The Jungle Tribes of the Malay Peninsula Author(s): Pater P. Schebesta and C. O.

Blagden Source: Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, Vol. 4, No. 2 (1926), pp. 269-278 Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the School of Oriental and African Studies Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/606840 . Accessed: 24/10/2011 04:13
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THE JUNGLE TRIBES OF THE MALAY PENINSULA By PATER P. SCHEBESTA (Translated by C. O. BLAGDEN) HE jungle tribes (or, as the Malays style them, Orang Utan) of the Malay Peninsula are not altogether an unknown quantity from the point of view of anthropology and linguistics. A number of scholars and travellers have devoted themselves to the study of them, the most important being Hrolf Vaughan Stevens, R. Martin, W. W. Skeat, the leader of the Cambridgeexpedition, Annandale, and Robinson. All this was some thirty years ago, and though their researches ascertained a number of facts, fresh problems have since arisen. We knew practically nothing of the tribes dwelling in the real interior of the country, for none of these explorers had succeeded in penetrating there. The importance of a fresh exploration of the inland tribes of the Peninsula, and especially the Negritos, was repeatedly stressed, particularly as the Negritos were expected soon to become extinct. Pater W. Schmidt, who in his work on the Pygmies had raised an appeal in support of this line of research, eventually took an active part in the matter of organizing an expedition himself, as his previous appeal had led to no response. With the assistance of several sympathizers in London, facilities were arranged and after the present Pope, Pius XI, had generously financed the undertaking, it became possible to carry out this plan. Towards the end of 1923 Messrs. C. O. Blagden and W. W. Skeat gave me an insight into the problems affecting research among the tribes of the interior and some instruction in the Malay language, for which, now that the undertaking has succeeded, I must express my hearty thanks. In the same spirit of grateful remembrance I must mention the French Catholic Mission, which offered me its hospitality whenever I returned to the coast from my tours in the primeval forests, likewise Mr. J. R. Evans, then stationed at the Museum in Kuala Lumpur, whose good advice on many matters was freely put at my disposal, and above all Captain J. Berkeley, at that time District Officer at Grik, Upper Perak, the true friend and protector of the Semang, who first brought me into actual contact with them. My researches extended to the states of Kedah, Perak, Kelantan,

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Pahang, and the Negri Sembilan. I made a brief stay in the region of the Semang of Trang and Patalung in Siam, and spent a month in Sumatra among the Kubu. I devoted twenty months to my task of exploration. With .the exception of the Jakud'n tribes in Johore and Eastern Pahang, as well as the tribes of Trengganu, I visited all the principal tribes of the Peninsula. My attention was particularly directed to those of the interior, and of course I spent most of my time in studying the Semang, who have hitherto been somewhat of a problem. The jungle tribes, whom I designate by the general name of Orang Utan, belong to three different races or stocks. In their nomenclature I follow that of Skeat and Blagden, as it is the most widely known and has been generally adopted by scholars. The Orang Utan themselves do not use these names and to some extent repudiate them. We must distinguish between1. Ulotrichi (woolly-haired) or Semang. 2. Kymotrichi (wavy-haired) or Sakai. 3. Lissotrichi (lank-haired) or Jakud'n (alias Jakun). The origin and meaning of the name Semang are obscure. In any case the people never style themselves Semang. I only heard them mention the name on a few occasions, and then it was used to denote either some wild, legendary beings or else Malays. Really it is a term of abuse. Only once did an old Negrito in talking to me speak of himself as a Semang and that was to draw a distinction between himself and the wild, nomad Negritos. He was in fact no longer a nomad, but had a permanent dwelling-place and was Malayized; therefore he was a " Semang ". The most probable derivation seems to me to be from the word sema' (with a final glottal stop). This word belongs to the Sabub'n language and means "man, native" as opposed to gob, "Malay, foreigner". In Malay pronunciation the final a' has a nasal sound so that it approaches " Semang ". Moreoverthe Semai also call their Temiar neighbours " Sema' " (with a nasal d'). As already mentioned, the Semang have no name for their race as such; they use the various current tribal names. The race, in fact, is divided into tribes, which are not, however, held together by any external form of organization, but are conscious of being units by reason of identity of speech, traditions, and tribal area. The Samang are divided into the following tribes (the word for "man " being prefixed by me to the tribal name) :-

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(1) The Moni' Tonga' or Mbs, in the Patalung-Trang region of Siam. (2) The Meni' Kensiu, in North-Eastern Kedah and the adjoining part of Patani. (3) The Meni' Kenta', in Southern Kedah and the region of the Kroh in Perak. (4) The Men'ra' Jahai, on both banks of the Perak River from Grik up to its headwaters and those of the Pergau, and down the latter to the Bala River, a tributary of the Pergau. (5) The Men'ra' Menri', on the Kelantan and Lebir Rivers in Kelantan, and also in the region of the Serau in Northern Pahang. (6, 7, 8) The Batek: Nbgn, Kleb, and Tem6'. The first at the headwaters of the Cheka-Krau, the Kleb in the Raub district, and the Tim6' in Ulu Bera, in Pahang. As appears from this classification, there are three groups among the Semang, each with a different name for " man ", viz. the mini', the me'n'ra', and the batek. The third group, however, may be neglected, as it is.too small and also seems to be closely allied to the men'ra' group. We must also distinguish between the m 'ni group on linguistic grounds. This distinction, group and the mrnn'ra' has nothing to do with the formerly common distinction however, between Semang and Pangan. This last is merely based on Malay usage, whereas the other is founded on real differences, particularly differences of speech. The word Pangan is often used even now by Malays of the Eastern half of the Peninsula. It is really a term of abuse, meaning something like " wild, omnivorous, and uncircumcized person ". The Malays of those parts apply it to all Orang Utan, not only to the Simang. There is really no reason for retaining it as a name for the Semang of the Eastern half of the Peninsula, and it should be dropped altogether. From the linguistic point of view we must divide the Semang into two groups, the Mini' group in the NorthWest and the Men'ra' group in the Centre and South-East. These groups are again divisible into several dialects which coincide with the above-mentioned tribal names. Finally, there is a separate tribe of Semang to be mentioned, namely the Sabub'n or Lanb'. These live on both sides of the Perak River, from Grik downwards to Lenggong, and extend along the left tributaries of the Perak River about halfway up those tributaries. On the Piah River they have already been recorded by other explorers,
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for example by De Morgan. From the point of view of their physique and culture they are without a doubt to be classed as Semang, but in their speech they deviate from all the other Semang, for they speak a Northern Sakai dialect.. The wavy-haired tribes are termed Sakai. This name is also used in the Peninsula as a general designation for all the Orang Utan tribes. Its origin is unknown, but it is also found outside the Peninsula.' The Sakai are divided into two stocks: the Semai and the Ple-Temiar. The Ple-Temiar on their extreme Northern frontier run with the Semang. It is no wonder, therefore, that some of them appear to be very mixed; and they in their turn have also influenced the S mang. One of the elements in their composition seems to be Semai, a tribe bordering the Ple-Temiar on the South. The Ple-Temiar are a double tribe. In Perak they are called Ple, while on the other side of the mountain-range they are called Temiar. I was able recently to ascertain from the reports of Vaughan Stevens preserved at Berlin that these are not identical with the race which he styles Timiar. His Temiar are the Semai of the region of Tapah and Slim, whom R. Martin calls Senoi. The Temiar of the Nenggiri River are, however, identical with Clifford'sTembe', for the Semai on the Serau River call themselves Tembe' to this day. The southern boundary of the Ple-Timiar runs north of the Rivers Bertam (Birtak) and Telom (Telob'n), takes a northward bend to the Nenggiri River up to its tributary the Jindera (Chenero), and then follows this stream as far as the Noring. The Semai occupy the regions of the Batang Padang, Slim, Bertam, Telom, Serau, and the lesser Jelai. In physique they are certainly the purer representatives of the Sakai race. In language and culture they are clearly distinguished from the Ple-Temiar, but anthropologically there are indubitably connexions between them. The Ple-Temiar belong to the Northern Sakai group, the Semai form the Central Sakai group. The lank-haired or Jakud'n (Jakun) tribes border immediately upon the Semai and are already to be met with to the south of the Tembeling River (to the east of the Pahang River) and on the Krau River (to the west of the Pahang River). The name Jakud'n also seems to have unpleasant implications
In Malay the word also has the general meaning of " followers, retainers, dependents ".-C. O. B.
1

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and is not popular amongst the tribes themselves. It is supposed to mean much the same as Orang Rayat (i.e. subject peoples). The Jakud'n are divided into many tribes, among which I may name the Krau Jakud'n on the Krau, Mai, and Tekal Rivers, the Semilai on the Triang, Bera, and Serting, the Niap in the Raub district and on the middle Triang, the Kinaboi in Jelebu, the Temuadn on the Muar, Palong, and Keratong Rivers. The Sisi and Belanas Mantra are the tribes that have advanced furthest towards the west. The Mantra in Labu and Malacca reckon themselves to belong to the Niap. The Jakud'n of Johore did not come under my own observation. The Sisi, Kenaboi, Similai, and Krau speak languages of their own, while the Timuadn and the Niap speak an archaic form of Malay. The Krau and S milai dialects contain many Smang or Sakai elements. The Krau dialect in particular is very strongly impregnated with Semang. There can be no doubt at all that the Jakud'n of that region have absorbed the Batek amongst whom they had intruded. In physique, culture, and partly also in speech the Jakud'n are plainly Malay. They are identical with the Kubu of Sumatra, whom I examined and studied with an eye to their connexion with the Jakud'n. I call them Proto-Malays. As I am only concerned here to give a broad outline of the results of my investigations, these brief indications must suffice. The numbers of the Orang Utan now existing in the Malay Peninsula can only be given approximately. Attempts have been made to enumerate the inland tribes, but as some of these groups were scarcely represented in actually administered territory, we cannot speak of anything like an accurate enumeration. My own figures are based on estimates made by myself. As, however, I repeatedly traversed the principal districts and endeavoured even in the trackless interior of Perak, Kelantan, and Pahang to gather information as to the numbers of the population in the neighbourhood, I believe I am in a position to give at any rate a fairly close estimate. I did not visit the extreme east and south of the Jakud'n region, and therefore cannot express any confident opinion as to the total numbers of the Jakud'n. I am best informed as to the Semang, having seen fifty different S~mang camps and made the personal acquaintance of their inmates, some only in passing, but most of them for a longer period. I estimate

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the total numbers of the Simang at 2,000 persons, distributed as follows :100 Tonga' Knsiu 200 . . . Kenta' . 130 (Kenta' Bogn . 64) Jahai . . . 800 Menri' . . . 400 and Tem5' 100 Nbgn, Kleb, Sabub'n . 250 . . These figures are certainly not under-estimates. The Sakai are much more numerous, although their area is less than that of the Semang. The Semai probably do not exceed 2,000. On the other hand, for the Ple-Timiar in the Centre of the Peninsula an estimate of 8,000 would not be too high. When one looks down from a mountain top and sees the jungle clearings made for their plantations, one is tempted to put the figure much higher. But not every clearing represents a settlement. We must not overlook the fact that each group of Sakai makes several clearings in the course of a few years. The Jakud'n that I am acquainted with fall into(1) Krau Jakud'n, say 1,000, and (2) Semilai, say 2,000, of whom the majority are to be found in the Tasek region. However, I believe that the Jakud'n total exceeds 10,000. The question, whether any diminution can be observed in the numbers of the wild tribes, must be answered differently for their several groups. The numbers of the Ple-Temiar and Jakud'n, and probably also the Semai, are stationary. Amongst the Simang a diminution of the population is obviously taking place. One constantly hears them say that they were formerly more numerous and that epidemics have made havoc amongst them. The number of children in the family is normal; many families with three, four, or more surviving children are to be found; and, allowing for the fact that infant mortality is high, one may fairly say that the family is in a sound state. I must refrain from a detailed description of the physical characteristics of the three races, because the materials I have brought

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back (viz. some 200 measurements and portions of three skeletons) have not yet been worked out. The Semang are rightly reckoned among the pygmy races. Although their height slightly exceeds 150 centimetres, the majority of the adults do not reach this standard. A few taller individuals considerably raise the average. A striking Semang characteristic is the length of the trunk of the body and the length of the arms. Some individuals resemble African pygmies in their facial expression. The nose is always broad and often has a deeply depressed root. The eyes are round and widely opened, and the iris generally has a reddish coloration. A steep forehead is the normal thing ; I have seldom seen them with receding foreheads. The face is round. Prognathism, when present, is moderate. The skin colour is darker than that of any of the other races of the Peninsula, but never becomes coal black as it does among the Sudan Negroes. As a rule it is a dark brown. Two types of hair can be distinguished among the Semang. Some have it curling in a mop and woolly, others have it irregularly curled in spirals. The former type reminds one of Africans, the latter of Papuans. Mutilation of the body does not occur, except for the piercing of the ear-lobes of women and the filing of the teeth among some of the tribes, such as the Kenta' and Kensiu. I am inclined to think that both practices have been borrowed from other races. Among some groups of the Menri' I observed body painting, but this habit has been borrowed from the Ple. The Sakai are generally reckoned among the pygmoid races. In my opinion they have no pygmy characteristics whatever, so that the expression pygmoid is unjustifiable, unless indeed we like to apply it to the border groups of the Ple-Temiar and to certain of the Jakud'n groups. The pure Sakai are slight in build, and therefore look slender without being really tall. Nevertheless they considerably exceed the Semang in stature. The cheekbones are very prominent, the chin is decidedly pointed. I have observed in many individuals a tendency to the Mongoloid fold, the upper eyelid descending sharply at the inner corner. The beard is often well developed, particularly on the chin, whereas S" mang it is almost entirely absent. The head-hair of among the the Sakai is wavy. Their skin colour is fair, even fairer than the Malay.

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When I first saw the Ple near the Piah River (who were Sakai of the purer type) I was involuntarily reminded of Polynesian types. The Sakai all perforate the septum of the nose, and the women also pierce their ear-lobes. The Temiar also practise tattooing, but not universally ; body-painting, on the other hand, is quite the rule. The Jakud'n and Kubu tribes agree in physique with the Malays, except that they look slighter. Mixture with Semang blood is evidenced in certain parts of the Jakud'n region by a darker coloration of the skin and by wavy hair. The latter characteristic also often indicates a Sakai admixture. From the cultural point of view these races also fall into three distinct groups, which can be properly said to represent three stages of development, though it must not be assumed that any one of them is based upon another. The Semang inhabit the trackless interior; they occupy the hill country, but are never found on the mountains. They generally keep to the neighbourhood of small, clear streams, and wander at a certain distance around Malay villages (in some parts also, e.g. in Pahang, around Sakai settlements). They live in a kind of symbiosis with such villages and settlements, for in my opinion they are unable to subsist solely on the roots they find in the jungle. They are definitely nomadic, this habit of theirs being based on their inability to engage in any form of agriculture. The Semang have never reached the stone age. There is no evidence that would justify us in maintaining that they ever knew the use of stone implements. Iron was introduced among them at a relatively very late period. Being without stone or iron implements, they were never in a position to make clearings in the forest; and that is the fundamental reason for their nomadic mode of life. The Semang never emerged from the bamboo age. All their implements were, and still are, of bamboo; even the bows, which are nowadays made of wood, seem to have been formerly made of bamboo. One consequence of their desultory wandering life is that the Semang only set up temporary windscreens, although it would certainly have been in their power to make more comfortable huts. Closely connected therewith is the fact that they can keep no sort of cattle, even if they had ever reached the pastoral stage. Their only domestic animal is the dog, and even that seems to have been derived from the Sakai. Their nomadic habits also explain their family system. They cannot remain together in large groups, because

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the jungle does not afford sufficient sustenance for such larger agglomerations; so they have to split up, and consequently wander about in small parties consisting of a few families, mostly such as are closely related to one another. As regards their religion, I must mention their decided belief in a supreme being, called Ta Ped'n or Karei, who in certain circumstances must be propitiated by an offering of blood. The peccant Semang cuts his shin and throws the blood, mixed with water, towards the sky. They do not, however, pray to the deity. The Semang believe in a kind of spirits called (Chinoi), C(noi small, shining beings, who are servants of the deity and friends of man. But these are in no way connected with the Malay hantu (spirits and ghosts, etc.). The Hala' or priestly medicine-man is the intermediary between the deity and man and is also a physician. Belief in a future life is universal. Polygamy is allowed, and occasionally occurs, but monogamy is the normal practice. Marriages are often dissolved while the parties are still young, but as soon as there are any children the parents keep together. The Sakai culture differs in many respects from the Semang. The Sakai prefer the high ground in the mountain ranges, and owing to their plantations of roots, Italian millet, and rice, they are independent of the Malays. As domestic animals they keep dogs and fowls. They hunt the smaller animals, as do also the Semang, but unlike the Semang the Sakai are skilful trappers. The Sakai weapon is the blowpipe (or blowgun). The Sakai, and particularly the Ple-Temiar, have communal houses and display the beginnings of social organization. Polygamy and even a special kind of polyandry occur and are allowed among the Ple-Temiar. The deity of the Ple-Temiar is a female named Ya Pud6u, Granny Pud~u. The belief in Karei, the god of thunder, exists, but only in a decayed form. The belief in a future life is definite, and among the Ple-Temiar includes a belief in resurrection and requital for deeds done, which is unknown among the Semang. Magic also plays a considerable part, whereas among the Semang it is almost absent. A few words must be devoted to the Jakud'n. I regard ihem as Proto-Malays. They are identical with the Kubu of Sumatra. The

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Jakud'n prefer to make their settlements by the side of rivers. Plantations of roots and rice are quite general. The domestic animals are dogs and fowls. The goat is not universally found. The Jakud'n huts are built on posts, and when occupied by several families they are divided by partition walls into several compartments. The Kubu weapon is the spear. In a good many places the blowpipe is unknown. It is important to note that there is a definite social organization, with headmen bearing the titles of Batin, Mentri, and Jukra. Monogamy is the usual practice, but polygamy is allowed and occasionally occurs. The prevailing religious belief is in nature, spirits, and magic. From the linguistic point of view, the classification worked out Pater Schmidt and C. O. Blagden remains in essentials unchanged:by 1. The Semang fall into a Meni' group and a Men'ra' group. 2. The Sakai are divisible into (a) Northern Sakai, including the Sabub'n Semang and the Ple-Temiar, and (b) Central Sakai, i.e. the Semai. 3. The sections styled by Blagden Southern and Eastern Sakai will, in my opinion, turn out to be Jakud'n dialects which approximate, through admixture, either to the Semang Men'ra' group or to one or both of the Sakai groups (Northern and Central). Besides these, there are Jakud'n groups which speak archaic Malay, just like the Kubu of Sumatra. As, however, I have not yet had enough leisure to work out and compare my linguistic materials, this is not intended to be a definitive decision as to the linguistic classification.