Abstract
Most of pre-studies about Malaysian Ethnicity categorized ethnicity such as Malay, Chinese and Indian. Such ethnic division is considered "formal ethnicity" divided by the government. However, Indian includes people from different region, language, religion, and caste, and such kind of groups are called sub- ethnic groups. As examples of sub-ethnic groups, Tamils, Telugus, Malayalis, Sri Lankan Tamils, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Chettiar, and service castes are given. By focusing on the sub-ethnic group, I make the constructure and formation of Indian ethnicity clear. The structure of Indian ethnicity in Malaysia is divided into three dimensions. In the context of nationality, they identify themselves as Malaysian, and in the context of national situation, they consider themselves as Indian. But in their daily life, they are living based on their culture and custom. All of them have multi-combined ethnicity. Segmentation of ethnic groups makes it possible to preserve a variety of culture, while it makes it difficult to unite as one Indian.
