Having had an interesting past and being a part of the international spice route many hundreds of years ago, Malaysia has turned into a mosaic of cultures. Everything from its people to its architecture reflect a colorful heritage and an amalgamated culture. To understand Malaysian culture, you must first get to know its people.

Malays, Chinese, Indians and many other ethnic groups have lived together in Malaysia for generations. All these cultures have influenced each other, creating a truly Malaysian culture.

The largest ethnic groups in Malaysia are the Malays, Chinese and Indians. In Sabah and Sarawak, there are a myriad of indigenous ethnic groups with their own unique culture and heritage.

Malay

Today, the Malays, Malaysia's largest ethnic group, make up more than 50% of the population. In Malaysia, the term Malay refers to a person who practices Islam and Malay traditions, speaks the Malaysian language and whose ancestors are Malays.

With the oldest indigenous people they form a group called bumiputra, which translates as "sons" or "princes of the soil." Their conversion to Islam from Hinduism and Theravada Buddhism began in the 1400s, largely influenced by the decision of the royal court of Melaka. Traditional Malay culture centers around the kampung, or village, though today one is just as likely to find Malays in the cities. The Malays are known for their gentle mannerisms and rich arts heritage.

Chinese

The second largest ethnic group, the Malaysian Chinese form about 25% of the population. The Chinese traded with Malaysia for centuries, then settled in number during the 19th century when word of riches in the Nanyang, or "South Seas," spread across China. The Chinese are known for their diligence and keen business sense. When they first arrived, however, Chinese often worked the most grueling jobs like tin mining and railway construction. Most of the Chinese are Tao Buddhist and retain strong ties to their ancestral homeland.

The three sub-groups who speak a different dialect of the Chinese language are the Hokkien who live predominantly on the northern island of Penang; the Cantonese who live predominantly in the capital city Kuala Lumpur; and the Mandarin-speaking group who live predominantly in the southern state of Johor.

Indian

The smallest of three main ethnic groups, the Malaysian Indians form about 10% of the population. Most are descendants of Tamil-speaking South Indian immigrants who came to the country during the British colonial rule. Lured by the prospect of breaking out of the Indian caste system, they came to Malaysia to build a better life. Arriving in Malaysia, many worked as rubber tappers, while others built the infrastructure or worked as administrators and small businessmen.

Predominantly Hindus, they brought with them their colorful culture such as ornate temples, spicy cuisine and exquisite Sarees.

Other Ethnic groups

The Orang Asli The term transliterates as 'original people' or 'first people'. They are the indigenous minority people of Peninsular Malaysia. The Orang Asli, however, is not a homogeneous group. Each has its own language and culture, and perceives itself as different from the others. The People of Sarawak The Malays have been in Sarawak for a long time and they form 25% of the population of the state. The Malays originally migrated from Sumatra. The Sarawak Malays speak a different dialect from the Malays of Peninsular Malaysia (called Bahasa Sarawak), and have a certain amount of cultural and historical affinities with the Brunei Malays (Sarawak was after all notionally part of the territory of the Sultan of Brunei before James Brooke came along).

The rest of Sarawak's population is made up of a fascinating mixture of other indigenous groups. The more significant of these include the Bidayuh, Iban, Melanau, Kayan, Kelabit, Kenyah, Orang Ulu, Penan, Punan.

The People of Sabah Kadazandusun group is the largest indigenous group in Sabah. They are actually a collectivity of ethnic groups speaking similar languages and dialects as well as having similarities in culture and traditional beliefs. Within this group there exists at least 10 distinct languages with possibly 30 or more dialects.

The Rungus have Islam and Christianity while some have remained animists. Bajau, the second largest indigenous group, is a collective term for predominantly Muslim peoples and Kindered groups.

Muruts are the third largest indigenous group in Sabah. The Muruts, literally meaning 'hill people', are found mainly in three areas of the Interior Division, Tenom, Keningau and Pensiangan. Baba - Nyonya The Baba Nyonya or 'Peranakan' are terms used for the descendents of the early Chinese immigrants of Melaka on the Malay Peninsula. The word Peranakan is also used to describe Indonesian Chinese. In both Malay and Bahasa Indonesia Peranakan means 'descendants'. Babas refer to the male descendants and the Nyonyas the female. Most Peranakan are of Hokkien ancestry, with a few of Teochew or Cantonese descent.

Their language, Baba Malay, is a dialect of the Malay language, which contains many Hokkien words. It is a dying language and tends to be used only by members of the older generation still use it in daily life.

Iban or famously known as the legendary headhunters of Borneo constitute the biggest ethnic group (29.6 %) in Sarawak. The traditional Ibans who to live in longhouses, and some of them still do. They have separate rooms placed side by side, all of which open to a long communal hall, used for leisurely activities like wood carving and basket weaving.

Guests are often invited to attend nightly ceremonies and drink a potent rice wine, tuak, which the Iban make themselves. Comfortable guesthouses are also available for visitors.