Akar Nusa
Before you write about a family, you ask the family. That is the oldest rule of good manners. On this page we set out how we apply it when we tell the stories of the Orang Asli.
The story
Telling the story of a people who are not your own is a responsibility. The Orang Asli have often been described by others: by officials, by scholars, by travellers. The Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) explains that many of the names and categories in use were put on them from outside. COAC also explains that one word, "Sakai", is despised by Orang Asli. So the first rule is simple.
Our rules for these pages
1. Name each people as they name themselves. We write Semai, Temiar, Batek, Mah Meri and so on, not a general label, wherever we can. "Orang Asli" is used as the collective term, and we remember it came from outsiders. 2. Respectful words only. We do not use words such as "primitive" or "aborigine", or the word "Sakai". We do not describe any people as "backward" or "stuck in the past". Orang Asli live in today's world. 3. Scholarly sources, opened and checked. Each story page rests on published studies and on Orang Asli organisations such as COAC. 4. No private people. We do not write about named individuals or families without their permission. 5. Consent comes first for anything beyond published facts. If a community wishes to tell its own story, on its own pages, in its own words, we ask first, agree what will be shown, and credit them. Free, prior and informed consent is the international standard. A 2018 paper by Hassan and Nordin argues that it helps turn Orang Asli self-determination into practice, and notes that the issue is still at stake in Malaysia. 6. Land and rights are not decided by DNA. Migration stories must never be used to say who belongs, or who owns land. Orang Asli are recognised as bumiputera, but COAC says they receive far fewer of the rights and privileges that Malays enjoy. 7. Nothing on this site says that DNA proves race, religion, or bumiputera status. The American Association of Biological Anthropologists states that race is not an accurate way to describe human biological variation, and that ancestry tests find clusters that depend on who is included.
Where you can still see it today
- In COAC's reports and statements. COAC supports Orang Asli court cases and advocacy.
- In community-run programmes. Where villages run visitor programmes, use them.
- In Orang Asli voices. Look for books, films and talks by Orang Asli themselves.
- In our credits. Each page lists its sources so you can read more.
What DNA can tell, and what it cannot
DNA can show deep roots and links to the wider region for some Orang Asli communities. It cannot say who is Orang Asli. It cannot decide race, religion, or bumiputera status. It must never be used to question anyone's belonging.
If you are an Orang Asli reader and wish to correct or add to one of our pages, please tell us. We will listen first and change the page.
