Orang Asli means the native or aboriginal people of Malaya. It refers to indigenous and oldest inhabitants of Malaya or Peninsular Malaysia. According to Department of the Development of Indigenous People (JAKOA), officially there are 18 Orang Asli sub-ethnic groups, categorized according to their different languages and customs. They are divided into three major races.
- Negrito, generally confined to the northern of Malaya
- Senoi, living in the central region of Malaya
- Proto-Malaya, mostly living in southern and west coast of Malaya
The first two main races speak in Austroasiatic or Mon-Khmer languages inhabited Malaya long before others came. The Proto-Malays who speak Austronesian languages migrated to Malaya between 2,500 to 1,500 BC. The Proto-Malays were originally considered as Malays before reclassification as Orang Asli by the British colonial authorities due to the similarity of their socio-economic and lifestyles with the Senoi and Negrito races.
There are Orang Asli museums in Malacca and Gombak which is about 25 km north of Kuala Lumpur.
References
- Orang Asli Archives, Keene College, Antioch University, New England, the US (Online)
- Orang Asli Health and Well-Being, Webminar, Vivek Venkataraman, 10 November 2020, Session 1 (Youtube); Session 2 (Youtube)
- Orang Asli, Minority Rights Group International, UK (Online)
- Mohd Tan'im bin Tajuddin, A Visit to Temuan Villages, 22 December 2016 (Blogspot)
