Semelai people

Semelai people are an Orang Asli people of the Proto-Malay people group found in Negeri Sembilan and Pahang states of Malaysia.^[4]

Semelai people

Semelai people receiving visitors at Tasik Bera, Pahang.
Total population
9,228 (2010) with Temoq people included in the census[1]
Regions with significant populations
Malaysia:
Negeri Sembilan & Pahang	5,026 (2000)[2]
Languages
Semelai language, Malay language
Religion
Animism (predominantly), Christianity, Islam
Related ethnic groups
Temuan people,[3] Semaq Beri people, Mah Meri people, Temoq people

Settlement area

They are divided into two major groups, namely:

• The Semelai people in Kampung Sungai Sampo and Kampung Sungai Lui, Jempol District, Negeri Sembilan^[5]
• The Semelai people in Pos Iskandar,^[6] Kampung Bukit Rok and Kampung Ibam,^[7] Tasik Bera, Kampung Bukit Gemuroh^[8] and Bongkok, Teriang, Bera District, Pahang

Population

Year	1960[9]	1965[9]	1969[9]	1974[9]	1980[9]	1991[10]	1993[10]	1996[9]	2000[11]	2003[11]	2004[12]	2010[1]
Population	3,238	1,391	2,391	2,874	3,096	4,775	4,103	4,103	5,026	6,418	7,198	9,228

The 2010 census, the Temoq people were included in the Semelai population due to the small numbers of Temoq people.^[1]

Music

Semelai music has been passed down for generations with little modification to suit modern times. There are two musical instruments used; the Rebana and Gong (including both "male" and "female" Gongs).^[13] This musical style is often performed in community halls or houses during feasts, weddings, circumcision ceremonies, gatherings and welcoming visitors for the purpose of entertainment.^[14] This music is performed with songs sung in Semelai language. There are also dances but it is only done with regulation and under certain requirements. The music of the Semelai is also used for healing purposes,^[13] such as singing in fertility ceremony.^[15]

References

1. Kirk Endicott (2015). Malaysia's Original People: Past, Present and Future of the Orang Asli. NUS Press. ISBN 978-99-716-9861-4.
2. "Orang Asli Population Statistics". Center for Orang Asli Concerns. Archived from the original on 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2017-04-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
3. "S. Karger". Human Heredity. Karger. 1978. p. 62.
4. Katia Iankova, Azizul Hassan & Rachel L'Abbe (2016). Indigenous People and Economic Development: An International Perspective. Routledge. ISBN 978-13-171-1731-5.
5. Kyōto Daigaku. Tōnan Ajia Kenkyū Sentā (2011). Tuck-Po Lye (ed.). Orang asli of Peninsular Malaysia: a comprehensive and annotated bibliography. Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University. ISBN 978-49-016-6800-2.
6. Rosemary Gianno (1990). Semelai Culture and Resin Technology. Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences. ISBN 18-785-0800-8.
7. "Suku Orang Asli Semelai gagal peroleh kebenaran merayu". Malaysia Kini. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-12.
8. Mohd Husni Mohd Noor (11 September 2016). "6 pelajar Orang Asli ke UK". Harian Metro. Retrieved 2016-12-12.
9. Nobuta Toshihiro (2009). "Living On The Periphery: Development and Islamization Among Orang Asli in Malaysia" (PDF). Center for Orang Asli Concerns. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
10. Colin Nicholas (2000). The Orang Asli and the Contest for Resources. Indigenous Politics, Development and Identity in Peninsular Malaysia (PDF). Center for Orang Asli Concerns & International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs. ISBN 87-90730-15-1. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
11. "Basic Data / Statistics". Center for Orang Asli Concerns. Archived from the original on 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
12. Alberto Gomes (2004). Modernity and Malaysia: Settling the Menraq Forest Nomads. Routledge. ISBN 11-341-0076-0.
13. "Semelai Folk Music". National Department for Culture and Arts. Retrieved 2016-12-12.
14. James Alexander (2006). Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore. New Holland Publishers. ISBN 18-601-1309-5.
15. Hi-fi News & Record Review, Volume 26, Issues 2-6. Link House Publications. 1981.

External links

• Malaysia portal

• JOURNEY INTO TASEK BERA WITH THE ORANG ASLI SEMELAI

• More support for indigenous Semelai at Tasek Bera Ramsar Site

• Knowledge, Culture and Beliefs of Tasek Bera's Semelai People. Tasek Bera, Malaysia's first Ramsar site, is important not just for its flora and fauna. It is also home to the Semelai, the indigenous Orang Asli people who inhabit the area around the lake. WETLANDS INTERNATIONAL reports on their unique culture and beliefs. Archived 2007-12-16 at the Wayback Machine