Studies on civilization as well as ethnicity are among the most challenging branches of the social sciences discipline due to its paucity of information. It is only right that every ethnic group in Malaysia should be acknowledged and protected as Malaysia has been recognized as a country with a multi-ethnic community. Through acceptance and sharing Malaysia has maintained a country that is peaceful, harmonious and prosperous. It is the duty of all Malaysians in the future generation to continue this culture. Therefore, to prepare MAHSA students to continue this role of theirs in nation-building, an expert sharing session was held recently at MAHSA University to address the topic of “Understanding Indigenous Civilization in Malaysia”. The presenter for this event is retired teacher and community worker who has been directly involved with the indigenous community in Malaysia for many years, namely Puan Jamilah Samyula. The session lasted for an hour and was moderated by Mr. Mohamad Badrul Adzham, MPU lecturer at MAHSA University.
Puan
Jamilah shared that the term “Orang Asli” meaning “indigenous people”in
English, collectively refers to an ethnic
group that have long settled in the land that is Malaysia today. These are
divided into various tribes/factions that have different practices. Whether
they all belong to a single ethnic group or are distinct is still being
studied. These indigenous people can be
said to have been on the Malay Peninsula since pre-historic times. They are
ethnically distinct with their unique beliefs, language and knowledge of the
land which is different from what the rest of Malaysians practice. As far as beliefs, the Orang Asli’s community
was found to have the customs and beliefs of animism.
Their
belief system includes the existence of gods, saints, spirits and so on in the
physical and spiritual realm. Their view
of life is greatly influenced and confined to the physical condition of the
environment in which they live in. Thus, jungles, mountains, hills, lightning,
rain etc. are considered to have their own meaning for the cosmology of their society.
This has led to the ritual practices and taboos of their daily life based on
their beliefs. From the aspect of organization and social
structure, this society still maintains and values and attitudes of cooperation
and creating groups led by a leader called the “Batin“ who is responsible for
maintaining and ensuring the peace of the tribe as well as being a liaison to
the outside community. In other words, he is known to be the head of the tribe.
The head of the tribe has the power to determine and enforce tribal rules and
mete out punishment for offenses committed by members of the community. In addition, their community also revere religious
intermediaries or shamans who play a role in determining aspects of ritual and
the channelling of their beliefs.
Through
the years many changes has entered this society mostly involving their beliefs,
causing the decline in animism beliefs ever since the independence of Malaysia
in 1957. Reason being, that as towns expanded urban communities with their
religions, especially Islam, interacted with more indigenous people and
influenced their conversion into Islam.
However
according to Pn Jamilah, many indigenous
people still practice some elements of animism and the process of syncretism
with other religions. Apart from that, changes can also be seen in the life of
indigenous communities today through the policies that have been introduced by
the Malaysian government. This can be seen through the increased participation
of indigenous communities in the government bodies especially in uniformed forces.
Another significant milestone was when the first ever Orang Asli member of
parliament in Malaysia took office in 2019. Although this indigenous group does not
consist of a large population in Malaysia, they still represent an essential
component that gives Malaysia our unique identity.
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| SENOI PRAAQ (a military
unit made up of indigenous people) |
This
forum was an eye-opener for our students who are also the future generations of
the country as this helps them have a better understanding and nurture mutual-respect
and unity among various ethnicities in Malaysia. We hope they all our students
of today understand the roles and responsibilities they have to build a strong
and united nation without losing our identity and rich heritage.
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| Hunting with a Blowpipe |
The
values and knowledge discussed at this forum are also related to other MPU subjects
such as Pengajian Malaysia, Tamadun Islam
dan Tamadun Asia (TITAS), Youth Development and Etika dan Peradaban, offered by MAHSA University in all our programmes.
We hope to organise many more expert forums like this to enrich our students
learning experience.
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| Orang Asli Men in a Village |