Orang Asli

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Scope note
The Orang Asli ("original peoples" or "first peoples" in Malay) are a heterogeneous indigenous population of approximately 100,000-150,000 people comprising the oldest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia, divided into eighteen ethnic groups across three main groupings: the Negrito (Semang), Senoi, and Proto-Malay (aboriginal Malays), speaking either Austro-Asiatic Aslian languages or Austronesian Malay languages. Accounting for 0.7% of Malaysia's population as of 2017, the Orang Asli live primarily in scattered rural settlements in mountainous areas and rainforest jungles, with the largest populations concentrated in Pahang and Perak, and maintain distinct cultural identities from lowland Malaysian society (Malays, Chinese, and Indians). Classified as Bumiputra ("sons of the soil") by the Malaysian government to recognize their indigenous status, most Orang Asli are animists with Christian and Muslim minorities, and their special legal status distinguishes them as a national minority alongside other major ethnic groups in Malaysia.
Orang Asli
Accepted term: 09-Mar-2026