The Cocos Islands, otherwise known as The Keeling Islands, are located on the external territory of Australia in the eastern Indian Ocean; these islands are where the culture of the Cocos Malays reside. Malay are a group of people who originate from the Malaysian Peninsula, Singapore, Brunei, and the Indonesian Riau Archipelago. William Keeling, a Mariner, discovered these islands in 1609, but they weren't settled on until 1826 when Alexander Hare, an English adventurer brought his Malay harem and slaves there. In 1827, John Clunies-Ross settled on the islands with his family and brought a large abundance of Malays with him to assist in the harvesting of the coconuts for copra. "The Cocos Islanders, or Cocos Malays, as they are often called, live on Home Island together with the descendants of the Clunies-Ross family, and most are now Australian citizens." (2) Some of these Cocos Islanders, however, settled in Australia in the mid-1950's because of overcrowded conditions on the islands.
Most of the islanders speak Malay. A vast majority of the people are Sunni Muslim, which make up about 57% of the population, then there's the Christian religion that makes up about 22%. (3) A big part of the Cocos Islands are the coconut plantations, which is how most of the islanders earn their livings. Even though many of the islanders fish and have their own gardens, most of their food has to be imported, along with all of their fuels and consumer goods. In September of 1978, John Clunies-Ross sold his plantations and gave up his authority over the islands to Australia. By doing so, this introduced Australian currency and took steps toward establishing Cocos Malays self-government. All of the laws on the island are based on the laws of Australia and local laws; or are found under the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955, which is the island's constitution. They have a Legislative branch, an Executive branch, and a Judicial branch. Along with these branches of governement, they also have their leaders. The Chief of State is Queen Elizabeth II, and the Head of the Government is Administrator B. Cunningham, and the Chairman of the Islands is Council Haji Wahin bin Bynie.
Just like many other cultures, the Cocos Malays have their own dress code. The women wear a Baju Kurung, which consists of a loose tunic, the baju is worn over a long skirt or the sarung. Even now, it is still worn in its original loose form, especially when attending funerals where the white baju is normally worn as a sign of respect. This attire is also worn on Fridays to show respect for the day as well. Women also will wear a Kebaya. On the other hand, men will wear a Baju Melayu which is a loose shirt worn over a sarung or a pair of trousers, and then they will wear a songkok on their headress.
Resources:
1. http://www.topology.org/geo/cocos.html
2.http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9024609
3. http://www.countryreports.org//cocos.htm
By, Kristin Pengra