not all, Ampenan Malays. [20] Chinese folk religions also influence, and some are influenced by Christianity, although very subtle. [21] Malay culture, with Arab-Islamic influences, were also adopted, including gambus art and others. [2]
Ampenan Malay has been the dominant language spoken in the old town of Ampenan for centuries. [15] The grammar and vocabulary are mostly of Malay origin, but are influenced by borrowings from other languages, especially Sasak, Arabic, Chinese, and Javanese. [22] [23] Besides that, the Ampenan Malays can still speak Indonesian, with a little fluency in Sasak. [1] [14] The following is an example of a conversation in Ampenan Malay:
A:mau kemana énté? (where are you goin?)
B:ané mau réjaq juluq (I want to go home first)
A:kemana énté réjaq? (where are you going back to?)
B:ke bét (to the house)
It can be seen that the grammar and most of the vocabulary is based on Malay, but we can see the absorption of words from other languages, such as ané 'I', énté 'you', réjaq 'go home', bét 'house' from Arabic, as well as the word juluq 'first' from Sasak. The pronunciation of Ampenan Malay is influenced by Sasak pronunciation, but has a distinctive accent that is different from both Malay and Sasak. [24]
Ampenan Malay, which is sometimes called Lombok Malay, is the identity or character of the Ampenan Malays forms the local Malay culture and ideology as a form of expression by speakers to fulfill their needs as members of society. The Ampenan Malays as a minority ethnic group on Lombok Island enable speakers of the dominant ethnic group in this case the Sasak people to speak or at least understand or so as not to deny the existence of differences caused by differentiating factors, for example as a means of communication. Ampenan Malay is used as a regional language, the everyday language of Ampenan Malays, among the majority Sasak people. [25]