Temoq people belong to the

Proto-Malay The term Proto-Malay, which translates to ''Melayu Asli'' (aboriginal Malay) or ''Melayu Purba'' (ancient Malay) or ''Melayu Tua'' (old Malay), refers to Austronesian speakers, possibly from mainland Asia, who moved to the Malay peninsula and ...

of the

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 ...

ethnic group that are found in

Pahang Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Settlement area

The Temoq people that are officially recognized are known to settle in two

kampung A kampong (''kampung'' in Malay and Indonesian) is the term for a village in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and a "port" in Cambodia. The term applies to traditional villages, especially of the indigenous people, and has also been used ...

s; on the eastern side of

Tasik Bera Bera Lake (Malay: ''Tasik Bera''; Chinese: 百乐湖) is a natural freshwater lake system, located in Bera District, Pahang, Malaysia in the saddle of the main and eastern mountain ranges of Peninsular Malaysia, extending 35 km long and 20&n ...

and on the southern side of

Tasik Chini Chini Lake, better known locally as Tasik Chini, is a lake in Pekan District, Pahang, Malaysia. The lake shores are inhabited by the Jakun branch of the Orang Asli. The Tasik Chini is the second largest fresh water lake in Peninsular Malaysia a ...

, in between the settlements of the

Jakun people Jakun people or Orang Ulu/Orang Hulu (meaning "people of the upstream") are an ethnic group recognised as Orang Asli (indigenous people) of the Malay Peninsula in Malaysia. The Malaysian government recognises 18 different sub-groups of Orang ...

and the Semelai people.

Population

The dynamics of the Temoq population are as the following:- Due to their small population, they have been declared extinct several times by the government by simply absorbing them into other neighbouring

groups such as the

in 1974, 1980 and 1996, and with the Semelai people in 2010 for census and administrative purposes.

Origins

There are two versions on the origins of the Temoq people:- * The Jakun narrative identifies the Temoq people were once part of the

. * The Semelai narrative are slightly different from the Jakun's version, but the Semelai people (who practices circumcision) uses the

Semaq Beri people Semaq Beri or Semoq Beri people are the native Orang Asli people belonging to the Senoi branch, who live in the states of Pahang and Terengganu in peninsular Malaysia. The Semaq Beri language is a language spoken by the people, is an Austroasiatic ...

and Temoq people as an alternative reference to

unlike the

who do not. The Semelai people regard the Temoq people as the original inhabitants of

Language

The language of the Temoq and Semelai people are of the

Austroasiatic languages The Austroasiatic languages , , are a large language family in Mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. These languages are scattered throughout parts of Thailand, Laos, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and southern China and are t ...

family, which is different from the Malayic languages of the Austronesian languages family. Generally

Malay language Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Rejang script, Rencong: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spo ...

is frequently used along with

Semelai language Semelai is an Austroasiatic language spoken in the Malay Peninsula. It belongs to the Southern branch of the Aslian language subgrouping. The Semelai reside predominantly around the Bera, Serting and associated river systems in the states of ...

among the western Temoq people, while

Jakun language Jakun is an Austronesian language, perhaps a dialect of Malay, spoken in Malaysia. Specifically it is spoken on the east coast and inland of Peninsular Malaysia, around the Pairang River, from Pekan in Pahang to Sri Gading, east to Benut, north ...

with the eastern Temoq people although they still know

Temoq language Temoq is a severely endangered Austroasiatic language spoken in the state of Pahang in the Malay Peninsula. Temoq belongs to the Southern branch of the Aslian languages The Aslian languages () are the southernmost branch of Austroasiatic lang ...

Lifestyle

The Temoq people practice ownership of properties at the individual level. Their main sources of income include agriculture, fishing and hunting.

References

Indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia Ethnic groups in Malaysia Orang Asli {{Malaysia-stub