The Malay Ethnicity is a race of people, i am not talking about "Malaysians!" Malaysians are part of the Malay Race/Ethnciity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malay_people

Ok Why is it bad for Funan to be a Malay kingdom? In any case Khmer Chenla conquered it. So if you want to feel good, you can say Chenla, the Cambodian’s first true Kingdom, took over Funan and adopted all its ways and traditions and you continued the legacy of Funan. so in a way, you have rightful claim to Funan as being part of your history But do not be so greedy to say that is your history ALONE. Again, do you at least acknowledge that Chenla was a Vassal state of Funan that took over?

The main reasons why i see Funan as a Malay Kingdom is based on 12 things:

1) Khmer legends say that "Naga" the ones who created Funan with the help of the Hindu were the original inhabitants of Southeast Asia. The Khmer legend does not say that the Khmers themselves were the "Naga" or that they directly created Funan.

http://www.myfriend.org/krousar-thmey/tonlesape/tl02.htm

2) Anthropologically, the first people of Southeast Asia were the Negritos and then the Malays. The third wave into Southeast asia were the Mon-khmer, followed by the Lao, Thai, and Viets these people were pushed southwards as a result of Chinese Expansion.

http://www.guidetothailand.com/thailand-hi...y/beginning.htm

3) the Kingdom of Champa, which was located north of Funan was as early as Funan was and the people of Champa were definitely of the Malay ethnicity as proven through the language which they speak, which is part of the Austronesian language family. Also their native culture which has shown to be Austronesian also supports that they are Malay people as they are matrilineal in custom, and dressed like the malay, in traditional "sarong" and "headdress etc. this is noted by the early Chinese merchants to champa.

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761571..._of_Champa.html
[insight guide: Laos & Cambodia book]

4) The "Naga/Snake" legend of the Khmer is not only unique to Khmer people. Champa also have a beginning legend of their Kingdom. the Cham people worshipped Po Nagar, a Naga (Snake) sent from heaven, who united the Cham people, and was their first Empress. She taught the people how to cultivate rice and use medicines. Notice how the Woman is the Master which alludes to Austronesian culture.

http://www.illuminatedlantern.com/cinema/f...res/snakes.html

5) In the Khmer legend of Naga Soma and the indian traveler, the setting begins as an island. And then the father drinks the water surrounding the Mountain and it becomes land. Malay Begin their history on islands and islands are merely tops of Mountains that are submerged under water. The Malay Ethnicity eventually landed on the Asian continent as a result of seafaring and traveling from the islands. This section of the Khmer Legend seems to allude to Seafaring origins or at least you must admit that it alludes to ISLAND origins.

6) As i stated the Malay Ethnicity sailed all over the world in Ancient times. From Madagascar to Easter island. The Malay Ethnciity is also said to have entered the Indian subcontient in early times way before India was what it is to this day. This is proven through linguistic evidence as Austronesian linguistic influence can be found in all Indo-European languages both ancient and modern ones, some of the Malay are said to have voyaged into the Indian Subcontinent on their way to Madgascar. During this early time in the Indian subcontinent there was only Dravidian (black skinned) people. The Aryans had not come yet to form what we know today as "indian." The Aryans were the ones who introduced Caste systems and patriarchal lifestyles and made India look like it is to this day ethnically and culturally. The Dravidians of the Indian subcontinent were believers of the "NAGA" SNAKE CULT they are the first to believe in snake cult.

http://koenraadelst.bharatvani.org/reviews/atlantis.html

7) Also the Dravidians were also believers in Matrilineal culture as the Hindu Goddess Kali is proof of this. Kali is among the only female Goddesses of the Hindu Parthenon and also she is depicted as a BLACK OR BLUE SKINNED Woman. Dravidans were black skinned. and Aryans who invaded the Indian subcontinent and mixed with the Dravidian were white. IT is believed in the time before the Aryan invaded when there was only the dravidian, the Malay Ethnicty penetrated the Indiean SUbcontient and shared their Austronesian language and culture to the dravidians. And the matrilenial custom of the Austronesian culture of the Malay was spread to the dravdiian. Kali the Hindu Goddess is said to be 2,000 years old. And The Malay of Madagascar has been there for 2,500 + years old which coincides with the time frame. Obviously some Malay continued without exploring the indian subcontient and other Malay did explore the subcontinent.

http://www.dollsofindia.com/kali.htm

Straddling the Border of India and Myanmar are people called the "Naga" who live on a mountainous region called Nagaland. Although they speak a Sino-Tibetian language, as a result of living amongst Sino-Tibetian speakers, their culture is distinctly Austronesian. Due to their relative isolation in the mountains they were able to preserve their original culture which shows their original identity. The Naga’s culture is hauntingly identical to the Native Igorot Mountain tribes of the Philippines. Both Practice Headhunting. Both have similar dress and cloth making. Both have the same tattoo traditions. Both have similar customs in many other ways.

http://www.angelfire.com/mo/Nagaland/culture.html

9) the Naga of Nagaland also show remnants of NAGA SNAKE CULT. The Naga draw snake motifs on the sides of their buildings among many other things. Also in an Indian epic, the princess Ulupi was a Naga Kanya, that is daughter of the king of snakes. Ulupi’s residence is generally identified in the south-west of Nagaland.I strongly believe that the Naga of Nagaland and the Naga mentioned in [th]e Khmer legend are the same tribe of the Austronesian Malay Ethnicity who were the group of Malays explored the indian subcontinent, mixed cultures with the dravidians’ snake cult, and then returned on a eastward jounrey back to hometown Southeast Asia. Then the Tribe split up one settled in Nagaland and the other settled in Southeast Asia.. Just like the Mon-Khmer split up and went their separate ways.

http://dpsmap.com/news/nagafestival.shtml

10) the word "Naga" which means snake or serpent originated in India not Southeast Asia. So if the "naga" of khmer legend were indigenous to Southeast Asia could not have originally been called "naga" unless it is true that some of the Naga of nagaland migrated to southeast asia and that the naga of nagaland and the naga of south east asia are one tribe that split up. And the naga of southeast asia must be Malay because the Naga of Nagaland are Malay as the native culture of the Naga of nagaland is Austronesian and alludes to their origins.

http://ignca.nic.in/craft056.htm

11) Sailendra Dynasty claimed to be direct Descendants of Funan royalty. Unfortunately it is not believed by Historians that Sailendra Dynasty were Khmer at all. You are only claiming this because i have said that Sailendra claimed to be direct descendants of Funan and that you do not believe Funan is Malay. Historians are certain that Sailendra are Malay. and they speak the Austronesian language. I have never come across writings which try to say Sailendra were Khmer. Unless you can provide me with such evidence that shows Sailendra were Khmer.

http://www.kilidavid.com/Ancient_Civ/Pages...east%20Asia.htm

12) Lastly the Malay ethnicity is also CONTINUING THE NAGA SNAKE CULT. For one example, The Malay ethnicity has a family ancestral sword called a "Keris" it is a wavy blade that is shaped to look much like a snake’s body. The handle of the sword is even designed to look like a serpant’s head which we call a "naga motif." The Keris is a symbol of our ancestors, it is said to be the reincarnation of our ancestors and a true Malay carries their family keris with them at all times and treats it as though it were a part of their body with it’s own life.

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/taman.sari/index.htm

NAGA IN THE WORLD

Naga snake cult is found all over the world mainly from India to even the New World (the Ancient Americas) The Ancient Meixcans call the snake "Nagal."

It is proposed that this it due to the Austronesian’s expansion across the world. On their voyage East into the South Pacific, the Polynesian (Malay+Papuan) landed on the Americas and influenced the people.

proof of polynesians encountering south America:

A) The difference between the continental mind and the Austro nesian mind is illustrated by this contrast: Water, in the form of the endless ocean to the west, was the major obstacle for European explorers in their discovery of the New World. But the Gilbert Islanders have an oral history telling of their own discovery of South America in the distant past. On sighting the Andes after an ocean voyage of four months, they were far from pleased, and according to legend, turned around and sailed in disgust back toward their native atolls. They described South America as "Maiwa," the wall at the side of the world, four moons’ sail to the eastward, a land which stretches to the north and to the south without end: "beyond the furthest eastward island it lies, a wall of mountains up against the sun." To these islanders, a continent was an obstacle; to Westerners, an ocean was the obstacle.

http://members.fortunecity.com/dikigoros/themalays.htm

B) Also the introduction of the sweet potatoe which is endemic to South America into asia sugggests polynesian migration to South America and then a return with goods that were acquired: This Discuses the migratory waves of the Philippines....The second Austronesian wave TO THE PHILIPPINES came north from Sulawesi after a population explosion there supposedly caused by the introduction of the sweet potato brought from South America by the Polynesians. The languages of southern and western Mindanao and of the Sulu Islands are from this wave, but if it reached Bicol, there is nothing left of them now.

http://mikenassau.freehomepage.com/bicol.html

C) Also certain tribes of south America seem to have linguistic influences of Polynesian lanuage which belongs to the Austronesian Language Family and also genetics in some of the tribal minorities of the Americas: Taroscans & Incas

The Tarascans were a semi-civilised nation of Mexico at the time of the Aztecs, to whom they were allied. Inca are the civilzation found in the moountainous region of Peru where the Polynesian is siad to have voyaged as i stated above.

D) The Language script of the Easter Islanders (Austronesian island closest to South America) are lingustically linked to the Ancient Dravidians of the Indian Subcontienent:

Rongo Rongo
There are tablets found on the island bearing a mysterious script. The script, known as Rongo Rongo, has never been deciphered despite the work of generations of linguists. A Hungarian scholar, Wilhelm or Guillaume de Hevesy, in 1932 called attention to the apparent similarities between some of the rongo-rongo characters of Easter Island and those of the prehistoric script of the Indus Valley in India, correlating dozens (at least 40) of the former with corresponding signs on seals from Mohenjo-daro. This correlation has been re-published in later books, for example by Z.A. Simon (1984: 95). The rongo-rongo may mean peace-peace, and their texts may record peace treaty documents, possibly between the long ears and the conquering short ears. Such explanations have, however, been strongly disputed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Island

SNAKE CULTURE IN THE MALAY* WORLD:

http://www.theserenedragon.net/Tales/polynesia.html

http://www.ncca.gov.ph/culture&arts/culart...m-sarimanok.htm -PHILIPPINE NAGA & SARIMANOK (our ancient mythical bird)

These are some of the reasons why i believe the naga of southeast asia were Malay. Again, i don’t think it is bad to say Naga were Malay who created Funan Kingdom with the influence of Hindu people . It does not take away from Cambodia, because the Khmer vassal state of Chenla conquered Funan and ADOPTED FUNAN into itself, so two become one. So no one could say Funan is not part of Khmer history, because in essence Khmer continue to keep the legacy of Funan alive, because Chenla did not destroy Funan but adopt Funan’s culture and lifestyle, and as some people think (uglykhmer562) the Khmer mixed with the Funanese Ethnicity (Malay). But, i personally believe that for the most part, the Khmer Chenla drove the Malay away from Mainland Asia. Some fled to the islands and one group formed the Sailendra dynasty on Java which was very intergal in Khmer history you have to admit. Because Jayavarman II learned Hindu culture in Java and took the title of "King of the Mountain" from Sailendra which means "Lords of the Mountain." And Sailendra are said to have taken the title from Funan, their ancestor, which was "King of the Moountain" right?

But in any case, my intention was never to concentrate on the statement that Funan was a malay kingdom but rather i am most interested in the NAGA depicted in the khmer legend.. Funan is strongly history of the Khmer. But Naga is very early history of the Malay Ethnicity (not to be confused with the Malaysian which is a non-existant country of a group of Malays at this time). So be proud of Funan as you wish. besides the Malay has Champa to represent as an early Malay hinduized kingdom.

PEACE, let us not fight any longer, and recognize that our history of southeast asia is intertwined like thread of a rope and we should never hate on each other but respect. And i can respect Cambodian so much because they were able to PRESERVE their culture for so long whereas the Malay fell VICTIM to Foreign CONQUERERS and their lifestyle and religion such as Islam for the Malays of Indonesia and Christianity for the Malays of the Philippines. Only Bali is a safe haven for the Malays who wish to continue hindu lifestyle. And Madagascar, the Igorot of the Philippines, and the South pacific are the only safe haven for Malays who desire to preserve our Native Austronesian culture.

Lets not fight any more and be proud that there is evidence to show that we are all related in some way.

You know one khmer said: "There is a lot of problems with Funan. From a historical view there is as lot problems to prove that they were Khmer because the first inscription found in Khmer is dated to 611. Many historian view Funan as pre Khmer kingdom."

"Khmer fought many wars with Champa and our ancestor help the Viets destroy that country. Khmer attack one side and the Vietnamese from the other. So I guess it`s our Karma because if Champa was still here it will serve as a buffer state between Srok Khmer and Vietnam."

So you see, if our ancestors went about this a different way, maybe Khmer would not be in the predicament it is today with Khmer Krom and the Champa would not be a landless Malay Ethnicity.

[This I originally wrote this to a khmer who i was talking to about Funan, he was offended that i claimed Funan as a Malay state. Please do not be offended also, i am just presenting you with these histories which suggest Funan was early Malay that was conquered by Chenla, the Khmer's first true Kingdom.]

Hello malay_ako,

I would just like to ask you some questions and post comments if you don't mind.

Hello Menikani,

"Malay_ako" advances an interesting argument about "Funan". You ask very important questions and raise relevant ISSUES. Once on this discussion board, someone posted a very brief information that points out that the early Khmer immigrants might interbreed with the indigeneous "Negritoes" of Funan. Also, the Javanese royal families members of Indonesia still claim that their ancestors actually immigrated from "Funan" after Funan collapsed. Let us wait and see if Malay_ako can further clarify the origin of the "Funanese" and the Khmer.

FKR

As I understand it, South India heavily influenced the culture, religion and aesthetics of Funan and other Southeast Asian cultures at the time, until Arab culture followed.

There are contradicting claims about how Indian influence came to Southeast Asia. Some say it was by peaceful transmission of scholars, literature and art, and some say it was an invasion. I haven't read too much about Southeast Asian history, so I don't know.

Menikani,

I am interested in knowing why racial purity is such a big issue in the Khmer community. It's insulting to suggest to a Khmer person that he has mixed heritage.

Cambodia was once home to many ethnic Chams, Viets, Malays, Chinese (mostly Teochow and Hokkien) and French. We are all migrants at one point or another so it's only natural that our blood are all mixed.

Malay_ako,

I think you made a very compelling argument concerning the migration of Malay people throughout the Pacific Basin and the Indian Ocean.

Malay civilization is very well documented by human fossils, language research projects and more recently DNA traces.

Hello, Malay ako,

So you are a "Fillipian Malay"? What I have to say now will certainly be very controversail later; however while I wait to be disproved with factual evidence, I think Funan was Khmer then and is still Khmer now. The generouos compassionate Khmer has always allowed different ethnic groups to settle on their territories. The European writers inocrrectly call the Khmer territories as "Khmer Empire", but that is an error as the land has always been belonged to and inhabited by the Khmer people. If you claim is correct, then we would find find the "Malay and Negrito" physical features among the Khmer population already. If "Funan" had existed 600 years before the Khmer took control of it, then how come it was known in Chinese as "Funan" which is a transliterration of the Khmer word "Phnom". Some scholars also claim that the Khmer language is a cousin of the Vietnamese language. However, I think that is a mistake because Khmer and their language have always been unique since the ancient time immemorial. When we look back, it is unfortunate for the Khmer that the different ethnic minority people on their territories took advantage of the Khmer people. The Thais created their present country out of Khmer land. The Vietnamese immigrants carved out large Khmer land for themselves. The Laotians also took Khmer land to make their country. The Chams took over Khmer fishing industry. The Chinese took over Khmer trading industry. The Malays, the negritores, and other ethnic groups also found ways to weaken the Khmer. I will hang on to my claim until I am proven wrong.

If I know not what I am saying please forgive
JoksterOfTheDay

malay ako,

khmers are not denying that their civilzation came into existance because of foreign influence. none of the information i've read on khmer history had EVER mentioned malay influence on the khmers. indians YES but NOT malays. malays had their own kingdoms such as java kingdom and champa kingdom. and GOOD FOR YOU that the malays were sea faring people who were involved in trading goods and so forth, so was everybody else. khmers and chams often trade with one another also. and i believe khmers got their cultural influence from india NOT malays. malays, like the khmers were influenced by indian traders who sailed to MAINLAND SEAsia and would return to their homeland every 6 months or so when the direction of the winds change.

also, where's the proof that khmers migrated from souther china? i strongly disagree on that. because ethnically and linguistically we are totally different from the thais,laos and with the exception of the vietnamese whose language is related to ours.

as i read more and more of the information you put up, you're getting to the technicalities now.. okay let's just say africans built the egyptian pyramids,great wall of china,angkor wat, the aztec pyramids and so forth BECAUSE AFTER ALL, THE HUMAN RACE ORIGINATED IN AFRICA AND THEY STARTED BRANCHING OUT BY MEANS OF BOATS AND WHAT NOT. YOU'RE GETTING TO THE TECHNICALITIES, I HOPE YOU'RE NOT MAD TO KNOW THAT MALAYS AREN'T THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE, BUT AFRICANS WERE. WE ALL ARE AFRICANS IF YOU TRACE YOUR ANCESTRY BACK 12389034102389 YEARS AGO. GOOD FOR YOU THAT THE MALAYS SETTLED IN CHINA,JAPAN,TAIWAN,SEASIA WAY BEFORE THE CURRENT INHABITANTS. THAT'S EVOLUTION FOR YOU. GET OVER IT.. IT'S IRONICE HOW YOU ACCUSED KHMERS AS BEING SUPERIOR THAN OTHERS BUT FROM YOUR POSTS, YOU MAKE IT SEEM AS IF MALAY WAS THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD AND THEY WERE ON THIS LAND WAY BEFORE ANY ONE ELSE. GET OVER IT!!

this is my last post on this topic...

malay_ako,
i respect the dedication and effort you put into studying about your roots and the origins of the malays. it's pretty interesting...but it's starting to sound ridiculous how you group the filipino malays,indonesian malays,cham malays, and malaysian malays together. it's like grouping the chinese,koreans,and japanese together. the japanese or koreans can't say they were part of the great chinese civilization because the fact is they weren't. who built the great wall of china? the chinese, not the japanese or koreans. yes, the japanese,koreans and chinese are of mongoloid origin but they all have built their own culture and civlization. do you hear any japanese or koreans complaining about the chinese taking all the credit for the great wall of china? the malays of the INDONESIAN ISLANDS and the malays of ANCIENT CHAMPA were the ones RESPONSIBLE for the KINGDOMS OF CHAMPA AND JAVA. malays occupying the philippine islands had NOTHING to do with those kingdoms and helping creating those civilizations. you're getting too technical with this and it sounds really pathetic. could you say anything about what the malays in the philippine islands? what did they accomplish in ancient times? the chams, indonesians, malaysians, and filipinos all have totally different cultures now and different religions. are the majority of filipinos islam? NO, they're christians.

one last thing,
i don't know why you're creating this notion that the khmers have this sense of superiority because of what their ancestors accomplished in ancient times. just because you read stories of pol pot and other khmer rouge leaders doesn't give you the right to generalize the khmer people. most khmers, are proud of what their ancestors have accomplished and we do not go brag about it and tell people how great our ancestors were and put people down. i dont know where you got that crazy idea from.. you need to quit it and focus on the present and stop focusing on the past. KHMER PEOPLE NEVER DENIED THE FACT THAT THEIR CIVILIZATION CAME INTO EXISTANCE WITH THE HELP OF FOREIGN INFLUENCE SUCH AS THE INDIANS AND HINDU RELIGION MIGHT'VE BEEN INTRODUCED TO KHMERS VIA FROM THE MALAYS OF JAVA AND CHAMPA SECOND HANDED. SO I'M NOT TRYING TO DENY THAT POSSIBILITY EITHER. **NOTE I SAY THE MALAYS OF JAVA AND CHAMPA NOT THE PHILIPPINES BECAUSE THE MALAYS IN THAT REGION HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH KHMERS,CHAMS OR JAVANESE PEOPLE IN ANCIENT TIMES.**