Tag: history

• Austronesians Didn’t Come From Taiwan,They rose from Southeast Asia

  

  For nearly half a century, the world has been taught a strangely disempowering idea: that Austronesian peoples, the ancestors of Malays, Indonesians, Filipinos, and Polynesians, were not truly native to their own region. According to the familiar “Out of Taiwan” model, these populations supposedly sailed down from Taiwan around 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, rapidly…

  The Indigenous Narrative

  November 18, 2025

  the indigenous narrative

  history, indigenous people, southeast asia, the indigenous narrative

• The Austronesian Tide: How Seafaring Genius Gave Birth to Asia’s Maritime Civilisations

  

  Long before recorded history, before the rise of Srivijaya or Majapahit, before Chinese merchants and Indian traders reached the archipelagos, the seas of Southeast Asia were already alive with movement. This was the world of the early Austronesians, a maritime civilisation rooted in Island Southeast Asia, whose seafaring knowledge shaped migrations, trade routes, and later…

  The Indigenous Narrative

  November 15, 2025

  the indigenous narrative

  history, indigenous people, Indonesia, Malaysia, maritime, Philippines, southeast asia

• Did the Malays Teach the Romans How to Build Ships?

  

  A professor from Universiti Malaya recently went viral for a bold statement that caught the attention of both scholars and social media users: the Malays taught the Romans how to build ships. At first glance, this claim seems extraordinary. The Malay world and the Roman Empire were separated not only by vast oceans but by…

  The Indigenous Narrative

  November 13, 2025

  the indigenous narrative

  ancient-history, history, malysia, maritime, news, ships, travel, universiti malaya

• Singapore Before 1819: Malay and Javanese Kingdoms, The Forbidden Hill and more

  

  Before it was called Singapore, this island bore many names. Temasek, Pulau Ujong, and Singapura were among some of the names that were used to refer to the island. These names, found in early records and oral traditions, reflect a long and layered history that predates British colonisation by many centuries. Yet, many today are…

  The Indigenous Narrative

  November 7, 2025

  the indigenous narrative

  ASEAN, history, indigenous people, Sang Nila Utama, singapore, Singapore history, southeast asia

• Before There Was Singapore, There Was Us: The Indigenous Malays of the Island

  

  When a TikTok user with the username “joeiboaz” began her video with the question, “Did you know Singapore has indigenous people?” , the comments section lit up with surprise. For some, it was a revelation. For others – especially Malays – it was a strange feeling. How could something so fundamental to our identity be…

  The Indigenous Narrative

  November 5, 2025

  the indigenous narrative

  ASEAN, asia, culture, history, indigenous people, malays, nusantara, singpaore, travel

• Echoes of The Indigenous Narrative: Our Story Begins Here

  

  For centuries, the voices of Southeast Asia’s first peoples have echoed through its forests, islands, and seas, yet their stories remain unheard. The Indigenous Narrative was created to change that. Southeast Asia is a region overflowing with diversity, heritage, and culture. From its mist-covered highlands to its vast archipelagos, this land has always been home…

  The Indigenous Narrative

  November 3, 2025

  the indigenous narrative

  ASEAN, culture, heritage, history, indigenous, indigenous people, Indonesia, Malaysia, singapore, southeast asia, Thailand, the indigenous narrative, travel, writing