Orang Asli: Difference between revisions

|rels = [[Animism]], [[Christianity]], [[Islam]], [[Baháʼí FaithHinduism]], [[Hinduism]] & [[Buddhism]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.data.gov.my/data/ms_MY/dataset/agama-yang-dianuti-oleh-masyarakat-orang-asli-mengikut-negeri/resource/8b8756f9-7ce0-4477-bbda-cb3eab952f5a | title=Statistik Agama Yang Dianuti Oleh Masyarakat Orang Asli Mengikut Negeri - Agama Masyarakat Orang Asli (November 2018) - MAMPU }}</ref>

|related = {{ubl|[[Malay people|Peninsula Malays]]|[[Maniq people|Maniq]] of southern [[Thailand]]|Akit, [[Orang Rimba people|Orang Rimba]], [[Batin people|Batin]], Bonai, Petalangan, Talang Mamak, and Sekak Bangka of [[Sumatera]], [[Indonesia]]}}}}

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{{Who|date=April 2024}} and their historical sidelining in social, economic, and cultural matters.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Center for Orang Asli Concerns |url=http://coac.org.my/main.php?section=about&page=about_index |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=coac.org.my}}</ref> 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.<ref name="TOAOPM">{{cite web|url=http://www.magickriver.net/oa.htm |title=The Orang Asli of Peninsula Malaysia |author=Colin Nicholas |publisher=Magick River |date=1997 |access-date=2016-12-22}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web|title=Malaysia - Orang Asli|url=http://minorityrights.org/minorities/orang-asli/|website=Minority Rights Group International|date=19 June 2015 |access-date=5 January 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Orang Asli in Malaysia.jpg|thumb|Orang Asli near [[Cameron Highlands]] playing a [[nose flute]].]]

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Center for Orang Asli Concerns |url=http://coac.org.my/main.php?section=about&article_id=3 |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=coac.org.my}}</ref> 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''.<ref name="OAIAET">{{cite web|publisher=Center for Orang Asli Concerns|author=Colin Nicholas|title='Orang Asli' is an English term|url=http://www.coac.org.my/main.php?section=about&article_id=3|date=27 January 1994|access-date=8 February 2021}}</ref> 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.<ref name="OAIAET"/><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Means |first=Gordon P. |date=1985 |title=The Orang Asli: Aboriginal Policies in Malaysia |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2758473 |journal=[[Pacific Affairs]] |volume=58 |issue=4 |pages=637–652 |doi=10.2307/2758473 |jstor=2758473 |issn=0030-851X}}</ref> During the [[Malayan Emergency]] in the 1950s [[Malayan National Liberation Army|Communist rebels]], seeking the support of the indigenous tribes, began referring to them as [[Orang Asal]], meaning "native people", from the Arabic word, ''{{Transliteration|ar|`asali''}} ({{Lang|ar|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.<ref name="OAIAET"/> The term was officially used in English, where it is identical in both the singular and the plural.<ref name="OAIAET"/> Despite its origin as an [[exonym]], the term was adopted by indigenous peoples themselves.

* [[Proto-Malay]] (or Aboriginal Malay), living in the southern region, were settled farmers, darklighter-skinned, of normal height, with straight hair.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Suku Kaum |url=https://www.jakoa.gov.my/orang-asli/suku-kaum/ |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=Laman Web Rasmi Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli |language=ms-MY}}</ref><ref name="DTRARPS">{{cite book|author=Alan G. Fix|editor=Kirk Endicott|title='Do They Represent a "Relict Population" Surviving from the Initial Dispersal of Modern Humans from Africa?' from Malaysia's "Original People"|year=2015|publisher=NUS Press|isbn=978-99-716-9861-4|pages=101–122}}</ref>

ThisThe divisionProto-Malays, doeswho notspeak claim[[Austronesian languages]], migrated to bethe scientificarea between 2000 and has1500&nbsp;BCE manyduring shortcomingsthe [[Austronesian expansion]].<ref name="DTRARPS"Along />with Thethe boundaries[[ethnic betweenMalay]]s, they originated from the groupsseaborne aremigration notof the [[Austronesian fixedpeoples]], andultimately mergefrom into each[[Aboriginal other,Taiwanese|Taiwan]]. It is believed that Proto-Malays were the first wave of [[Proto-Malayo-Polynesian]] speakers that settled Borneo and the Orangwestern Asli[[Sunda themselvesIslands]] useinitially, namesbut associateddidn't withpenetrate their[[Peninsula specificMalaysia]] areadue to preexisting populations of Austroasiatic speakers. Later Austronesian migrations from either western Borneo or bySumatra, asettled localthe termcoastal meaningareas 'humanof being'Peninsular Malaysia became the modern [[Malayic]]-speaking populations ("Deutero-Malays").<ref>{{Cite journal |last=ANDAYAAndaya |first=LEONARDLeonard Y. |title=Orang Asli and the Melayu in the History of the Malay Peninsula |date=2002 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41493461 |journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |volume=75 |issue=1 (282) |pages=23–4827 |jstor=41493461 |issn=0126-7353}}</ref> However, other authors have also concluded that there is no real distinction between Proto-Malays and Deutero-Malays, and both are descendants of a single migration event into Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and southern Vietnam from western Borneo, This migration diverged into the modern speakers of the [[Malayic]] and [[Chamic]] branches of the Austronesian language family.<ref name="Blust2019">{{cite journal |last1=Blust |first1=Robert |title=The Austronesian Homeland and Dispersal |journal=Annual Review of Linguistics |date=14 January 2019 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=417–434 |doi=10.1146/annurev-linguistics-011718-012440|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Semang are part of the earliest modern human migration that arrived Peninsular Malaysia 50 to 60 thousand years ago, while Senoi are part of Austroasiatic population that arrived Peninsular Malaysia 10 to 30 thousands year ago.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Norhalifah |first1=Hanim Kamis |last2=Syaza |first2=Fatnin Hisham |last3=Chambers |first3=Geoffrey Keith |last4=Edinur |first4=Hisham Atan |date=July 2016 |title=The genetic history of Peninsular Malaysia |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0378111916302566 |journal=Gene |language=en |volume=586 |issue=1 |pages=129–135 |doi=10.1016/j.gene.2016.04.008|pmid=27060406 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hoh |first1=Boon-Peng |last2=Deng |first2=Lian |last3=Xu |first3=Shuhua |date=2022-01-27 |title=The Peopling and Migration History of the Natives in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo: A Glimpse on the Studies Over the Past 100 years |journal=Frontiers in Genetics |volume=13 |page=767018 |doi=10.3389/fgene.2022.767018 |issn=1664-8021 |pmc=8829068 |pmid=35154269 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Some earlier hypotheses pointed out the Semang and Senoi as descendants of the [[Hoabinhian]] people,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=ANDAYA |first=LEONARD Y. |title=Orang Asli and the Melayu in the History of the Malay Peninsula |date=2002 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41493461 |journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |volume=75 |issue=1 (282) |pages=25–26 |jstor=41493461 |issn=0126-7353}}</ref> Further research showed Semang shared genetic drift with ancient genomes from Hoabinhian ancestry, suggesting that they are genetically closer to the ancestors of Hoabinhian hunter-gatherers who occupied northern parts of Peninsular Malaysia during the late Pleistocene.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=McColl |first1=Hugh |last2=Racimo |first2=Fernando |last3=Vinner |first3=Lasse |last4=Demeter |first4=Fabrice |last5=Gakuhari |first5=Takashi |last6=Moreno-Mayar |first6=J. Víctor |last7=van Driem |first7=George |last8=Gram Wilken |first8=Uffe |last9=Seguin-Orlando |first9=Andaine |last10=de la Fuente Castro |first10=Constanza |last11=Wasef |first11=Sally |last12=Shoocongdej |first12=Rasmi |last13=Souksavatdy |first13=Viengkeo |last14=Sayavongkhamdy |first14=Thongsa |last15=Saidin |first15=Mohd Mokhtar |date=2018-07-06 |title=The prehistoric peopling of Southeast Asia |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aat3628 |journal=Science |language=en |volume=361 |issue=6397 |pages=88–92 |doi=10.1126/science.aat3628 |pmid=29976827 |s2cid=206667111 |issn=0036-8075|hdl=10072/383365 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bellwood |first=Peter |title=Prehistory of the Indo-Malaysian Archipelago |date=March 2007 |publisher=ANU Press |doi=10.22459/pima.03.2007 |isbn=978-1-921313-11-0 |doi-access=free }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=ANDAYA |first=LEONARD Y. |title=Orang Asli and the Melayu in the History of the Malay Peninsula |date=2002 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41493461 |journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |volume=75 |issue=1 (282) |pages=27 |jstor=41493461 |issn=0126-7353}}</ref> The Proto-Malays were originally considered [[Malays (ethnic group)|ethnic Malay]], but reclassified arbitrarily 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 onlyOnly over time did indigenous peoples beganbegin to identify themselves under athe common name "Orang Asli" as a marker of collective identity as natives, distinct from the predominant ethnic groups more recently arrived to the peninsula.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=The Orang Asli of West Malaysia: An Update |author=Shuichi Nagata et Csilla Dallos |journal=Moussons |url=https://journals.openedition.org/moussons/3468 |date=April 2001 |issue=4 |pages=97–112 |access-date=2023-08-04 |publisher=Open Edition Journals|doi=10.4000/moussons.3468 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Orang Asli seldom associate themselves with the categories of "Negrito", "Senoi" and "Aboriginal Malays".<ref name="MOP1-38">{{cite book|author=Kirk Endicott|title=Malaysia's Original People: Past, Present and Future of the Orang Asli|year=2015|publisher=[[NUS Press]]|isbn=978-99-716-9861-4|pages=1–38|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=geXsCgAAQBAJ}}</ref><ref name="LOTP">{{cite book|author=Nobuta Toshihiro|title=Living On The Periphery: Development and Islamization Among the Orang Asli in Malaysia|year=2009|url=http://www.coac.org.my/dashboard/modules/cms/cms~file/93c38c2f6837049ec87607013c0c5404.pdf|publisher=Center for Orang Asli Concerns, Subang Jaya, Malaysia, 2009|isbn=978-983-43248-4-1|access-date=2021-02-09}}</ref>

The Orang Asli Negrito share a common genetic origin with [[East Asian people]], but botheach can be differentiated on a finer scale.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hoh |first1=Boon-Peng |last2=Deng |first2=Lian |last3=Xu |first3=Shuhua |date=2022 |title=The Peopling and Migration History of the Natives in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo: A Glimpse on the Studies Over the Past 100 years |journal=Frontiers in Genetics |volume=13 |page=767018 |doi=10.3389/fgene.2022.767018 |pmid=35154269 |pmc=8829068 |issn=1664-8021 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Physically, the Senois in general differ from the indigenous tribals in terms of being taller in height, and having much lighter skin colour, and wavy hair,. andThey theywere alsothought to have similar physical characteristics to the [[MongoloidsMongoloid]], (now a discredited racial term) and even the [[Dravidians]]. Just likeLike the Semang, they also speak [[Aslian languages]]. Many other SenoisSenoi are believed to be the resultdescendants of mixingunions of Negritos with migrants from [[Indochina]],<ref name=":0"/> probably [[Proto-Malay]]s.

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.<ref name="Nicholas"/><ref>{{cite web|author=Rohaida Nordin1;Nordin |author2=Matthew Albert Witbrodt; |author3=Muhamad Sayuti Hassan@Yahya |title=Paternalistic approach towards the Orang Asli in Malaysia: Tracing its origin and justifications|url=http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10311/1/6x.geografia-siupsi-mei16-Rohaida-edam1.pdf|publisher=Geographia |date=2016|access-date=2023-04-08}}</ref>

In the daily life of the Senoi people, the norms of [[customary law]]s are observed. Since the days of the colonial era, missionaries of world religions have been active among these jungle dwellers,. andNow nowsome therepeople among the tribes are adherents of [[Islam]], [[Christianity]], andor [[Baháʼí Faith]] among the Senoi tribes.<ref>{{cite book|author=Barbara A. West|title=Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania: M to Z|year=2009|publisher=Facts On File|isbn=978-0816071098|page=723}}</ref>

[[File:Image from page 214 of "Women of all nations, a record of their characteristics, habits, manners, customs and influence;" (1908).jpg|thumb|right|An [[Aboriginal Malay]] family in [[Selangor]], 1908.]]

[[Proto-Malay]]s, or Aboriginal Malays, are the second largest group of Orang Asli, their making up about 43%.<ref name="OIAC"/> 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 in the upper reaches of rivers and also along the coastal areas not pre-emptiedempted and taken over by the Malays.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Nicholas N. Dodge|title=The Malay-Aborigine Nexus Under Malay Rule|year=1981|journal=Anthropologica XXIII|volume=137 |issue=1 |pages=1–16 |publisher=Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde|jstor=27863343 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27863343}}</ref>

Their customs, culture and languages are very similar to the [[Malaysian Malays]]. They are similar to the Malays in appearance, havehaving 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.<ref>{{cite web|author=Alias Abd Ghani|title=The Teaching of indigenous Orang Asli language in Peninsular Malaysia|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/82128661.pdf|publisher=Science Direct |date=2014|access-date=2023-04-08|page=255}}</ref>

The group lumpsterm togethercovers tribes that are very distinct from each other. [[Temuan people]], for example, have a long tradition of agriculture. The [[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.<ref name="OAATBP"/><ref name="AGTASATL">{{cite book|author=Robert Parkin|title=A Guide to Austroasiatic Speakers and Their Languages|url=https://archive.org/details/guidetoaustroasi0000park|url-access=registration|year=1991|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=08-248-1377-4}}</ref>

The Aboriginal Malays are considered a race of people grouped within each smaller tribe of their own. inThese which has hitherto,had whollylong remained unaffected by foreign influences.<ref>{{cite book|author=William Harrison De Puy|title=The Encyclopædia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General Literature ; the R.S. Peale Reprint, with New Maps and Original American Articles, Volume 15|edition=9|year=1893|publisher=Werner Company|oclc=1127517776|page=324}}</ref> ItThe appearsAboriginal theMalays simplestare wayoften to distinguish the Aboriginal Malaysdistinguished from the Malaysian Malays is to point out thatbecause they are generally not Muslims. However,But 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-Malay]]s and Deutero-Malays. According to this theory, the Proto-Malays inhabited the islands of the [[Sunda Islands|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 [[Malaysian Siamese|Siamese people]], [[Javanese people]], Sumatrans, [[South Asian ethnic groups|Indian ethnic groups]], [[Thai people]], [[Persian people|Persian]], [[Arab]] and [[Malaysian Chinese|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.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

Malays make up just over 50% of Malaysia's population, followed by [[Malaysian Chinese|Chinese]] (24%), [[Malaysian Indians|Indians]] (7%) and the [[Orang Asal|indigenous of Sabah and Sarawak]] (11%), while the remaining of Orang Asli is only 0.7%.<ref name="EIAIR">{{cite journal|url=https://lr.law.qut.edu.au/article/view/562/563 |title=Ethnicity, Indigeneity And Indigenous Rights: The 'Orang Asli' Experience |author=Yogeswaran Subramaniam |journal=QUT Law Review |volume=15 |issue=1 |date=2015 |issn=2205-0507 |doi=10.5204/qutlr.v15i1.562 |access-date=2021-03-28 |pages=71–91|doi-access=free }}</ref> Their population is approximately 148,000.<ref name="OIAC"/> 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%.<ref name="OIAC"/> Thailand is home to roughly 600 Orang Asli, divided between ''Mani people'' with Thai citizenship, and 300 others in the deep south.<ref>{{cite web|author=Pranthong Jitcharoenkul|title=Indigenous people in Thailand's Deep South adapt to new lifestyle|url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/04/08/indigenous-people-in-thailands-deep-south-adapt-to-new-lifestyle.html|publisher=The Jakarta Post |date=8 April 2018|access-date=2021-03-28}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book|editor=Azizul Hassan; |editor2=Katia Iankova; |editor3=Rachel L'Abbe|title=Indigenous People and Economic Development|year=2016|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-13-171-1731-5|page=257}}</ref>

[[File:Korbu Asli Village.JPG|thumb|A typical Orang Asli [[stilt house]] in [[Ulu Kinta (federal constituency)|Ulu Kinta]], [[Perak]].]]

The Malaysian Government has undertaken various measures to eradicate the poverty level among the Orang Asli, many of them have been relocated from their nomadic and semi-nomadic dwelling to a permanent housing estate under the relocation program initiated by the government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utusan.com.my/berita/wilayah/negeri-sembilan/kerajaan-sedia-rumah-moden-orang-asli-1.337160 |title=Kerajaan sedia rumah moden Orang Asli |author=Haradian Shah Hamdan |publisher=Utusan Melayu |date=1 June 2016 |access-date=2017-11-23}}</ref> These settlements are equipped with modern amenities including electricity, running water and school. They were also awarded plots of [[palm oil]] land to be cultivated and as a source of income.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mstar.com.my/artikel/?file=/2009/10/5/mstar_manusia_peristiwa/20091005145920 |title=Pembalakan ancam kehidupan moden orang asli Sungai Rual |publisher=mStar |date=5 October 2009 |access-date=2017-11-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021195944/http://www.mstar.com.my/artikel/?file=%2F2009%2F10%2F5%2Fmstar_manusia_peristiwa%2F20091005145920 |archive-date=21 October 2016 }}</ref> Other programmes initiated by the government includes various special scholarship for the Orang Asli children for their studies and entrepreneurship courses, training and monetary funds for Orang Asli adult.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jakoa.gov.my/orang-asli/pendidikan/program-bantuan-pendidikan/ |title=Program Bantuan Pendidikan |publisher=JAKOA |access-date=2017-11-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jakoa.gov.my/orang-awam/usahawan-orang-asli/ |title=Usahawan |publisher=JAKOA |access-date=2017-11-23}}</ref> The Malaysian Government aims to increase the monthly household income for Orang Asli from RM 1,200.00 per-month in 2010 to RM 2,500.00 by year 2015.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"</ref>

[[File:Paganracesofmala01skea 0446.jpg|thumb|upright|A map showing the distribution of the indigenous Orang Asli of Malay Peninsula by language branch.]]

According to Geoffrey Benjamin,<ref name="TALOMAT">{{cite journal|url=http://www.elpublishing.org/docs/1/11/ldd11_06.pdf |title=The Aslian languages of Malaysia and Thailand: an assessment |author=Geoffrey Benjamin |editor=Stuart McGill & Peter K. Austin |journal=Language Documentation and Description |volume=11 |issue= |publisher=SOAS |date=2012 |issn=1740-6234 |doi= |access-date=2021-03-28 |pages=136–230}}</ref> a leading specialist in the study of [[Aslian languages]] and project ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World (20th edition, 2017)'' classifies the 18 Orang Asli tribes of [[Peninsular Malaysia]] linguistically as the following:-

[[File:NegritoToOthers003.gif|thumb|right|Location of Orang Asli groups, and the evolution and assimilation of settlers on the Malay Peninsula.]]

According to [[Glottochronology]] data, speakers of [[Aslian languages]] appeared in the Malay Peninsula, dating from about 3,800 to 3,700 years ago.<ref name="TALOMAT"/> This is consistent with the peninsula ceramic tradition of [[Ban Kao]] from [[Central Thailand]]. During 2,800-2800–2,400 years ago, the differentiation of the [[North Aslian language]], [[Central Aslian languages]] and [[Southern Aslian languages]] began to develop.<ref name="TALOMAT"/>

Some groups of the [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesian speakers]] began to arrive in the Malay Peninsula, probably from Kalimantan and Sumatra, in 1000 BC&nbsp;BCE.<ref name="MOP1-38"/> According to linguists, some of these early non-Malay arrivals are of [[Malayo-Polynesian peoples]].<ref name="HHATOAISA"/> These [[Proto-Malay]] tribes inhabited mostly small, geographically divided groups along the coast and along rivers, while the inner jungle areas remained entirely with the native population. Each group of [[Proto-Malay]]sMalays developed their local character, adapting to specific local conditions.<ref name="HHATOAISA"/> The Southern Aslian speakers had the greatest contact with the newer population. It is believed that the ancestors of [[Jakun people]] and [[Temuan people]] who now speak [[Malay language]], were native speakers of Aslian in the past.<ref name="TALOMAT"/>

The Orang Asli kept to themselves until the first traders from [[India]] arrived in the first millennium of the [[Common eraEra]].<ref name=iias>{{cite web|author=Gomes, Alberto G.|url=http://www.iias.nl/nl/35/IIAS_NL35_10.pdf|title=The Orang Asli of Malaysia|publisher=International Institute for Asian Studies|access-date=2 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130412152950/http://www.iias.nl/nl/35/IIAS_NL35_10.pdf|archive-date=12 April 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Maritime trade routes brought traders from India, China, the [[Mon kingdoms]] located in modern-day [[Myanmar]], and later from the [[Khmer Empire]] of Angkor, in search of local produce. Those living in the interior bartered inland products like resins, incense woods, and feathers for salt, cloth, and iron tools. From about 500 &nbsp;BCE, on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula and on either side of the [[Kra Isthmus]], traders established their settlements, some of which later grew into large trading ports. At that time [[Kedah]], in particular, was becoming an important center of international trade.<ref>{{cite book|contribution=Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Malaysian Branch|title=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society: Volume 75, Issue 1|year=2002|publisher=The Branch|isbn=|page=29}}</ref>

The development of the slave trade in the region was a powerful factor influencing the fate of the Orang Asli. The enslavement of [[Negrito]] tribes commenced as early as 724 &nbsp;CE, during the early contact of the Malay [[Srivijaya]] empire. [[Negrito]] pygmies from the southern jungles were enslaved, with some being exploited until modern times.<ref>{{cite book|title=Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America|volume=17-19|publisher=[[Chinese Art Society of America]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0ExAQAAIAAJ|year=1963|page=55}}</ref> Because Islam prohibited taking Muslims as slaves,<ref>{{CiteHadith|bukhari|148||s=ya|b=yl}}</ref> slave hunters focused their capture on the Orang Asli explaining the Malay use ''sakai'' to mean "slaves" with its present derogatory connotation. In the early 16th century [[Aceh Sultanate]], located in the north of the island of Sumatra, equipped special expeditions to capture slaves in the Malay Peninsula, and Malacca was at that time the largest center of the slave trade in the region. Raids on slaves in the villages of Orang Asli were common in the 18th and 19th centuries. During this time, Orang Asli groups suffered raids by the Minangkabau and [[Batak]] forces who perceived them to be of lower in status. Orang Asli settlements were sacked, with adult males being systematically executed while women and children were taken captive and sold into slavery.<ref name="TOAOPM"/><ref name="auto"/> ''Hamba abdi'' (meaning, bondslaves) formed the labour force both in the cities and in the households of chiefs and sultans. They could be servants and concubines of a rich master, and slaves also did labour work in commercial ports.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nYIuAQAAIAAJ|title=Malaysia in History|volume=25-28|author=Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia|publisher=[[Malaysian Historical Society]]|year=1982}}</ref>

[[File:Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula (1906) (14779130654).jpg|thumb|right|The Orang Asli of [[Hulu Langat]] in 1906.]]

The new situation prompted many Orang Asli to migrate further inland to avoid contact with outsiders. These other smaller, closely related tribes; often located further inland compared to their coastal Malayised cousins, managed to be spared from the Malayisation process due to their secluded geographical location and nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyle, hence preserving and developing their own endemic language, customs and pagan rituals.<ref name="BOA">{{cite web|url=https://www.hmetro.com.my/utama/2017/07/247000/bermoyang-orang-asli |title=Bermoyang Orang Asli |author=Idris Musa |publisher=Harian Metro |date=23 July 2017 |access-date=2017-11-23}}</ref><ref name="BMKOAA">{{cite web|url=http://www.utusan.com.my/berita/nasional/bangsa-melayu-keturunan-orang-asli-asal-1.81424 |title=Bangsa Melayu keturunan Orang Asli Asal |publisher=Utusan Melayu |date=16 April 2015 |access-date=2017-11-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Rahimah A. Hamid, |author2=Mohd Kipli Abdul Rahman & |author3=Nazarudin Zainun|title=Kearifan Tempatan: Pengalaman Nusantara: Jilid 3 - Meneliti Khazanah Sastera, Bahasa dan Ilmu|year=2013|publisher=Penerbit USM|isbn=978-98-386-1672-0}}</ref> As the Malays advanced into the country, the Orang Asli slowly retreated further and further, concentrating mainly in the foothills and mountains. They were fragmented into small isolated tribal groups that occupied certain ecological niches, such as the river valley and had limited contact with neighbouring outsiders. Malay settlements were usually located on the coast or along rivers, as the Malays rarely crossed into the interior jungles. Nevertheless, some Orang Asli groups not completely isolated from their Malayalised brothers engaged in trade with the Malays.<ref name= "BMKOAA"/> A minority of Orang Asli rejected assimilation including the indigenous tribes of the Malay Peninsula as well as the [[Orang Kanaq]] or the [[Orang Seletar]] who refused Islam.<ref name="LOTP"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Amran Kasimin|title=Religion and social change among the indigenous people of the Malay Peninsula|year=1991|publisher=Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia|isbn=978-98-362-2265-7|page=111}}</ref>

Finally, an attempt was made to legislate to protect the indigenous population, the Aboriginal Peoples Ordinance resolution was enacted in 1954; which, with some modifications, still operates today. Thus, the circumstances of the State of Emergency had brought the Orang Asli out of isolation.<ref>{{cite book|author=Colin Nicholas; |author2=Tijah Yok Chopil; |author3=Tiah Sabak|title=Orang Asli Women and the Forest: The Impact of Resource Depletion on Gender Relations Among the Semai|year=2003|publisher=Center for Orang Asli Concerns|isbn=978-98-340-0424-8|page=11}}</ref>

In the late 1960s, the [[Malayan Communist Party]] resumed its armed struggle and began the so-called [[Second Malayan Emergency]] (1968–891968–1989). Again, the main rebel bases located in the inner jungle areas drew government attention to the Orang Asli as a likely ally of the rebels. A military decision was made to physically remove the Orang Asli from their traditional environment. In 1977 a new project for the resettlement of indigenous people was presented, and it was now called the Regroupment Schemes (''Rancangan Pengumpulan Semula'', RPS). Given the mistakes of the past, the process of "regrouping" also involved the implementation of development programmes, and the regrouping schemes themselves were created within the customary lands of the respective Orang Asli communities or close to them. In addition to the provision of medical and educational services, the participants in the schemes were provided with permanent land plots for housing construction and homesteading. They were also involved in one form or another in income-generating activities, mainly the cultivation of commercial crops such as rubber and oil palm.<ref>{{cite book|editor=Mike Parnwell & Victor T. King|title=Margins and Minorities: The Peripheral Areas and Peoples of Malaysia|year=1990|publisher=Hull University Press|isbn=978-08-595-8490-6|page=100}}</ref>

[[File:Orang Asli.jpg|thumb|right|An Orang Asli man and a boy, indoors.]]

Traditional Orang Asli religions consist of complex systems of beliefs and worldviews that give these people the concept of the meaning of the world, the meaning of human life, and the moral code of conduct. Orang Asli is traditionally [[animism|animists]], where they believe in the presence of spirits in various objects.<ref name="adherents">{{cite web|publisherwebsite=Adherents.com|title=Orang Asli|access-date=12 February 2008|url=http://www.adherents.com/adhloc/Wh_193.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010305094917/http://www.adherents.com/adhloc/Wh_193.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=5 March 2001}}</ref> It allows the indigenous people to be in constant harmony with the natural environment. Most Orang Asli believes that the universe consists of three worlds, namely the celestial upper world, the terrestrial middle world, and the subterranean lower world. All three worlds are inhabited by various supernatural beings (spirits, ghosts, deities), which can be both helpful and harmful to humans. Some of these supernatural beings are individualised entities that have their own names and are associated with specific natural phenomena, such as thunderstorms, floods, or fruit ripening. Most Orang Asli believes in the "God of Thunder", who will punish people by sending them a terrible storm.

[[File:Indigenous people of Malaysia, Orang Asli.jpg|thumb|right|An Orang Asli woman and a child indoors.]]

The Aboriginal Peoples Act is the only law that specifically applies to the Orang Asli.<ref name="OARPS">{{cite book|author=Colin Nicholas |title= Orang Asli: Right, Problems & Solutions |url=http://www.coac.org.my/dashboard/modules/cms/cms~file/6a54e49eb50bf6af44f31ab443fb82a2.pdf|publisher=Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia (SUHAKAM), Center for Orang Asli Concerns |date=2010 |isbn=978-983-2523-65-9 |access-date=2021-04-10}}</ref> It defines and describes in detail the terms and concepts for recognising the status of Orang Asli communities. Legally, Orang Asli is defined as members of an indigenous ethnic group who are of such origin or who have been admitted into the community by adoption, or they are children from mixed marriages with the indigenous, provided that they speak the indigenous language and follow the way of life, customs and beliefs of the indigenous people. Preservation of the traditional way of life involves the reservation of land for the Orang Asli. Legislation of such matters concerning the Orang Asli is the National Land Code 1965, Land Conservation Act 1960, Protection of Wildlife Act 1972, National Parks Act 1980, and most importantly the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954. The Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 provides for the setting up and establishment of the Orang Asli Reserve Land. However, the Act also includes the power according to the Director-General of the JHEOA to order Orang Asli out of such reserved land at its discretion, and award compensation to affected people, also at its discretion.<ref name=coacland>{{cite web|publisher=Center for Orang Asli Concerns|url=http://www.coac.org.my/codenavia/portals/coacv2/code/main/main_art.php?parentID=11400226426398&artID=11475792539604|title=The Law on Natural Resource Management|access-date=2 February 2008}}</ref> The state government may also revoke the reserve status of these lands at any time, and the Orang Asli will have to relocate, and even in the event of such relocation, the state government is not obliged to pay any compensation or allocate an alternative site to the affected Orang Asli victims. A landmark case on this matter is in the 2002 case of [[Sagong Tasi|''Sagong bin Tasi & Ors v Kerajaan Negeri Selangor'']]. The case was concerned with the state government using its powers conferred under the 1954 Act to evict Orang Asli from gazetted Orang Asli Reserve Land. The [[High Courts of Malaysia|High Court]] ruled in favour of Sagong Tasi, who represented the Orang Asli, and this decision was upheld by the [[Court of Appeal (Malaysia)|Court of Appeal]].<ref name="coacland" /> Nevertheless, customary land disputes between Orang Asli and the state government still occurs from time to time. In 2016, the Kelantan state government was sued due to a dispute over land by Orang Asli.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/343518 |title=Temiar Orang Asli get day in court against Kelantan gov't |author=Alyaa Azhar |publisher=Malaysia Kini |date=30 May 2016 |access-date=2016-12-22}}</ref>

The department has broad powers, including controlling the entry of outsiders into the areas of Orang Asli settlements, the appointment and dismissal of village heads (''batins''), the ban on planting any specific plants on Orang Asli lands, the issuance of permits for deforestation, jungle harvesting produce, hunting in traditional areas of Orang Asli, as well as determining the conditions under which Orang Asli can be hired.<ref name="Nicholas"/> When appointing village elders, JAKOA focuses primarily on the candidate's knowledge of the Malay language and his ability to follow instructions. The final decision in all matters concerning the Orang Asli are decided by the authorized state official, the General Director of JAKOA.<ref name="OARPS"/> The department is the de facto "landowner" of the Orang Asli territories, it also shapes the general decisions of the communities, and essentially effectively keeps the Orang Asli in the status of its "children", acting as their state guardian infantilising them in ways not applied to the Malays or natives in [[Sabah]] and [[Sarawak]].<ref name="EIAIR"/>

In the early 1970s, the government began to introduce [[Malaysian New Economic Policy|New Economic Policy (NEP)]], as part of which created a new class of people "''[[Bumiputera (Malaysia)|bumiputera]]''", "princesons of the landsoil". The Orang Asli are classified as ''[[Bumiputera (Malaysia)|bumiputera]]''s,<ref name=bumi>{{cite web|author=Colin Nicholas|title=Orang Asli and the Bumiputra policy|url=http://www.coac.org.my/codenavia/portals/coacv2/code/main/main_art.php?parentID=11400226426398&artID=11397894520274|publisher=Center for Orang Asli Concerns|access-date=2021-08-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209191848/http://www.coac.org.my/codenavia/portals/coacv2/code/main/main_art.php?parentID=11400226426398&artID=11397894520274|archive-date=2012-02-09|url-status=dead}}</ref> a status signifying indigeneity to Malaysia which carries certain social, economic, and political rights, along with the [[Malaysian Malays|Malays]] and the natives of [[Sabah]] and [[Sarawak]]. Based on their initial presence on this land, the ''bumiputera'' received economic and political advantages over other non-native groups. In addition to special economic "rights", the ''bumiputera'' enjoy the support of the state government in terms of the development of their religion, culture, language, preferences in the field of education, and in holding positions in government and government agencies. However, this status is generally not mentioned in the constitution.<ref name=bumi/> In reality, ''bumiputera'' as a form of [[Malay supremacy]] policy is used as a political means for the furtherance of the political dominance of the Malay community in the country. The indigenous people of East Malaysia Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia are practically perceived as "lower ''bumiputera''" ''[[pribumi]]''s, and as for the Orang Asli in particular, the Federal Constitution does not even mention them under the label "''bumiputera''". The status of a ''bumiputera'' has little or no benefit to most Orang Asli. They continue to be a dependent ([[Ward (law)|ward]]) category of the population.

[[File:Orangaslifirestarter.jpg|thumb|right|An Orang Asli in [[Taman Negara]] starting a fire using traditional method.]]

Since independence in 1957, the Malaysian government has begun to develop comprehensive Orang Asli community development programmes. The first stage, designed for the period 1954-19781954–1978, focused on security aspects and aimed to protect the Orang Asli from the influence of the communists. In the second phase, which began in the late 1970s, the government began to focus on the socio-economic development of the Orang Asli communities.

[[File:Malaysian Aboriginal People (6276485835).jpg|thumb|right|Malaysians, including Orang Asli, protesting against the Australian [[rare-earth]]s mining company [[Lynas]] from operating in [[Malaysia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.malaysia-today.net/lynas-and-the-malaysian-green-movement-kua-kia-soong/ |title=Lynas And The Malaysian Green Movement — Kua Kia Soong |author=Aurora |publisher=Malaysia Today |date=10 October 2011 |access-date=2018-01-23}}</ref>]]

Under the 1954 Aboriginal Peoples Act, the Malaysian government can "degazette" the land of the Orang Asli at any time, which has no obligation to give fair compensation. In 2013 the Malaysian state attempted to weaken this legislation, which would have cost the Orang Asli 645,000 hectares of their ancestral land. The Orang Asli are frequently targeted by the Malaysian state for conversion to Islam and assimilation by the bhumiputra. In the state of Kelantan, Malay Muslim men were paid 10,000 [[ringgit]], or about US$2,200 USD in 2022, to marry an Orang Asli woman.<ref name="TOAOPM"/><ref name="auto"/>

* {{cite book |author=Benjamin, Geoffrey |editor=Karl L. Hutterer, |editor2=A. Terry Rambo & |editor3=George Lovelace |date=1985 |titlechapter=In the long term: three themes in Malayan cultural ecology |journaltitle=Cultural Values and Human Ecology in Southeast Asia |pages=219–278 |publisher=Ann Arbor MI: Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of Michigan |doi=10.13140/RG.2.1.3378.1285 |isbn=978-0-891-48040-2}}

* {{cite book |author=Benjamin, Geoffrey |editor=Ooi Keat Gin |date=2013 |titlechapter=Orang Asli |journaltitle=Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia from Angkor Wat to East Timor |volume=2 |pages=997–1000 |publisherplace=Santa Barbara CA: |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-576-07770-2}}