Indonesia Ernest-Théodore Hamy (1896) first identified 3 Proto-Malay groups that are found in
Sumatra and
Borneo,
Indonesia: •
Batak people •
Dayak people •
Nias people Both
Koentjaraningrat and
Alfred Russel Wallace's (1869) research also concluded that most of the
Moluccans came under the Proto-Malay classification with a admixture with Melanesian. However,
António Mendes Correia's findings re-classified the
Timorese in Alfred Russel Wallace's ethnological chart as predominantly Proto-Malay. This is evidenced by the striking similarity in the architectural designs of traditional houses in
Lospalos,
East Timor with the
Batak and
Toraja people. In
Sulawesi, not only are the
Toraja people are regarded as part of the ancient Proto-Malay, but their neighboring
Minahasan people as well who have migrated to the island in the megalithic period. In
Sumatra, a little known pygmy tribe called the
Mante people of
Aceh are regarded as Proto-Malay and are thought to be extinct. Other ethnic groups that are closely related to the Proto-Malay are such as the
Nage people from
Flores, which are considered a mixture of Proto-Malay and
Melanesian and the
Sakai people from
Riau, which were originally pure Proto-Malay until later they were forced into the interior by the Deutero-Malays which led to their mixing with the
Negritos. Off the west coast of
Bengkulu,
Sumatra Island, the indigenous people of
Enggano Island known as the
Enggano people are considered largely Proto-Malays.
Malaysia ,
Selangor,
Malaysia, 1908. In
Malaysia, the Proto-Malay are classified under the native
Orang Asli group of people in the
Peninsular Malaysia. They are officially known as: •
Jakun people •
Orang Kanaq •
Orang Kuala •
Orang Laut •
Orang Seletar •
Semelai people •
Temoq people •
Temuan people Other ethnic groups outside of the
Peninsular Malaysia that are also regarded as Proto-Malay apart from the
Orang Asli people group are such as the
Rungus people.
The Philippines In modern scholarship, the classification of Philippine ethnic groups as "Proto-Malay" is considered an obsolete anthropological category. Contemporary research in genetics, linguistics, and archaeology instead places the settlement of the Philippines within the broader context of the
Austronesian expansion.
Modern scientific consensus According to the
out of Taiwan model, Austronesian-speaking populations migrated south into the Philippines approximately 4,000–5,000 years ago. These groups did not arrive in distinct, sequential "waves" as theorized in the early 20th century, but through complex, multi-directional maritime networks. A 2021 genomic study by Larena et al. demonstrated that Cordilleran populations (such as the
Bontoc and
Ifugao) possess high levels of basal Austronesian ancestry. This research indicates these groups are genetically distinct from the populations historically labeled as "Malay" in the southern archipelago. Groups formerly categorized as "Proto-Malay" speak languages belonging to the
Northern Luzon languages and other
Philippine languages branch. These languages evolved independently over millennia and are not "mixtures" of Malay and other ethnic groups. == Historical perspectives and misconceptions ==