Semelai people explained

Group:	Semelai people
Pop:	9,228 (2010) with Temoq people included in the census^[1]
Popplace:	Malaysia
Region1:	Negeri Sembilan & Pahang
Pop1:	5,026 (2000)
Ref1:	^[2]
Rels:	Animism (predominantly), Christianity, Islam
Langs:	Semelai language, Malay language
Related:	Temuan people,^[3] Semaq Beri people, Mah Meri people, Temoq people

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

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	1969	1974	1980	1991^[10]	1993	1996	2000^[11]	2003	2004^[12]	2010
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]

External links

• 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.

Notes and References

1. Book: Kirk Endicott. Malaysia's Original People: Past, Present and Future of the Orang Asli. 2015. NUS Press. 978-99-716-9861-4.
2. Web site: Center for Orang Asli Concerns. Orang Asli Population Statistics. 2017-04-11. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20120209191755/http://www.coac.org.my/codenavia/portals/coacv2/code/main/main_art.php?parentID=11374494101180&artID=11432750280711. 2012-02-09.
3. Book: Human Heredity. 1978. S. Karger. Karger. 62.
4. Book: Katia Iankova, Azizul Hassan & Rachel L'Abbe. Indigenous People and Economic Development: An International Perspective. 2016. Routledge. 978-13-171-1731-5.
5. Book: Kyōto Daigaku. Tōnan Ajia Kenkyū Sentā. Tuck-Po Lye. Orang asli of Peninsular Malaysia: a comprehensive and annotated bibliography. 2011. Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University. 978-49-016-6800-2.
6. Book: Rosemary Gianno. Semelai Culture and Resin Technology. 1990. Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences. 18-785-0800-8.
7. Web site: Suku Orang Asli Semelai gagal peroleh kebenaran merayu . Malaysia Kini . 23 March 2016 . 2016-12-12.
8. Web site: 6 pelajar Orang Asli ke UK . Mohd Husni Mohd Noor . Harian Metro . 11 September 2016 . 2016-12-12.
9. Web site: Living On The Periphery: Development and Islamization Among Orang Asli in Malaysia . Nobuta Toshihiro . Center for Orang Asli Concerns . 2009 . 2017-10-27.
10. Book: The Orang Asli and the Contest for Resources. Indigenous Politics, Development and Identity in Peninsular Malaysia . Colin Nicholas . Center for Orang Asli Concerns & International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs . 2000 . 2017-10-27 . 87-90730-15-1 .
11. Web site: Basic Data / Statistics . Center for Orang Asli Concerns . 2017-10-27 . 2020-10-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201029082307/https://www.coac.org.my/main.php?section=about&article_id=4 . dead .
12. Book: Alberto Gomes. Modernity and Malaysia: Settling the Menraq Forest Nomads. 2004. Routledge. 11-341-0076-0.
13. Web site: Semelai Folk Music . National Department for Culture and Arts . 2016-12-12.
14. Book: James Alexander. Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore. 2006. New Holland Publishers. 18-601-1309-5.
15. Book: Hi-fi News & Record Review, Volume 26, Issues 2-6. 1981. Link House Publications.