INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF MALAYSIA

Indigenous people are important to the cultural and ethnic mix of Malaysian life. There are over 64 different groups of indigenous people in the country. There are several religions in Malaysia, such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. However, even though Malaysia peoples have different religions, cultures, countries and background, but Malaysia has been successful to create a united society.

The oldest inhabitants of Malaysia are the indigenous peoples. They account for about 5% of the total population, and represent a majority in Sarawak and Sabah. In peninsular Malaysia blankets them under the term Orang Asli, or "Original People." In Sarawak, the dominant tribal groups are the Dayak, who live in longhouses. Dayak are either Iban (Sea Dayak) or Bidayuh (land Dayak). In Sabah, most tribes group are Kadazan. All of Malaysia's tribal people generally share a strong spiritual tie to the rain forest.

Indigenous people contribute greatly to the cultural richness of the country. The ethnic groups are quite different with other races, speak their own languages and practicing their own religions. However, these ethnic groups can remain locked in their own respective ethnic universe, isolated from the rest of society unless these differences are mitigated through infrastructure and development.

Peninsular Malaysia

The Orang Asli consist of 19 ethnic sub-groups officially classified for administrative purposes as Negrito, Senoi and Aboriginal Malay. The Orang Asli are not homogeneous. Each group having its own language and culture. They also have different ways of life and livelihoods. Some groups such as Orang Laut, Orang Seletar and Mah Meri are living close to the coast as fisher folk and some of them such as Temuan, Jakun and Semai adopting permanent agriculture, planting cash crops such as rubber, oil palm or cocoa While many other indigenous peoples such as Semai, Temiar, Che Wong, Jah Hut, Semelai and Semaq Beri live close to forested areas and take on in farming, hunting and gathering. Some groups from the Negrito branch such as Jahai and Lanoh are still semi-nomadic, prefer to take advantage of the forest. A fair number of Orang Asli now also live in city and are involved in both waged and salaried jobs.

Sabah

Sabah has more than 30 different indigenous groups. For examples are Kadazan, Dusun, Rungus, Murut, Sungai and Lundayeh. They speak more than 50 languages and 80 dialects. The larger of the ethnic groups are Dusunic, Murutic and Paitanic groups. The Kadazan-dusuns, who are the most dominant ethnic group in Sabah.The different land forms, soils, climates and vegetation provide a different agro-ecosystem for the many indigenous communities. The indigenous peoples are mostly subsistence farmers who practice varies agriculture, including cultivation of rice, vegetables and fruit trees. The rural farmers often practice a wide range of livelihood activities. Many of the l indigenous communities rely on the different forest resources for food, medicine and other needs. There are also some of indigenous people involve in fisher ring.

Sarawak
There are 28 indigenous groups in Sarawak. However, there are at least 37 known groups and sub-groups, including Iban, Penan, Kenyah, Kayan, Kelabit, Ukit, Sekapan, Lahanan and Penan Bah.The indigenous peoples of Sarawak practice rotational cultivation on rice plantation, hunting and gathering. A small number of the Penan community still lead a nomadic life, hunting and gathering, while the rest of the community has now either settled or is partially settled. The rural indigenous communities depend on the river for their drinking water, food, washing and transportation. The indigenous peoples in Sarawak have also been involved in plantation projects such as the cultivation of cash crops. For examples are oil palm, pepper, cocoa and rubber trees.

Summary

Today, indigenous people hold sway in the government and senior public positions. Government reforms have helped overcome ethnic divisions and aim to provide indigenous people with the same opportunities as other members of Malaysian society such as housing, schools and health care facilities. As a result of these developments, mortality rates have dropped and poverty is being alleviated. Perhaps most important of all is indigenous people can taking greater control of their lives.

BRUNO AND THE BLOWPIPES

1. Who was Bruno Manser and what had he done in Sarawak?
Bruno Manser is the native peoples that has disappeared in Borneo and is feared dead. They live in the rainforest with the semic-nomadic Penan of Sarawak. The Bruno Manser is paternalistic governments. They had spent some six years fighting the timber operators that natives claim are destroying their forest home. The manser paraglided onto the front lawn of Sarawak Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and offered a twice in exchange for government creating a biosphere reserve for the Penan. Manser has arguably been the most potent catalyst for media coverage of the flight by the Penan, and other Sarawak natives, to protect their forests against what they say are incentive governments and greedy timber barons.

2. What had the Sarawak Government done to stop him?
Defensive Sarawak government officials note that 95% of the state’s substantial oil revenue goes to federal coffers, leaving Sarawak little choice but to earn money from natural products. Therefore, the government still wants to earn the money through the forest. But, the timber operation is destroying the native peoples’ forest home. Their homes were being destroyed and they weren’t getting anything for it. The rivers were dangerous places, muddy and filled with debris from timber operation.

The Penan who had been resettled into government built longhouses, ugly structures with standard government issue architecture similar to army barracks of timber camp housing. The Penan were listless, with vacant eyes. But the truth, they now had access to basic health care and simple schools, but it seemed as if all the energy had been sucked from their thin frames. When these issues is discussed with Malaysian Official, there is nothing been done to overcome these issues.

Bruno backed the Sarawak authorities into a corner by telling them what they should do. Even the slightest whiff of Western lecturing will put them on the defensive. Perhaps it was a tactic that by using western style confrontation to get policy changes in Asian country. Certainly, Malaysian Officials resent being told what to do by pesky foreigners.

3. In your opinion, was Bruno Manser right to stop the government from developing the jungles of Sarawak and to defend the Penan from change?
In our opinion, Bruno Manser was right. Bruno wants to protect the forest. This is because the forest is the home for the Bruno and Penan. They get their food and all the necessary use in daily through the forest. Bruno defend the Penan from change because he didn't want the culture and religions of Penan to be dissappeared. However, the government’s action was not wrong. Without the forest, there is hard for the government to earn money for running a country. The government also want the Penan to get what the other native peoples get. That why government did everything to make sure all the Penan got what the other native peoples get.