New Perspectives and Research on Malaysian History

Writing on Orang Asli1 into Malaysian History

Writing on Orang Asli1 into Malaysian History Nik Haslinda Nik Hussain Introduction Malaysian historiography, since independence from colonial rule, has paid greater attention to local society, which previously had been a neglected subject. There clearly exists now a new perception of history. History, as an academic discipline, has become more inclusive than exclusive, and there is no limit to the questions that can be raised in Malaysian history. Of course, whether all questions can be answered depends largely on the material available to the historian. For this purpose, the history of Orang Asli, including its problems and challenges, needs to be examined in the context of the larger Malaysian historiography. This study calls for a new perspective of historical writing on Orang Asli by looking at their development in Malaysia from the end of the 19th century until the 1960’s. This paper briefly surveys the changes that have taken place in the Orang Asli’s lives, relationships, and contacts with other communities in the 11 peninsular states since British rule.2 The Orang Asli have endured slavery,3 economic exploitation, and forced conversion to new religions, as a result of their contacts with the outside world. Their 211 1 The Malaysian government prefers the Malay term “Orang Asli” (meaning ‘original people’) to the earlier colonial term “aborigine.” The latter, in common with other names formerly given to the Orang Asli, is considered to have derogatory connotations. See report in The Straits Time, June 10, 1967; Iskandar Carey, Orang Asli: The Aboriginal Tribes of Peninsular Malaysia, Oxford University Press, 1967: Iskandar Carey, The Orang Asli in Malaya, seed 2, (1), 1961; Federation of Malaya, “The Aboriginal Peoples Ordinance,” no. 3 of 1954, Kuala Lumpur: Government Printer; Ministry of the Interior, Statement of Policy Regarding The Administration of The Aborigine People of the Federation of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur; and P.D.R. Williams-Hunt, An Introduction to the Malayan Aborigines, Kuala Lumpur: Government Printer, 1961. 2 Statement of Policy Regarding the Administration of the Aborigine Peoples of the Federation of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur: Department of Information, Federation of Malaya, 1961; and Iskandar Yusof Carey, The Malayan Orang Asli and Their Future, Kuala Lumpur, 1961. 3 C.O 3285/2479. 03, Strait Settlements Correspondence Respecting Slavery in the Protected Malay States, 1882. relationship with government was initially established only on security grounds. The Malayan Emergency (1948-1960), which came about due to the communist insurrection, changed the offhand attitude of the government towards this group. Thereafter, the government made efforts to wean them from the communist insurgents and to expose them to modernization , so that they would come over to the government side. Thinking about, and writing Orang Asli history, leads us to a deeper and better understanding of their problems in Malaysia. They are a group in trouble. I fear that their problems will accelerate if we lose all humanistic perspectives and provide development which benefit only a few and adversely affect these original pribumi (sons of the soil) of Malaysia. Malaysia needs an Orang Asli history to fill a gap that will provide a more detailed and consistent picture of their social organization, economic activities, and religious beliefs and practices, than has so far been attempted. Such a history must try to give a general description of Orang Asli history from a socio-structural point of view. I would like to begin by discussing their marginalized role in recent years. In the history of the non-Malay indigenous peoples, the term “Orang Asli” has not been given due attention. Although it is used in the Malaysian Constitution, the real interpretation of the term ‘Orang Asli; is not easy. It is especially difficult to identify the “indigenous characteristics ” that uniquely differentiate them from the other indigenous groups. Even the varied Orang Asli groups and cultures are not uniform. In reality, their different social forms, languages, ecological environment, and customs, are more visible than the implicit uniformity of the term’s meaning. The term “Orang Asli” was not their choice, but one imposed upon them. In any in-depth analysis, one would find that there has never been any awareness within the Orang Asli that they desired the term “Orang Asli”. To the general public in Malaysia, the Orang Asli is usually pictured exclusively as jungle dwellers. This is not their true condition. Some 40 per cent of the Orang Asli in fact live in jungle fringes adjacent to Malay or Chinese villages, while only smaller groups live in deep jungles that...