Some FACTS on Orang Asli that you must know

Orang Asli=  Aboriginal people

Population: around 60,000  in                               Malaysia

Main three Group: Negrito, Senoi,                                    Orang Malayu                                    Asli

Mostly with dark skin and frizzy hair, with similar facial contour with the Malay 

At least 18 sub-ethnic groups for orang asli, each ethnic with own language and way of livings

JAKOA: Responsible for the development of Orang Asli in Malaysia






" AS WE DO NOT KNOW, SO WE ARE SHY AND AFRAID"

This is the most thought-revoking say by one of the Orang Asli, he is a good- mannered educator and can speak Malay equally fluent like other Malay. His nature of work makes him understand the power of knowledge, the power of knowledge to transform the people' lives. He said " kami malu and takut , sebab kami tak tahu apa-apa, jadi orang lain mudah mengambil kesempatan atas kami" ( we are shy and afraid as we know nothing, people can easily take advantages of our innocence in this way) 

From that, we know that knowledge is indeed a powerful tool, it is embedded with the rich experience, culture and ideas of the people. Knowledge can be passed down from generation to generation through the language as language can denote some abstract concepts and attach meaning to something. The Orang Asli does have abundant of knowledge gained from their daily experience to cope with the environmental stress , people, living animals, it is just the fact that they are unable to express themselves in a more defined system of language. Poverty should not be a hindrance for them to get education. Education should be accessible to everyone, regardless to their age, ethic, class or gender. Again, the wealth is not solely measured by the amount of materials one possess, it is about the quality of one's thought and his heart.

The public opinion on the Orang Asli is often negative, they think Orang Asli is mostly backward,  with nasty culture, live in remote area. Thus, we hope to create a wave of awareness in the society on their beautiful way of lives in the long run.