Terengganuan Malay people

Terengganuan Malay people
Oghang Tranung / Oghang Ganu
Melayu Terengganu / ملايو ترڠڬانو

A Terengganuan Malay woman in traditional attire, 1908.
Total population
(1.1 million)
Regions with significant populations
Terengganu, Malaysia and significant populations in Mersing (Johor), Kuantan and Rompin in (Pahang)
Languages
Terengganu Malay, Malaysian
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Malaysian Malay (especially Kelantanese Malays and Pahang Malays)

Terengganuan Malays (Malaysian: Melayu Terengganu, Terengganu Malay: Oghang Tranung) are a sub-ethnic group of Malays native to the state of Terengganu, in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Besides Terengganu, they can also be found in the neighbouring states of Pahang (in the districts of Kuantan, Pekan and Rompin), Johor (especially in Mersing) and its descendants can also be found in Anambas Islands (part of Riau Islands province) in Indonesia. As of 2010, it is estimated that the population of Terengganuan Malays are around 1.1 million people, which forms 94% of Terengganu state's population, making them the dominant ethnic group in the state.

Terengganuan Malays have a distinct cultural, historical and linguistic identity from the rest of the Malay ethnic group in the country, especially their spoken language, which is somewhat mutually unintelligible to West Coast Peninsular Malaysian Malay speakers. Terengganu Malays also have a strong state identity and they used to have their own independent sultanate which still exists today but became part of Malaya (later Malaysia). Terengganuans, along with the Kelantanese and Pahangites are considered as Orang Pantai Timur (People of the East Coast) and these three groups have close ties in terms of cultures, languages, history and kinship.

There are several theories on the origin of the name 'Terengganu'. One theory attributes the name's origin to terang ganu, Malay for 'bright rainbow'. Another story, said to have been originally narrated by the ninth Sultan of Terengganu, Baginda Omar, tells of a party of hunters from Pahang roving and hunting in the area of what is now southern Terengganu. One of the hunters spotted a big animal fang lying on the ground. A fellow party member asked to which animal did the fang belong. The hunter, not knowing which animal, simply answered taring anu (Malay: 'fang of something'). The party later returned to Pahang with a rich hoard of game, fur and sandalwood, which impressed their neighbours. They asked the hunters where did they source their riches, to which they replied, from the land of taring anu, which later evolved into Terengganu. Terengganu was called Trangkanu (Thai: ตรังกานู) by the Siamese when it was under their influence.