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.