ORANG ASLI

Group and Location

The Negrito

Kintak people ( Kedah-Perak border)

Jahai people (northeast Perak and West Kelantan)

The Kensiu people (northeast Kedah)

Mendriq people (Southeast Kelantan)

Lanoh people ( North-central Perak)

Batek people ( Northeast Pahang and South Kelantan)

The Senoi

click to edit

In Coastal Selangor (Mah Meri People)

In south-central Pahang ( Semoq Beri People)

In central Pahang (Jah Hut and Chewong people)

Kelantan and Pahang ( Semai and Temiar people)

Titiwangsa Range in Perak

The Aboriginal ( Proto) Malays

Selangor and Negeri Sembila (Temuan people)

entral Pahang and east Negeri Sembilan (Semelai people)

South Pahang and north Johor (Jakun people)

East Johor ( Orang kanaq)

west and coasts of Johor (Orang Kuala, Orang Seletar)

Relationship between orang Asli with various groups :

Before WW2

proto Malays- close contact with the Malays for hundreds of years

During the Japanese Occupation

many Proto - Malay have been assimilated into the Malay communities- many there converted into Islam

the Senoi obtained commodities such as salt, jungle knives (parang) and metal axe heads by selling or exchanging jungle produce in the form of rotan, jelutong, bamboo and other items.

The Orang Asli played an important role in trade and governance in the region, and alliances with the Orang Asli were much sought after by the Malay settlers

The timidity and isolation of the Orang Asli also reflected their deep- rooted and justified fears of Malays, who exploited and oppressed the Orang Asli

Dec1941 - Feb 1942: Japanese invaders swept from Kota Bharu in the north to Singapore

European tin-miners, colonial administrators, managers of rubber estates and, in some cases, their female relations.
• Chinese members of armed political organisations and bandit gangs, the Malayan Communist Party (MCP), the Kuomintang or Chinese National Party (KMT)

The jungle peoples also became targets for Communist propaganda, which was particularly effective coming from men they trusted and whom they had known for years.

It was reported that out of a population of 50,000, a staggering 30,000 Orang Asli aided the communist guerrillas at one point during the Emergency period (Leary, 1995).

The emergency

The MCP faced the struggle with confidence based upon the support which they had organised, during the Occupation, among rural Chinese communities.

The government’s interest in the Orang Asli was seen as a critical matter of national

From 1947 to 1949, under the British Military Administration, the welfare of the Orang Asli came under the jurisdiction of the Department of Social Welfare.

The success of resettling the Chinese led the authorities to believe that much the same tactics could be used with the Orang Asli in order to deny their support to the Communists.

The Government, which formerly ignored and neglected them, now took an active and extensive interest in Orang Asli welfare and development.

The post-Emergency Period

1957: Federation of Malaya gained independence

1960: Emergency was declared over by the YDP Agong

Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli was formed

As far as Orang Asli affairs are concerned the sum of M$ 1,500,000 was allocated under the Second Five Year Plan, for projects intended to benefit the OA

But despite these, until today, the Orang Asli continue to be one of the most marginalised groups in Malaysia.

click to edit

Orang Asli

• 50% of households live below the poverty line

• 19% considered hardcore

National poverty rate • 3.8% poverty
• 0.7% hardcore poor)