Orang Asli
State in Peninsular Malaysia
A heterogeneous group
classified for
administrative
Senoi
Negrito
Aboriginal Malay
Before WW2
Modern Malays haev some Proto-Malay blood
Many have converted into Islam
Senoi obtained
commodities
salt
jungle knives
metal axe
Malays depended on the Orang Asli as their primary
source of forest products
Rattan
Resin
Gutta
Percha
Sandalwood
Orang Asli as slaves
Slavery - long history in South East Asia
Slaves divided into 2 classes
Ordinary slaves (abdi)
Debtor slaves (orang berhutang)
As infidels (kafir), Orang Asli could be captured and
enslaved
Contact with Chinese
Chinese community in the Malay States had much less contact
with the Orang Asli than did the Malays.
due to the concentration of Chinese in urban centres and
tin-mining districts
The chinese-dominanted military and political organisations which fled into the jungle for the duration of the Japanese Occupation
The Japanese Occupation
Dec1941 - Feb 1942:
Japanese invaders swept from Kota
Bharu in the north to Singapore
Many individuals and organisations took refuge in the hills
and forests.
European tin-miners, colonial administrators, managers of
rubber estates and, in some cases, their female relations.
Friendly contacts made by Chinese with the Orang Asli before the war invaluable during the occupation
The jungle peoples also became targets for Communist
propaganda
The Emergency (1948-1960)
During these crucial twelve years, the Communist forces
which had been temporarily demobilised following Japan's surrender, challenged and ultimately defeated.
During the occupation, the MCP gained support from rural Chinese populations, giving them confidence in their campaign.
The government's interest in the Orang Asli was seen as a
critical matter of national security.
For the first time, the Orang Asli were the main interest of
the British administration.
During the British Military Administration (1947-1949), the Department of Social Welfare was responsible for the welfare of the Orang Asli.
Department of Aborigines
In early 1953, its functions was limited to an advisory role.
The Department was reorganised and extended in 1953 to meet extra demands from the Emergency, including providing aid to the Security Forces and Administration.
By 1954, significant expansion had happened. The Department now provides education, welfare, and medical amenities in Orang Asli communities.
Post-Emergency period
1957: Federation of Malaya gained independence
1960: Emergency was declared over by the YDP Agong
In 1961, the newly independent government's Ministry of Interior issued a "Statement of Policy Regarding the Administration of Aborigine People of the Federation of Malaya."
It stated that "the aborigine being one of the ethnic minorities of the Federation must be allowed on an equal footing from the rights and opportunities which the law grants to other sections of the community" .
Orang Asli continue to
be one of the most marginalised groups in Malaysia.