The Origin of Acehnese

About 3,00 BC a migration took place from the continent to the south. Destination: the western island of Indonesia. They settled down and had became the origins of Indonesian people. However, it is not impossible that the earliest migration took place long before 3,00 BC, say 300,000 years ago, when the archipelago was still part of the continent. The race migrated through the land was known as Pithecanthropus erectus.

During the Stone Age Period, a Malay race living in the continent migrated to the south. They Had been familiar with planting and cattle-farming methods. The first batch was known as Proto (Old) Malay and the second Detro (Young) Malay. When the Old Malay who refused to intergrate with new comers they were forced to live in hinterland and became the ancestors and the Bataks and Nias in North Sumatera, and Gayo and Alas in Aceh.

Based on artifacts found in North Aceh, we could deduce that a certain race had lived in Aceh, probably during the Mid Stone Age period, prior to the arrival of the Old Malay. No trace of nor descendants from this race to-day. It is most likely they have become extinct.

It has been assumed that the homelanmd of the ancestors of Acehnese, i.e. the Young Malay was in Indochina, particularly from the coastal areas of Cham and Khmer. The similarities of hundreds of words in Acehnese with those in Cham and Khmer languages have substantiated the assumption.

Ethnic Group in Aceh

There is quite a number of ethnic groups in Aceh:

Aceh, the largest, living from coastal areas to hinterland.

Gayo, in Central and Southeast Aceh.

Aneuk Jamee, in West Aceh, the southern part of South Aceh down to the coastal areas bordering with North Sumatera, and on the east coast of Banyak island.

Singkel: southeast of South Aceh.

Kluet: in the central area of South Aceh.

Alas: south of southeast Aceh.

Pulau: on Simeleu island.

Tamiang: South of Aceh.