Orang Asli

Orang Asli (''lit''. "first people", "native people", "original people", "aborigines people" or "aboriginal people" in Malay) are a heterogeneous indigenous population forming a national minority in Malaysia. They are the oldest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia.

As of 2017, the Orang Asli accounted for 0.7% of the population of Malaysia, numbering approximately 198,000. Although seldom mentioned in the country's demographics, the Orang Asli are a distinct group, alongside the Malays, Chinese, Indians, and the indigenous East Malaysians of Sabah and Sarawak. Their special status is enshrined in law. Orang Asli settlements are scattered among the mostly Malay population of the country, often in mountainous areas or the jungles of the rainforest.

While outsiders often perceive them as a single group, there are many distinctive groups and tribes, each with its own language, culture and customary land. Each group considers itself independent and different from the other communities. What mainly unites the Orang Asli is their distinctiveness from the three major ethnic groups of Peninsular Malaysia and their historical sidelining in social, economic, and cultural matters. Like other indigenous peoples, Orang Asli strive to preserve their own distinctive culture and identity, which is linked by physical, economic, social, cultural, territorial, and spiritual ties to their immediate natural environment.

Terminology

Prior to the official use of the term "Orang Asli" beginning in the early 1960s, the common terms for the indigenous population of Peninsular Malaysia varied. Towards the end of British colonial rule on the Malay Peninsula, there were attempts to classify these disparate groups. Residents of the southern regions often called them ''Jakun'', and those in the northern regions called them ''Sakai''. Later on, all indigenous groups became known as ''Sakai'', meaning ''Aborigines''. The term "aborigines", as an official name, appeared in the English version of the Constitution of British Malaya and the laws of the country. Past colonial rule by European and Islamic powers gave both the Malay word ''Sakai'' and the English term ''Aborigines'' pejorative connotations, hinting at the supposed backwardness and primitivism of these people. During the Malayan Emergency in the 1950s Communist rebels, seeking the support of the indigenous tribes, began referring to them as Orang Asal, meaning "native people", from the Arabic word, ''`asali'' (أصلي meaning, "original", "well-born", or "aristocratic"). The Communists won the support of the Orang Asli, and the government, seeking to do the same, began adopting the same terminology. Thus, the new, slightly modified term "Orang Asli", carrying the same sense of "original people", was born. The term was officially used in English, where it is identical in both the singular and the plural. Despite its origin as an exonym, the term was adopted by indigenous peoples themselves.

Ethnogenesis

The Orang Asli makes up one of 95 subgroups of indigenous people of Malaysia, the Orang Asal, each with their own distinct language and culture. The British colonial government classified the indigenous population of the Malay Peninsula on physiological and cultural-economic grounds upon which the Aboriginal Department (responsible for dealing with Orang Asli issues since the British Malaya government) developed their own classification of indigenous tribes based on their physical characteristics, linguistic kinship, cultural practices and geographical settlement. This divides Orang Asli into three main categories, with six ethnic subgroups each (totaling 18 ethnic subgroups).
* Negrito (or Semang), generally located in the northern portion of the peninsula, were short dark-skinned nomadic hunter-gatherers with Asiatic facial features and tightly curly hair.
* Senoi (or Sakai), residing in the central region, were wavy-haired people taller than the Negrito, engaged in slash-and-burn agriculture, and periodically changed their place of residence.
* Proto-Malay (or Aboriginal Malay), living in the southern region, were settled farmers, dark-skinned, of normal height, with straight hair.

This division does not claim to be scientific and has many shortcomings. The boundaries between the groups are not fixed, and merge into each other, and the Orang Asli themselves use names associated with their specific area or by a local term meaning 'human being'.

The Semang are descendants of the Hoabinhian people, who the evidence indicates were in the Malay Peninsula between 16,000 and 8,000 years ago. The Senoi are, to a lesser extent, also descents of the Hoabinnhian people, but are more closely associated with the Neolithic Southern Mongoloid people who migrated into the Malay Peninsula about 2000 BC. Both groups speak Austroasiatic languages (also known as '' Mon-Khmer language''). The Proto-Malays, who speak Austronesian languages, migrated to the area between 2000 and 1500 BC, originally from southern China. The Orang Asli were originally considered ethnic Malay, but reclassified as part of Orang Asli by the British colonial authorities due to the similarity of their socio-economic and lifestyles with the Senoi and Semang. There are various degrees of admixture within all three groups and only over time did indigenous peoples began to identify themselves under a common name "Orang Asli" as a marker of collective identity as natives distinct from the predominant ethnic groups more recently arrived to the peninsula. Orang Asli seldom associate themselves with the categories of "Negrito", "Senoi" and "Aboriginal Malays".

Semang tribals

According to the ''Encyclopedia of Malaysia'', the Semang or Pangan are regarded as the earliest inhabitants of the Malay Peninsula. They live mainly in the northern regions of the country, and are considered to be mostly descended from the people of the Hoabinhian cultural period, with many of their burials found dating back 10,000 years ago.

They speak the Aslian languages branch of the Mon-Khmer language which is part of the Austroasiatic language family, as do their Senoi agriculturalist neighbours. Most of them belong to the North Aslian language group, and only the Lanoh language belongs to the Central Aslian languages group.

Negrito tribes:

As of 2010, the Semang number approximately 4,800. They mostly live in Perak (2,413 people, 48.2%), Kelantan (1,381 people, 27.6%) and Pahang (925 people, 18.5%). The remaining 5.7% of Semang are distributed throughout Malaysia.

Senoi

Senoi is the largest subdivision of the Orang Asli, accounting for about 54% of their population. This ethnic group includes six tribes: Temiar, Semai, Semaq Beri, Jah Hut, Mah Meri and Cheq Wong. They live mainly in the central and northern parts of the Malay Peninsula. Their villages are scattered in the states of Perak, Kelantan and Pahang, including on the slopes of the Titiwangsa Mountains.

Physically, the Senois in general differ from the indigenous tribals in terms of being taller in height, much lighter skin colour, and wavy hair, and they also have similar physical characteristics to the Mongoloids, and even the Dravidians. Just like the Semang, they also speak Aslian languages. Many other Senois are believed to be the result of mixing Negritos with migrants from Indochina, probably Proto-Malays.

The term "Senoi" comes from the words sen-oi and seng-oi, which means "people" in Semai language and Temiar language, respectively.

The traditional economy of the Senoi people was based on jungle resources, where they would engage in hunting, fishing, foraging and logging. In contact with the Malay and Siamese states, the Senoi people were involved in trading and were the main suppliers of jungle produce in the region. Now most of them work in the agricultural sector and have their own farms to grow rubber, oil palm, or cocoa.

In the daily life of the Senoi people, the norms of customary laws are observed. Since the days of the colonial era, missionaries of world religions have been active among these jungle dwellers, and now there are adherents of Islam, Christianity, and Baháʼí Faith among the Senoi tribes.

Senoi tribes:

Aboriginal Malays

Proto-Malays or Aboriginal Malays are the second largest group of Orang Asli, their making up about 43%. This group consists of seven separate tribes: Jakun, Temuan, Temoq, Semelai, Kuala, Kanaq, and Seletar people. In the colonial period, they were all erroneously called Jakun people. They live mainly in the southern half of the peninsula, in the states of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang and Johor. Most of the settlements of the Aboriginal Malays are located near cities or form separate quarters within them.

Their customs, culture and languages are very similar to the Malaysian Malays. They are similar to the Malays in appearance, have a dark skin colour, straight hair and an epicanthic fold. Today, Aboriginal Malays are firmly settled people, mostly permanently employed in agriculture. Those who live on the river banks or on the coast are engaged in fishing. Many of them are also employed, and there are those who are engaged in entrepreneurial activities or work as professionals.

The group lumps together tribes that are very distinct from each other. Temuan people, for example, have a long tradition of agriculture. Orang Kuala and Orang Seletar, who live by the sea, are mainly engaged in the fishing and seafood industry. Semelai people and Temoq people differ from other groups in language.

The Aboriginal Malays are considered a race of people grouped within each smaller tribe of their own in which has hitherto, wholly remained unaffected by foreign influences. It appears the simplest way to distinguish the Aboriginal Malays from the Malaysian Malays is to point out that they are generally not Muslims. However, the Orang Kuala converted to Islam before the independence of Malaysia. The difference is in the origin of these sub-groups. In Indonesia and Malaysia, the theory of the existence of two branches of the Austronesian peoples are identified as Proto-Malays and Deutero-Malays. According to this theory, the Proto-Malays inhabited the islands of the Sunda archipelago about 2,500 years ago. The migration of Deutero-Malays is attributed to later times, more than 1,500 years ago. They mingled with the Proto-Malays who were already inhabiting the land, as well as with the Siamese people, Javanese people, Sumatrans, Indian ethnic groups, Thai people, Arab and Chinese merchants, resulting in the formation of the modern Malays of the Malay Peninsula. Although this theory has not found a scientific basis, it is generally accepted in the attitude of the Malays toward the indigenous tribes.

Some of the Aboriginal Malay tribes, including the Orang Kanaq and Orang Kuala, are difficult to be regarded as indigenous to the Malay Peninsula, as they only migrated in the last few centuries, much later than the Malays. Most Orang Kuala still live on the eastern coast of Sumatra in Indonesia, where they are also known as the Duano people.

The languages of the Proto-Malays are archaic dialects of the Malay language. The only exception is the Semelai language and the Temoq language, which are part of the Aslian languages, as are the Senoi and Semang languages.

Aboriginal Malay tribes:

Demography

Malays make up just over 50% of Malaysia's population, followed by Chinese (24%), Indians (7%) and the indigenous of Sabah and Sarawak (11%), while the remaining of Orang Asli is only 0.7%. Their population is approximately 148,000. The largest group are the Senois, constituting about 54% of the total Orang Asli population. The Proto-Malays form 43%, and the Semang forming 3%. Thailand is home to roughly 600 Orang Asli, divided between ''Mani people'' with Thai citizenship, and 300 others in the deep south. At the same time, the number of Orang Asli has been growing steadily for many years. Between 1947 and 1997, the average growth rate averaged at 4% per year. This is largely due to the overall improvement in the quality of life of indigenous people.

Population statistic of the Orang Asli:-

More than half of the Orang Asli live in the states of Pahang and Perak, followed by the indigenous peoples of Kelantan, Selangor, Johor, and Negeri Sembilan. In the states of Perlis and Penang, the Orang Asli are not considered indigenous. Their presence there indicates the mobility of the Orang Asli, in search of employment opportunities they come to the industrial areas of the country.

Distribution of Orang Asli tribes by state:

According to the 2006 census, the number of Orang Asli was 141,230. Of these, 36.9% lived in remote villages, 62.4% on the outskirts of Malay villages and 0.7% in cities and suburbs. Thus, the majority of the indigenous population are in rural areas. Some of them make regular trips between their native villages and the cities where they work. Orang Asli do not show much desire to permanently settle in cities because of the high cost of living for them. In addition, they feel out of place in urban communities due to differences in education and socio-economic status, as well as language and racial barriers.

The location of Orang Asli villages largely determines their accessibility and, consequently, the level of state aid they receive, as well as the participation of indigenous peoples in the economic life of the country and the level of their income. As a result, residents of villages located in different areas differ in living standards.

Orang Asli is the poorest community in Malaysia. The poverty rate

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