Akar Nusa
A Temiar woman wakes in a longhouse in the Kelantan hills. Last night she dreamed of a song. Today she will sing it to the village. The song came from the forest, she says, not from her.
The story
The Temiar are Senoi, one of the three official Orang Asli groupings. Encyclopedia.com places them in north Perak and south Kelantan. COAC says Temiar and other Senoi live near or within the forest and still practise swiddening (hill-rice farming), hunting, fishing and gathering. They also trade petai, durian, rattan and resins. Encyclopedia.com adds that they grow hill rice and tapioca and sometimes live in longhouses, with a separate hearth for each family.
COAC's tables count 17,706 Temiar in 2000 and 25,725 in 2003. Different counts give different numbers, so these are rough.
What makes the Temiar known around the world is their music. University of California Press describes the anthropologist Marina Roseman's book on Temiar healing. She lived with the Temiar for two years and recorded and transcribed their rituals. Her book treats music and dance as central to healing. Its chapters include dreaming and the performance of songs that come from spirit guides.
Dreams matter in daily life too. Encyclopedia.com says dreams are shared with the community, and an expert helps interpret them. A person who dreams that a friend is in danger is expected to warn that friend.
Temiar belongs to the Aslian languages. COAC says Northern Senoi groups speak Aslian languages, linked to peoples in Myanmar, Thailand and Indochina.
Where you can still see it today
- In south Kelantan and north Perak. Look for community-led visits, and ask before filming songs or ceremonies. Some belong to the community.
- In recordings and books. Roseman's work is the best-known scholarly guide.
- In the forest economy. Petai, durian and rattan from Orang Asli collectors reach ordinary markets. Buy from them directly where you can.
What DNA can tell, and what it cannot
A 2006 study of Orang Asli mother lines found that about half of Senoi mother lines trace to the Semang's ancestors and about half to Indochina. The authors say this fits early farmers who spoke Austroasiatic languages arriving about 4,000 years ago and mixing with people already living here. A mother line called R9b may point to Indochina in some Peninsular peoples.
A mother line, father line or region estimate may therefore show links with both the old Peninsula and the mainland. The 2015 genome study found Senoi look like a blend of Negrito and East Asian ancestry.
DNA cannot decide whether a person is Temiar, and it cannot decide race, religion or bumiputera status. Songs, kin and community make a Temiar, not a test result.
