The Senoi are a group of Malayan peoples classified among the Orang Asli as the indigenous peoples of the Peninsular of Malaya, Malaysia. They are the most numerous of the Orang Asli and widely distributed across the peninsula. The Senois speak various branches of Aslian languages, which in turn form a branch of Austroasiatic languages. Many of them are bilingual in the national language, Bahasa Melayu or Malay.
Tribal Groups
Senoi counts 54 of the total of Orang Asli in Malaya. The ethnic consists of six tribes such as below:
- Cheq Wong
- Mah Meri
- Jah Hut
- Semoq Beri
- Semai
- Temiar
They are closely related to the Semelai, one of the tribes classified under the Proto-Malays. Another smaller tribal group known as the Temoq people ceased to exist in the 1980s when the predecessor of JAKOA included them into the Semelai.
The criteria used to identify people as Senoi are inconsistent. This group usually includes tribes that speak Central Aslian languages and engage in slash-and-burn agriculture. These criteria are met by the Semai and Temiar people; two largest Senoi peoples. But the Senoi also include the Cheq Wong people, whose language is of the North Aslian languages group, the Jah Hut people whose language occupies a special place among the Aslian languages on its own, and the Semoq Beri people are speakers of the Southern Aslian languages. Culturally, the Senoi also include the Semelai and Temoq peoples, who are officially included in the Proto-Malays. At the same time, the Mah Meri people, who according to the official classification are considered to be Senoi, are engaged in agriculture and fishing and are culturally closer to the Malays. The last three peoples speak South Aslian languages.
In the past, there must have been other Senoi tribes. In the upper reaches of the Klau River, west of Mount Benum, the mysterious Beri Nyeg or Jo-Ben are mentioned, speaking a language quite closely related to the Jah Hut people were also reported. Several dialects associated with Besis (Mah Meri people) existed in the Kuala Lumpur area. Perhaps, there were other tribes speaking Southern Aslian languages and live in areas that currently inhabited by the Temuan and Jakun peoples, speakers of Austronesian languages.
Government development programmes are aimed at the rapid clearing of jungles on mountain slopes. As a result, modern areas of Senoi are becoming increasingly limited.
