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… Continue reading…
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… Continue reading…
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… Continue reading…
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… Continue reading…
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… Continue reading…
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… Continue reading…
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… Continue reading…
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… Continue reading…
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… Continue reading…
Tijah Yok Chopil, a prominent Semai leader, gave a speech on Tuesday last week in which she castigated the one-year-old Pakatan Harapan government of Malaysia for continuing to ignore the rights of the Orang Asli. An article on May 28 in the Malay Mail reviewed her charges. Tijah said that… Continue reading…