Malaysian Aboriginals

Ever thought of Orang Asli or Malaysian Aboriginals?

Until recently, I thought Orang Asli are bumiputras such as Kadazandusuns, Iban, Bajaus, Bidayuh, but not Malays. Sometimes, I even use the terms interchangeably. My mom always gave me a weird look when I talk about my 'Orang Asli' friends from university.

When I went to Taman Negara a while back, I was cleared of my misconceptions. Orang Asli are not the ethnic groups from Sabah/Sarawak. They are Orang Asli, another ethnic group on its own. How come I never knew that? Either I have studied it in Sejarah but don't remember it (Hey, who else remembered the contents of Wawasas 2020 which I tried to etch it into my mind the night before SPM paper? I don't. None of it. Conclusion: No one remembers what is mentioned in sejarah textbook.) or it is not mentioned in our history syllabus. If it is the latter, I am really pissed off because as the first settlers of peninsula Malaysia, shouldn't they provide more weight to our history textbook?

Now I know Orang Asli are bumiputras, I know they have the same rights as Malays and the East Malaysian ethnic groups. But when you see their lifestyle, you cringe and wonder: If Malaysia is as prosperous as our politicians say, such that they can even pinch a bit of our prosperity occasionally, why the heck aren't the Orang Asli prospering as well? A 1997 research showed that 80% of Orang Asli live below the poverty line. When I visited the Orang Asli settlement, I doubt that the number has changed much. Probably the percentage of poverty has reduced but not much.

Let's talk about the settlement. They still live in houses hand built from dried leafs and gathered wood, probably rattan (They don't build proper houses. Once someone in their village dies, they will shift somewhere else and build houses at another site. They are nomads). The kids run around unsupervised. There are trash everywhere. EVERYWHERE. It was heartbreaking and such a disgusting sight to behold. The people? They are great and willing to help. The children wear clothes which was probably given to them by visitors. The men are curious and the women are shy. The kids are super duper cute. AAAANNNNND, the most surprising thing about them (To me at least):

They look like black people (Or it's cruder synonym: Negros)

Apparently they are related to the ethnic people of Papua New Guinea. You know, the ones who are black but has blonde hair? See! I know about the ethnics of Papua but I don't even know about Malaysian Orang Asli! Is there something wrong with the way I read, i.e. too much Western publications? But seriously, I don't think there is much publications about our Orang Asli pun. They need a better AJK Publicity (Hoi Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli, publisiti baik sikit boleh tak?)

Oh PS: Orang Asli are related to the ethnic groups of Papua New Guinea. They travelled here and became the first settlers of this peninsula :)

Seriously, this fact has surprised me so much when I first stepped into the settlement. BLACK PEOPLE!? BLACK PEOPLE HERE IN MALAYSIA?! Well, now I know. They are not 'Black people' but Orang Asli.

My dad asked a really good question when our guide told us the Orang Asli didn't want to leave their nomadic lifestyle eventhough after government's persuasion. 'You sure they didn't want to leave or are you sure our government asked?' I actually don't doubt that the government tried to ask the tribes to live a more modern lifestyle but are they convincing enough? Did they show them how the world is now? Open up their eyes to the 21st century? Maybe they didn't, that's why they are stuck in an era, centuries past. Or maybe they did, but they are just reluctant to leave their traditional lifestyle (My dad's other question as a response to this: You sure? You sure they want to live like this?). Either way, it is something to think about.

We had a walk around the settlement on our own. Then I saw something that was really... Sigh. We saw a little boy, 3-4 years old. With kwashiorkor. KWASHIORKOR in Malaysia. We always see that when we they show posters of malnourished children in Africa but this is in Malaysia. The kid was climbing around on the dirt, the dad beside him but wasn't taking notice of him. Then the kid just dug his hand into the dirt and gobbled down the dirt. Oh my gosh. Eating dirt. I... And you see so many obese people in Kuala Lumpur waddling around. Let the kid take a bite of your fat better than eating dirt. At least he won't get kwashiorkor. Heartbreaking.

Before I end, here is a photo of the tribe chief showing us how he lights a fire. Want to know how he gets to be the chief? It's not because his dad is the ex-chief. The chief is always the 'medic', the one with the most medical knowledge within the group. He is the traditional meds/ob-gyn/er/orthopaedic/paeds/etc doctor all rolled into one. Haha. Probably not a dentist though. An oral surgeon maybe (to extract teeth) but definitely not a periodontist. He is constantly puffing on a cigarette and even though he is considered young, he has lost many of his teeth. Periodontal prognosis: POOR! 

I just can't stop thinking though. White people colonised the lands of the Red Indians (North Americas), Maori (New Zealand), Aboriginals (Australia). The indigenous then have special rights. Not the colonisers. Then in Malaysia?