THEORY OUT OF NUSANTARA

The theory you are referring to is known as the Nusantara Theory (or the Autochthonous Theory). It stands as a significant counter-argument to the more widely accepted "Out of Taiwan" and "Out of Yunnan" models.

Instead of suggesting a mass migration from mainland Asia, these scholars argue that the Malay people are indigenous to the Malay Archipelago and evolved culturally and linguistically within the region.

Core Arguments of the Nusantara Theory

The scholars are : John Crawfurd, K. Himly, Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana, and Gorys Keraf—base their conclusions on several key pillars:

• Linguistic Evidence: Gorys Keraf argued that the complexity and diversity of languages in the archipelago suggest a long-standing presence. He believed the ancestors of the Malays had been in the region much longer than migration theories suggest, allowing for internal linguistic evolution.
• Civilization Levels: John Crawfurd noted that the Malay and Javanese civilizations had reached a high level of sophistication (in navigation, agriculture, and social structure) that could only have developed over thousands of years of localized stability.
• Physical Anthropology: Proponents argue that the physical characteristics of the people in the Nusantara are distinct and evolved in response to the specific tropical environment of Southeast Asia.

The Meaning of "Nusantara"

Definition of the etymology is largely correct. The term is rooted in Old Javanese:

• Nusa: Meaning "island."
• Antara: Meaning "between" or "across."

While often translated as "islands in between," in a historical and geopolitical sense, it referred to the vast maritime "continent" or "empire" of islands that sat between the Asian mainland and Australia, or between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This concept emphasizes that the water was not a barrier, but a bridge that unified the region into a single cultural sphere.

Comparison of Theories

Theory	Origin Point	Direction
Out of Yunnan	Southern China	Migration southward into the islands.
Out of Taiwan	Taiwan (Austronesian)	Migration through the Philippines to the archipelago.
Nusantara	The Archipelago	Local development and outward influence.

Modern Perspective

While the Nusantara Theory is deeply respected for its focus on local agency and identity, modern DNA and genomic studies (such as those by the HUGO Pan-Asian SNP Consortium) tend to favor a hybrid view. They show that while there were significant migrations, there was also a very deep, ancient population that had been in the region since the "Sundaland" era (the Ice Age).

GORYS KERAF - NUSANTARA THEORY

Gorys Keraf’s support for the Nusantara Theory is rooted in his work as a linguist, specifically through his research in historical-comparative linguistics. In his book Linguistik Bandingan Historis (1984), he provides a scientific framework to challenge migration theories that place the Malay origin in mainland Asia or Taiwan.

His support for the "indigenous" claim is built on several key arguments:

1. Lexicostatistical Evidence

Keraf used lexicostatistics (the study of basic vocabulary to determine the age and relationship of languages) to analyze the kinship between languages in the archipelago. He argued that the high level of linguistic diversity and the specific evolution of these languages suggest they have been in the region for a much longer period than the "Out of Taiwan" or "Out of Yunnan" timelines allow.

2. High Level of Civilization

Along with John Crawfurd, Keraf argued that the complexity of the Malay and Javanese languages reflects a "high level of civilization." He posited that such linguistic sophistication could not be achieved through a simple migration; it required a long, stable period of internal cultural development within the Nusantara region.

3. Divergence from Mainland Languages

Keraf highlighted that the Austronesian languages (the family to which Malay belongs) developed distinct characteristics in the archipelago that are significantly different from the Indo-European or mainland Asian languages. This "gap" suggested to him that the ancestors of the Malays did not simply bring a language from the outside but developed their linguistic identity locally.

4. Connection to Local Prehistoric Humans

While primarily a linguist, Keraf aligned his findings with anthropological data, suggesting that the ancestors of the Malay people could be descendants of prehistoric humans found in the region, such as Homo soloensis and Homo wajakensis. To him, the linguistic data was a "reflection of historical heritage" that linked current populations to the land itself rather than to a foreign source.

Comparison of Arguments

Argument Type	Keraf's Position
Linguistic	High diversity suggests a long-term local presence (autochthonous).
Cultural	Sophisticated language equals long-term internal civilizational growth.
Geographic	The archipelago (Nusantara) is the "homeland" (tanah air) of Austronesians.

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Google Gemini AI
11 January 2026: 10.49 a.m