Ancestoral Worship : The Orang Asli of The Malay Peninsula [ Mah Meri]

[Guest guest]

The Orang Asli are the indigenous minority peoples of Peninsular

Malaysia. The name is a Malay term which transliterates as 'original

peoples' or 'first peoples.' It is a collective term introduced by

anthropologists and administrators for the 18 sub-ethnic groups

generally classified for official purposes under Negrito, Senoi and

Proto-Malay. They numbered 105,000 in 1997 representing a mere 0.5

per cent of the national population.

 

The Orang Asli, nevertheless, are not a homogeneous group. Each has

its own language and culture, and perceives itself as different from

the others. Linguistically, some of the northern Orang Asli groups

(especially the Senoi and Negrito groups) speak languages - now

termed Aslian languages - that suggest a historical link with the

indigenous peoples in Burma, Thailand and Indo-China.

 

The members of the Proto-Malay tribes, whose ancestors were believed

to have migrated from the Indonesian islands to the south of the

peninsula, speak dialects which belong to the same Austronesian

family of languages as Malay, with the exceptions of the Semelai and

Temoq dialects (which are Austroasiatic).

 

The Orang Asli have equally varied occupations and ways of life. The

Orang Laut, Orang Seletar and Mah Meri, for example, live close to

the coast and are mainly fishermen. Some Temuan, Jakun and Semai

people have taken to permanent agriculture and now manage their own

rubber, oil palm or cocoa farms. [ Colin Nicholas ]

http://www.magickriver.net/oa.htm

 

 

 

>From Nora's note : On 10th March 2005, Orang Asli [ Mah Meri ] in

Pulau Carey celebrated the coming of New Year, known as Hari Nenek

Moyang. This celebration took take place at Kampung Sg Bumbun, Pulau

Carey. Malaysia

 

More pictures , please go to link given below and look for photo

album entittled : Pulau Carey

 

ashwini_puralasamy/

[Guest guest]

Namaste Nora,

 

These photos are wonderful. Can you say something more about this ceremony? I

notice

that there is a bowl/basket from which they are putting some substance on their

hands,

possibly their forehead...what is that?

 

Also, the instruments look wonderful. What did the music sound like?

 

Is there a central pair, a man and a woman that play some central role in the

celebration? A

couple of the photos looked like that.

 

That backwards mask is very interesting also. I would love to hear about it.

 

Thank you so much for sharing this.

 

Blessings,

 

prainbow

 

 

 

 

 

, "NMadasamy" <nmadasamy@s...> wrote:

>

> The Orang Asli are the indigenous minority peoples of Peninsular

> Malaysia. The name is a Malay term which transliterates as 'original

> peoples' or 'first peoples.' It is a collective term introduced by

> anthropologists and administrators for the 18 sub-ethnic groups

> generally classified for official purposes under Negrito, Senoi and

> Proto-Malay. They numbered 105,000 in 1997 representing a mere 0.5

> per cent of the national population.

>

> The Orang Asli, nevertheless, are not a homogeneous group. Each has

> its own language and culture, and perceives itself as different from

> the others. Linguistically, some of the northern Orang Asli groups

> (especially the Senoi and Negrito groups) speak languages - now

> termed Aslian languages - that suggest a historical link with the

> indigenous peoples in Burma, Thailand and Indo-China.

>

> The members of the Proto-Malay tribes, whose ancestors were believed

> to have migrated from the Indonesian islands to the south of the

> peninsula, speak dialects which belong to the same Austronesian

> family of languages as Malay, with the exceptions of the Semelai and

> Temoq dialects (which are Austroasiatic).

>

> The Orang Asli have equally varied occupations and ways of life. The

> Orang Laut, Orang Seletar and Mah Meri, for example, live close to

> the coast and are mainly fishermen. Some Temuan, Jakun and Semai

> people have taken to permanent agriculture and now manage their own

> rubber, oil palm or cocoa farms. [ Colin Nicholas ]

> http://www.magickriver.net/oa.htm

>

>

>

>

> From Nora's note : On 10th March 2005, Orang Asli [ Mah Meri ] in

> Pulau Carey celebrated the coming of New Year, known as Hari Nenek

> Moyang. This celebration took take place at Kampung Sg Bumbun, Pulau

> Carey. Malaysia

>

> More pictures , please go to link given below and look for photo

> album entittled : Pulau Carey

>

> ashwini_puralasamy/