Diverse Cultures of Southeast Asia
By: Bria Fuller & Ndobegang Foletia & Jada Ferrel
Geography of Southeast Asia
- 1st is mainland Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, part of Malaysia)
- 2nd is island Southeast Asia (20,000 islands scatter between Indian and south china sea, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines)
- Mainland is separated by the rest of Asia by mountains
- Mountains also separated the four major valleys
- Whoever controlled those river valleys were rich from trade
- monsoons shaped trading patterns
- South Asian ports became centers for trade and cultures, cause merchants waited for the monsoons to start
- Soon international trade linked India, southeast Asia, and china to East Africa and the Middle East
- People in Southeast Asia developed their own cultures before any influences
- Women had greater qualities in Southeast Asia than any other part of Asia and took part in trade
Indian Culture Spreads to Southeast Asia
- Indian merchants and Hindu priest filtered into Southeast Asia spreading their culture
- Trade brought prosperity as merchants exchanged products products such as cotton, cloth, jewels, perfume for raw materials such as timber, spices, and gold
- Southeast Asians visited as Pilgrims and students and as contact increased, Indian beliefs and ideas spread. The peak of Indian influence was 500-1000 BC
- After Hinduism and Buddhism, Indians carried Islam into the region
- Today Indonesia has the highest Muslim population of any country in the world
- The spread of Islam in lands surrounding the Indian Ocean contributed to the growth of a stable thriving trading network
New Kingdoms and Empires Emerge
- The blend of Indian Influences and local cultures produced kingdoms and empires in Southeast Asia
- King Anawrahta of the Pagen Kingdom is credited for bringing Buddhism to the Burman people and made Pagen a major Buddhist center. He also made magnificent shines in the capital city
- After his death, Pagen flourished for 200 years but then failed to conquering Mongols
- Khumer people adapted Indian writing, mathematics, architecture, and art. Khumer rulers became pious Hindus, and saw themselves as god-kings
- King Suryavarman II built the great temple complex at Angkor Wat with hundreds of carved figures that tell Hindu myths and glorify the king
- Srivijaya controlled the strait of Malacca, which was vital to shipping. Both Hinduism and Buddhism reached this island empire
- local people often blended Indian beliefs withe their own form of worship based on nature spirits
- Islam spread and local rulers adopted the new religion that lead to links with other Muslim trading centers
Vietnam Emerges
- China sent military forces to conquer the neighboring state of Annam
- the river divided water to the rice patties to help a growing population
- 111 b.c Han armies conquered the region and controlled it for the next 1000 years
- They adopted Chinese civil service system and built a government bureaucracy similar to that found i china
- Unlike the rest of southeast Asia, Theravada Buddhism had the strongest impact, daoism also helped shape Vietnamese society
- In A.D 39 Trumg Trac and Trumg Nhi led an uprising that led Chinese from the land; they tried to restore a simpler form of government; in 939 tang dynasty collapsed in china
- Vietnamese turned back repeated chinese efforts to reconquer there land; they still remain a tributary state of china for years to come