The genealogy of the Hadhrami Arabs in Southeast Asia – the ‘Alawi family

The genealogy of the Hadhrami Arabs in Southeast Asia – the ‘Alawi family

Genealogy is an important aspect in the life of individuals from the family group called ‘Alawi of Ba ‘Alawi, whose first descendant hailed from the region of Hadhramaut, at the southern coast of Arabia, in present-day Yemen. The author is from this group of Arabs who are strict in keeping their genealogy and family trees. Living in Southeast Asia, members of the ‘Alawi family are part of the well-researched Hadhrami diaspora, where genealogical texts and activities evolved side by side. One major factor that brings about this strictness in keeping their genealogy is because the group can trace their ancestry to the prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad and from there the genealogical lineage was established to the first human being, Prophet Adam. However in the course of the Hadhrami diaspora there are multiple other factors which contributed to this keeping of the genealogy that had become structured and institutionalised. The first part of the paper will attempt to trace the effects of the diaspora in this respect, while the second part of the paper will cover the author’s personal journey in tracing her roots amidst this long history of migration.