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
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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.
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Orang Asli
• 50% of households live below the poverty line
• 19% considered hardcore
National poverty rate • 3.8% poverty
• 0.7% hardcore poor)