Assimilating into Kristang

Some material below also appears in Chapter 635 of the Orange Book.

Assimilation into the Kristang identity and culture and becoming able to identify as a Kristang person have been foundational and core components of how the community has expanded since its inception in Melaka in the 16th century. The core of Kristang identity and culture itself as a Portuguese-Malay indigenous creole will always remain irrevocable and unchanged; beyond that, as a creole ethnic community, we are not bound by or subject to traditional or mainstream notions of race and ethnicity, where in addition to many non-Kristang spouses assimilating into Kristang and eventually becoming perceived and accepted as Kristang, we have often looked for and concretised humanising and liberating ways of making space for others rejected by society, including people of mixed-race or uncertain origin, orphans, queer people, neurodivergent people, people escaping from abusive families or places of origin or governments, people born from socially undesirable or psychologically horrifying situations, and generally people who are treated as outcasts or undesirables by the rest of the planet. In ourselves, as a highly egalitarian creole and Indigenous ethnic community, we continue to be rejected, marginalised and ignored by many institutions and agencies, as well as our own governments, and so have in many ways taken it upon ourselves to become the eleidi or collective for others that we ourselves were never allowed to be part of, based on our shared core values; because we are creole, everything that the people assimilating into Kristang bring with themselves — their own ethnic backgrounds, histories, stories, songs, art and ways of being — also then becomes something that we creolise from as a way of honouring their decision to be part of our world and our eleidi in such a deep way.

To assimilate into the Kristang eleidi, all four components of the self in the Kristang Quaternity of Personhood must be recognizably Kristang to at least two other Kristang people already born by blood into the Kristang culture, and be visibly and consistently acknowledged in some form in such fashion by these Kristang people. Chapter 635 of the Orange Book sets out the 32 criteria or 128 sub-criteria that are required psychoemotionally for this to be effected; however, few, if any Kristang people think about these criteria consciously, and they are merely a very and somewhat excessively articulated description or mechanical working of what is still a primarily unconscious process based on vibe. Any two Kristang people can thus theoretically recognise someone else as Kristang, but because this recognition is based on vibe, it cannot be forced or manipulated, and is akin to merely observing what is, rather than trying to look very hard for reasons why it might be. Indeed, although the criteria can be retroactively explained, such recognition simply “happens organically” or “relationally” since we are Indigenous, and is then further unconsciously acknowledged subsequently by other Kristang people and something that again simply is, rather than something someone has mechanically worked at and achieved, or tried very hard to align themselves to. People who satisfy at least some of these 32 criteria or 128 sub-criteria, but not all, are classed as Krismeri, the second-order identity marker that indicates a strong degree of support or connection to the community, but not a complete Kristangisation of the self.

Due to the psychoemotional changes involved and the is-ness of identifying as Kristang, identifying as Kristang is generally permanent and irrevocable unless there is a conscious intention to downplay or remove the Kristangness, usually due to a disdain for creole and Indigenous ways of being similar to that presented by those who aspired to an Upper Ten or more European / British middle class identity status in colonial Malaya, and/or as a result of the reclamation of the significance and importance of queer and neurodivergent ways of being Kristang since March 2016 under the leadership of the 13th Kabesa. Those who assimilate into Kristang also often retain their original ethnic identit(ies), but the ‘Kristang vibe’ or ‘layer’ also generally remains discernible to any Kristang person once all criteria are satisfied. All Kabesa living, prior, current and/or future ultimately also have no power to withhold or refuse to grant recognition to any person who has been observed to be and recognised as Kristang by any two other Kristang people following the mechanisms listed above and further described in Chapter 635 of the Orange Book.

The two Kristang people born by blood into the Kristang community who are the first to recognise the person assimilating into the Kristang community as Kristang are known as the person’s koadri or kuadri or (in the case of the person assimilating and the two Kristang people being of roughly around the same age) witnesses or sponsors or (in the case of a significant age difference) godparents, with komadri or kumadri used for a sponsor, witness or godparent of jenis and/or jenta aurora or femi, kompadri or kumpadri used for a sponsor, witness or godparent of jenis and/or jenta elios or machu, and koadri or kuadri used for a sponsor, witness or godparent of jenis terestra and/or jenta kadmang.

Kodrah Kristang and the 13th Kabesa are currently aware of the following individuals who have successfully assimilated into Kristang. They are listed with the estimated date of assimilation, together with their koadri or kuadri if these are known to the 13th Kabesa, and the order of koadri or kuadri (1st or 2nd) if there was a significant time gap between their recognising of the person as Kristang.

#NameDate AssimilatedKoadri/Kuadri
1Muhammad Fuad bin JohariUnknownKuadri 1: Kevin Martens Wong
Kumadri 2: Patricia Maria Theseira
2Nancy TngUnknownKuadri 1 & 2 unknown
3Reyhan Charles DavidUnknownKumadri 1: Sonia Zuzartee
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
4Ryan Gabriel Basil HoUnknownKumadri: Debra Theresa Scully
Kumpadri: Richard Anthony Bong
5Wong Soon FenUnknownKuadri 1 & 2 unknown
6Wilson Wong Wie SarnUnknownKumadri: Jillian Ann Martens
Kuadri: Kevin Martens Wong
7Royston HoganFriday, 18 August 2023Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
8Jaasir Mahsom s/o MazhardeenThursday, 2 November 2023Kumadri 1: Patricia Maria Theseira
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
9Benjamin HarrisThursday, 21 December 2023Kumpadri 1: Kenneth Bong
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
10Anjana Rai ChaudhuriUnknownKuadri 1 & 2 unknown (public figure)
11Enrique Carlos MarceloFriday, 29 March 2024Kuadri 1: Jared Martens Wong
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
12Elaine Mok Wai ManWednesday, 16 January 2025Kumadri 1: Jillian Ann Martens
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
13Hifzhul Matin bin NordinWednesday, 16 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
14Muhammad Azmi bin SallehWednesday, 16 January 2025Kumadri 1: Jillian Ann Martens
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
15Muhammad Fadhly bin JohariWednesday, 16 January 2025Kumadri 1: Jillian Ann Martens
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
16Muhammad Syafiq bin SahromWednesday, 16 January 2025Kumadri 1: Jillian Ann Martens
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
17Nii Okai SekyereWednesday, 16 January 2025Kumadri 1: Jillian Ann Martens
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
18Rodney Yap Thye YiWednesday, 16 January 2025Kumadri 1: Jillian Ann Martens
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
19Aldo Carter Gomez Jorel JassoSunday, 19 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
20Carlos TelloSunday, 19 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
21Farhan ShahSunday, 19 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
22Fernando GonzalezSunday, 19 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
23Harry Duno CoelloSunday, 19 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
24Yash MahajanSunday, 19 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
25Sriraam SritharanMonday, 20 January 2025Kumadri 1: Sonia Zuzartee
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
26Kaleb O. LeeMonday, 20 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
27Luiz NascimentoMonday, 20 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
28Jerome WeeMonday, 20 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
29Eric LealMonday, 20 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
30Gurubaran SubramaniamMonday, 20 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
31Shamir Robinson Panackal SebasMonday, 20 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
32Theeti PruekudomTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
33Ang Jing WenTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
34Najib Indra bin Abdul MajeedTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown
35Muhammad Zulfarhan bin DinoTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
36Marcus PereiraTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown
37Edison Lim Wei XuanTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
38Alvan Chan Yan XunTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
39Isaiah BlackmonTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
40Adil bin AzmoonTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown
41Muhammad Jebran ArshadTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
42Nicholas Euthymius Loo Wei XianTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown
43John BoyegaTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
44Preshaan Austeine s/o SubashTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown
45Jerome Dashwin DassTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown
46Jannik FeistleTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
47Justin Chew Hong YuTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown
48Nicholas ChanTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
49Peter Simon Arthur Wong Weng KeongTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1: Kevin Martens Wong
Kumadri 2: Celeste Cordeiro
50Alexander Ang Mao JinTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown
51Julian Wu Zuan QiangTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1: Kevin Martens Wong
Kuadri 2 unknown
52Mikail ÁngelesTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown (public figure)
53Emanuel Paul Moses AsevathamTuesday, 21 January 2025Kumpadri 1: Jared Christopher Yap
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
54Jerome Teo Jun WeiTuesday, 21 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
55Fang KaicongWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
56Oliver James GrundyWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
57Joshua Prashad LourdesamyWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
58Muhammad Yamani bin Abdul RashidWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
59Joseph Adrian AtosWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
60Dillon Tan Kheng JinWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
61Dylan Xavier TanWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
62DeAngelo JacksonWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown (public figure)
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
63Ignatius Koh ZhongrenWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown
64Samuel Lim Shan YaoWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown
65Abrar SayeedWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown
66Afiq Shah BamWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown (public figure)
67Joavan Christopher PereiraWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
68Zulhaqem bin ZulkifliWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown (public figure)
69Nathan Koh Zher RuiWednesday, 22 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown
70Nazeru’l-Khairy Ben-DzulkifliThursday, 23 January 2025Kuadri 1: Kevin Martens Wong
Kuadri 2 unknown (public figure)
71John Paul Phang Kok KeongThursday, 23 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown
72Ashvine Naray PandianThursday, 23 January 2025Kuadri 1: Kevin Martens Wong
Kuadri 2 unknown
73Raimi bin KarimThursday, 23 January 2025Kuadri 1 unknown
Kuadri 2: Kevin Martens Wong
74Gerald Paul Seah Yong SingThursday, 23 January 2025Kuadri 1: Kevin Martens Wong
Kuadri 2 unknown
75Jeremy Kieran Ng Rui WeiThursday, 23 January 2025Kuadri 1 & 2 unknown (public figure)
76Jeremy Kim HueThursday, 23 January 2025Kuadri 1: Kevin Martens Wong
Kuadri 2 unknown