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In 1826, an English merchant, Alexander Hare, brought a group of people from Malaysia and Indonesia as well as South Africa and New Guinea to an atoll northwest of mainland Australia in the Indian Ocean. Hare took them to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands as indentured workers, slaves and/or convicts. A year later, a Scottish rival, Clunies Ross, took over.

His subjects became known as 鈥淐ocos Malays鈥�. During the 150-year rule of the Clunies Ross dynasty, the Cocos Malays developed a unique culture and . They adopted Scottish jigs and music in their performance repertoire. Still living on their island home, the Cocos Malays are now Australian citizens. Some seek recognition from the Australian government as 鈥淚ndigenous鈥�.

A recent documentary, Australia鈥檚 Forgotten Islands, portrayed 鈥痑 growing Indigenous movement among the Cocos Malays. With the ever-present possibility of a large being built on the islands, the documentary suggested 鈥淚ndigenous鈥� status might be a way to maintain a local voice. The documentary portrayed the son of the last 鈥渒ing鈥� of Cocos and several Australian mainlanders championing the Cocos Malay cause for Indigenous status.

What is 鈥業ndigenous鈥� status?

Many local groups throughout the world have sought indigenous status to protect their rights, their environment and to win political representation vis-脿-vis the majority culture of a nation-state. Yet there is no universally accepted definition of who is Indigenous.

Local groups have succeeded in their claims on several grounds. Sometimes it is on the basis of being first-known inhabitants (like America鈥檚 鈥淔irst Nations鈥�). A group can also argue for a continued presence as long-term inhabitants (e.g. descendants of Pitcairn Islanders in Norfolk Island).

Obtaining 鈥淚ndigenous鈥� status also usually requires local groups to present evidence of having a unique, enduring language and cultural tradition. The claim to 鈥淚ndigenous鈥� identity often emerges in places that were or are colonised. However, each situation is different.

Establishing 鈥淚ndigenous鈥� status can assist groups by conferring legitimacy on their claims, especially when dealing with government and resource-extraction industries (forestry, mining, etc). To see how this might relate to the Cocos Malays, we need to know their history.

History of Cocos Malays

The Clunies Ross dynasty created its own currency and paid Cocos Malays for harvesting coconuts and performing other labour. This currency could be redeemed at the company store for rice, flour and sugar to supplement a diet of seafood, poultry and other birds. They left matters of religion to the Cocos Malays, who maintained an Islamic Malay culture. This makes them Australia鈥檚 oldest Muslim community.

From the mid-1900s, Cocos Malay culture and language spread from its atoll home. A large 1940s emigration created a Cocos Malay community in Sabah, Malaysia, where the government recognises them as one of Malaysia鈥檚 ethnic groups. The Cocos Malays have also emigrated to Christmas Island, Singapore and to several locations in Western Australia.

On the Cocos (Keeling) Islands themselves, increased international attention to the plight of the Cocos Malays led to allegations of slavery and a United Nations investigation.

In 1955, the British transferred sovereignty over the islands to Australia, ratified by the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act. The Australian government increasingly scrutinised the 鈥渒ingdom鈥�, purchasing most of the atoll from the dynasty in 1978.

In a UN-supervised , the residents of the islands voted overwhelmingly for integration with Australia. This act symbolised the beginnings of Cocos Malay involvement with the Australian state on their , which has recently seen some Cocos Malays claim to be indigenous to the islands.

Indigenous Australians

In Australia, since the 1990s, the term 鈥淚ndigenous鈥� has increasingly been employed to address the crimes of colonisation.

The first humans in Australia (sometimes labelled 鈥淎ustralo-Melanesians鈥�) arrived more than 50,000 years ago. Their descendants have been displaced and dispossessed by European settlers since 1788.

Aside from a variety of more derogatory insults, the terms 鈥渘ative鈥�, 鈥淎borigine鈥� and 鈥淎boriginal鈥� successively emerged to describe these people.

Some rejected the imposition of these labels and turned to terms from their own languages, such as 鈥淜oori鈥� or 鈥淣yungar鈥�, to refer themselves.

Rights activists have also encouraged the use of inclusive terms 鈥淎boriginal and Torres Strait Islanders鈥� as well as 鈥淔irst Nations鈥� (see, for example, 2017鈥檚 ).

For those who identify as 鈥淚ndigenous鈥�, the term also links their aspirations for recognition and reform to a global 鈥淚ndigenous鈥� struggle. The 鈥淚ndigenous鈥� label can become more than a political tool; for some it鈥檚 a form of identity.

The Cocos claims

Cocos Malay people can strengthen their claim as Indigenous Australians by pointing to several facts. The islands were uninhabited when the Cocos Malays and their European ruler first settled there. Further, they maintain a long historical tradition; they are sometimes said to have been colonised; and they feel overlooked by the Australian nation-state.

Other groups in our region have successfully appealed to these principles 鈥� namely, first people, colonisation, continued tradition, and marginalisation 鈥� to be recognised as Indigenous.

If the Cocos Malays are unsuccessful in the short term, they can try other forms of recourse. For instance, the 1955 Transfer of Sovereignty contained a crucial clause:

“The institutions, customs and usages of the Malay residents of the Territory shall, subject to any law in force in the Territory from time to time, be permitted to continue in existence.”

One thing is certain, the Cocos Malay residents value and continue to maintain and adapt their 鈥渃ustoms and usages鈥�. Being accorded Indigenous status would help gain official recognition for that continuing practice.