The Indian Ocean and The Change of Southeast Asia

Why was the Indian Ocean so great?

• Good resources: bamboo, teak, mahogany, and other trees and wood

• Safe, predicable winds• Became main hub for

world trade• Region most affected

by this was Southeast Asia

SA before change: food

• Diet based on rice, fish, and pork

• Rice was indigenous• Seas provided many

types of fish, crabs, and shrimp

• There were no grasslands, so no cows

• Many pigs

SA Before Change: Women

• Very important• Harvesting rice gave them authority and

economic power• Reproductive role gave them value• The more daughters a man had, the

wealthier he was

SA Before Change: Marriage

• Most people were monogamous• Had premarital sex• Divorce was allowed, nor did it carry

any social stigma• Property and children were divided

equally• Men paid money to marry a woman

SA Before Change: Religion

• Animistic: believing that spiritual power inhabited natural objects

• Participated in sacrifices• Periods of fasting• People were buried with clothing,

pottery and jewelry• Slaves were killed when their masters

died

Religious Change

• Muslims came in around 1400

• The largest port city accepted Islam

• Muslim businessmen controlled the markets

• Asians saw them as wealthy and powerful

Fight Breaks Out• Waves of

Europeans came in• Starting with the

Portuguese, then Spanish and Italian

• Conflict with Muslims

• Both wanted to enforce their own power and religion

Asians’ Response

• Saw both sides as equally powerful

• Both had better ships, weapons, and businesses than Southeast Asians

• “Sit back and see who wins” mentality

Strategy for Conversion

• Both learned native language

• Both translated sacred texts

• Both taught prayer and spoke in groups

• But, the Muslims intermarried with the Asians

The Muslims Win

• By 1700, substantial number Muslim• Abandoned pork and animistic practices• Adopted Islamic dress• Established Islamic rules on women• Felt like a part of the worldwide Muslim

community• Today, Indonesia has the largest

Muslim population

Effects of Trade

• From 13th century on, trade steadily increased

• The Silk Road collapsed, giving a boost in traffic to ports

• SA became the major region for trade on the Indian Ocean

• All of this contributed to rise in population

Overall Change of SA

Before change• Small population• Animistic• Women had

authority and value• Monogamous• Allowed premarital

sex and divorce

After change• Huge population• Muslim• Women are

subordinate• Polygamous• No premarital sex or

divorce