Recognise, protect Orang Asli, First Nations peoples

The Department of Orang Asli Development, must do more to safeguard the sovereignty of ancestral lands and preserve the cultural heritage that sustains the Orang Asli's traditional way of life.

Throughout history, indigenous First Nations peoples have been exploited, conquered, dispossessed of their lands, exiled or subjected to ethnic cleansing. They have suffered the same fate – deprived of their rights, humiliated, dehumanised and, in many cases, slaughtered.

Such was the fate of the American Indians in North and South America at the hands of European settlers, particularly the British, French, Dutch and Spanish, who committed genocide against indigenous peoples. Nearly 90 per cent of the estimated 500 tribes were wiped out through killings, infectious diseases and the seizure of their lands, while survivors were confined to reservations.

A similar fate befell Australia’s Aboriginal peoples, the country’s First Nations, whose ancestors arrived on the continent between 50,000 and 65,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. Some 600 tribes spoke about 250 languages and, before British colonisation in 1788, their population was estimated at up to three million.

Their numbers declined sharply because of massacres and infectious diseases brought by British settlers. They were stripped of their ancestral lands, denied their rights as the land’s original custodians and forced into subservience. Many continue to live in poverty and marginalisation today. Even now, some Australian politicians, including Pauline Hanson, refuse to recognise indigenous rights.

Like the United States and Canada, where Native American children were forcibly removed from their families and placed in boarding schools to erase their heritage and culture, Australia pursued a similar policy. Between 1910 and 1970, Aboriginal children were forcibly taken from their families to assimilate them into white society. They were forbidden from speaking their languages or maintaining contact with their families – a systematic breach of the international prohibition against genocide.

The latest and most prominent example of the suffering inflicted on First Nations peoples is the plight of the Palestinians. They have been subjected to ethnic cleansing through killings, starvation and widespread bombardment that has reduced Gaza to rubble. Palestinians have been displaced while Jewish settlements have been established on their land. Since Israel’s establishment, numerous massacres of civilians have been reported. Many Western nations have not only failed to intervene but have also supplied Israel with arms.

Malaysia’s Orang Asli have suffered a different, though no less troubling, fate. While they have largely been spared the violence experienced by other First Nations peoples, many have been left to fend for themselves with limited government intervention. At the same time, their ancestral lands have allegedly been encroached upon by state authorities, politicians and corporate interests, with forests converted into plantations, orchards and mining areas despite communities having lived there for centuries.

The Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia are descendants of the Proto Malays (Melayu Asli, Melayu Purwa or Melayu Tua) and Deutero Malays, who migrated from mainland Asia to the Malay Peninsula and the Malay Archipelago between 2500BC and 500BC. The Deutero Malays arrived about a thousand years later, around 300BC, pushing the Proto Malays further inland.

The Orang Asli comprise 18 tribes grouped into three ethnic categories – Semang (Negrito), Senoi and Proto Malays. The Proto Malays include the Jakun, Kanaq, Orang Laut, Orang Kuala, Orang Seletar, Orang Semalai, Orang Temoq and Orang Temiar.

The Senoi form the largest Orang Asli group. Also known as Sakai, those living in the central region are referred to as Mai Darat. The broader Senoi category includes the Semai, Temiar, Cheq Wong, Jah Hut, Semang Beri, Semalai, Temoq and Mah Meri.

The Cheq Wong, who are semi-Negritos, live in remote parts of western Pahang. The Temiar are the second-largest Senoi community and are found in the forests of southern Kelantan and north-eastern Perak. The Semai, the largest Orang Asli tribe, live in southern Perak, north-western Pahang and parts of Selangor. The Batek, who belong to the Semang group, are nomadic hunters and gatherers.

Most Orang Asli communities derive their livelihoods from the forests and rivers, living sustainably by taking only what they need without destroying the ecosystem on which they depend. Their beliefs and rituals reflect a close relationship with nature, drawing food, shelter, medicinal herbs and materials for crafts from their surroundings while showing deep respect for the flora and fauna.

Even their practice of slash-and-burn shifting cultivation is carried out in a way that allows forests to regenerate without causing irreversible damage. Their philosophy of life is rooted in simplicity, sustainability and minimal waste.

The government’s efforts to assimilate Orang Asli communities into mainstream society through permanent settlements have often proved counterproductive, particularly for those who continue to live deep in forests or on mountain slopes. Many struggle to adapt to an unfamiliar way of life, causing mental and physical distress as they try to adjust to an environment that conflicts with their customs, values and traditions.

A case in point is the Orang Asli settlement in Taman Negara, Pahang, along the main river, where simple huts have been built for the community. Most of the time, however, these huts are empty because many of the Semai prefer living in the forest. They return mainly for official dealings with the Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa), which oversees their affairs.

In contrast, Orang Asli communities living on the fringes of rural areas are more easily assimilated into the wider society. Through the trade of forest produce such as herbs, honey, jungle fruits and handicrafts, they have established close ties with neighbouring Malay communities. These communities are permanently settled and their children attend national schools.

The authorities must also recognise the risks of assimilating the Orang Asli into the modern way of life, including formal education and permanent settlements. While such policies are often justified as efforts to lift them out of poverty and improve their standard of living, they also risk eroding the Orang Asli’s identity, much as the American Indians lost the freedom to practise their religion, speak their languages and claim their ancestral lands. In the process, Malaysia could lose an invaluable part of its cultural heritage.

The Orang Asli remain a marginalised community, largely outside the mainstream of national development, not because of deliberate government policy but because of their traditional lifestyle and close relationship with the natural environment.

This presents a dilemma. On the one hand, the government seeks to improve their socio-economic wellbeing, which inevitably involves greater assimilation into mainstream society. On the other, doing so risks changing their identity and exposing them to mental and physical hardship as they adapt to an unfamiliar way of life.

If Malaysia is to preserve the Orang Asli’s cultural heritage, which forms an important part of the country’s rich human history, the authorities must respect their ancestral lands and allow them to continue living according to their traditions.

The greater threat comes from those who exploit and desecrate Orang Asli lands in the name of development. For years, indigenous communities have protested against logging and mining activities that threaten their ancestral territories, often alleging collusion between companies, politicians and vested interests.

A recent example was the protest by more than 1,000 Orang Asli earlier this month against Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, whose ministry oversees Jakoa. The protesters demanded recognition of their customary land rights, an end to evictions and development on their ancestral territories, and for their free, prior and informed consent to be obtained before any development projects are approved.

It was also reported that on May 4, workers from a private company demolished homes belonging to the Jakun Orang Asli community in Kampung Sungai Baru, Pekan, Pahang, using heavy machinery. A lawyer representing the community alleged that the demolition was carried out without prior notice, resulting in the destruction of six homes and a community hall. He further claimed the community had lived on the land for generations before it was leased by the Pahang government to a palm oil company.

These incidents point to Jakoa’s failure to fulfil its responsibility to protect Orang Asli ancestral lands and safeguard the wellbeing of indigenous communities. The authorities in Pahang have violated the Orang Asli’s customary land rights and undermined their livelihoods.

To ensure the survival of the Orang Asli as an integral part of Malaysia’s ancient Malay lineage and heritage, tracing back to the Proto and Deutero Malays, the government, through Jakoa, must recognise and safeguard their ancestral lands while preserving the cultural heritage and traditions that sustain their way of life.

The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the writer and do not represent that of Twentytwo13.