Nusantara or the Malay Archipelago is also known as the East Indies during the colonial times. It encompasses of more than 25,000 islands spread out in the maritime Southeast Asia - Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Philippines, East Timor. And to a lesser extent the Nusantara includes Madagascar, the Pattani region of south Thailand, and the Chamic areas of Vietnam.
Adam and Eve as depicted in an early Persian painting. We all began from them.
Prehistoric time as depicted in Perak museum exhibit.
Beginning 400AD is considered recorded history for Malaysia.
Early Hindu empires in the Nusantara. Sri Vijaya (Sumatra) was the most famous and later on Majapahit of Java.
Wars as depicted in a stone carving of a temple wall during the Hindu empires.
Spread of Islam to the various areas in the Nusantara.
Court scene in the Spice Islands. English traders negotiating with the sultan.
Indonesian women are known for their industriousness.
Spinning yarn.
Sewang dance of Orang Asli during feasts at night.
Orang Asli girl weaving a basket.
Sarawak Iban couple with their heritage jars kept in their house.
Head-hunting was quite widespread in the Nusantara - Borneo, Philippines, Flores ...
References:
1. Hedda Morrison. 1988. Life in a Longhouse. Summer Times, Singapore
2. Koos van Brakel. 2004. Charles Sayers 1901-1943: Pioneer Painter in the Dutch East Indies. KIT Publishers, Amsterdam
3. Stewart Wavell. 1958. The Lost World of the East: An Adventurous Quest in the Malayan Hinterland. Souvenir Press, London
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