Semai
Semai Strategies for Protecting their Lands
A group of Semai residents in Malaysia’s Perak State are continuing a legal struggle against two developers who are seeking to construct a hydroelectric dam on a river in their ancestral territory. A Malaysian news report of November 3 brought the controversy, which has been covered in the news over the last several years, up […]
Semai Uses of Forest Foods
The Semai have been gathering plants in the forests for generations and have profited from their knowledge of the wild foods, widely referred to as “ulam.” The Star, a leading Malaysian newspaper, published a story last week in which the reporter interviewed Rachel Thomas Tharmabalan, a researcher who specializes in analyzing the edible foods, especially […]
Semai Artist Produces Book for Children
A young Semai artist has produced, with the help of others, a children’s book that addresses the environmental issues faced by young Malaysians. The Star, a prominent Malaysian newspaper, featured the new book in a story on July 8. Saluji Yeok So Alu, the 26-year old artist, recently completed his second book, entitled Let the […]
Achievements of a Semai Scholar
Dr. Bahari Belaton, a Semai scholar, has been promoted to a high-level academic dean position in Malaysia. According to an enthusiastic news story about him in the New Straits Times last week, he is the first Orang Asli person to reach that level of academic achievement. Bahari received a bachelor’s degree in computer science in […]
Coronavirus in the Peaceful Societies
How much are the peaceful societies affected by the coronavirus epidemic? The answer, of course, is that it depends on how much contact they have with infected outsiders. Isolated islands such as Tristan da Cunha and Ifaluk, which have few if any cruise ships stopping, are doing fine so far—at least there is no news […]
Semai Woman Becomes a Firefighter
A Malaysian newspaper, The Sun Daily, published a brief story last week about a young Semai woman who has become a firefighter. According to the reporter, she is the first Orang Asli woman to take such a position. Edaziana Matoyam, a 23-year old from Tapah, in Perak state, watched the exploits of firefighters on television […]
Valentine’s Day and Peace
Tomorrow, February 14, people in the United States and many other countries will celebrate Valentine’s Day, not as an official holiday but as a folk celebration of romantic love. If you can ignore the commercial aspects of the occasion, this unofficial holiday celebrates the love among couples that can foster nonviolence. For an advocate of […]
Semai Foods in Malaysian Restaurants
The Semai and some of the other Orang Asli societies have been introducing to Malaysian chefs tasty wild foods which the latter are starting to incorporate into the dishes they prepare for their restaurants. An article published in Aljazeera.com on November 1 explains that the original people of Malaysia are experts in finding and using […]
Teaching Traditional Semai Skills
Raman Bah Tuin, a 48-year-old Semai man, moved out of the Malaysian forest and founded the Jungle School in order to teach traditional Orang Asli skills to young people and curious tourists. A report in the news website Free Malaysia Today on August 10 provided a glimpse into the work of the school, located in […]
Malaysian Teachers Introduce Islam to Orang Asli Kids
Some Malaysian teachers are attempting to convert the Semai and other Orang Asli children in their schools to Islam. According to a news report on July 27, two different experts who spoke at a round-table dialogue on the education of the indigenous children described the subtle ways that teachers use for introducing their religious beliefs […]
