165
besides providing them with basic needs from the outside world. Initially, trading
with Malays involved exchanging rattan, tree bark and stones with sea shells to be
used for various purposes like utensils. During the Melaka Sultanate, the range of
these forest products had expanded to include camphor, dammar, rattan, gaharu and
beeswax, which were exchanged for iron, salt, ceramics and other domestic needs.
So, over a long period, the Orang Asli were able to keep their tribal secrets regarding the location of their forest products. However, by the nineteenth century, there
was pressure on ethnic boundaries as forests were increasingly cut down to open
plantations geared for the export market. Meanwhile, Malay attitude towards the
Orang Asli began to change for the worse, although their support was keenly sought
during times of local power contest (Andaya 2008).
Prehistory and History of Orang Asli: Archaeological
and Oral History Evidence
The existence of prehistoric communities in Peninsular Malaysia from late
Pleistocene onwards is proven by the discovery of cave and rock shelters. Gua Sagu
and Gua Tenggek in the state of Pahang are the oldest cave sites in Peninsular
Malaysia. There is evidence of Gua Sagu being occupied by humans between
14,000 years to 1000 years ago, while Gua Tenggek was occupied from about
10,000 years ago. Another cave, Gua Kechil which is also located in Pahang, has
indications of a three-phase human occupation, with the first phase
(12,000–8000 years ago) dominated by Hoabinhian stone tools, while the second
(8000–4800 years ago) is characterized by the use of plain pottery, polished adzes,
shell and animal bones. In the third phase (4800 years ago), the use of pottery
became predominant, while bones and shells declined. That phase is regarded by
many scholars as the beginning of the Neolithic age and also evidence of horticulture, according to Bellwood (1998).
Gua Cha in the state of Kelantan (8000–9000 years ago) is probably the bestknown rock shelter in Peninsular Malaysia. An excavation in 1979 discovered two
main periods of habitation – the Hoabinhian and Neolithic periods. The Hoabinhians
were most probably hunter-gatherers. They were followed by the Neolithic people,
although there was no convincing evidence for any chronological overlap. This
means that it is also difficult to determine with certainty if the Neolithic period
evolved locally from Hoabinhian in Gua Cha. The absence of marked differences in
physical features between the Hoabinhians and Neolithics indicates a common origin. Taha (1985a) suggested that the evolution from Hoabinhian to Neolithic culture
took place elsewhere, with the Gua Cha Hoabinhians acquiring new tools and pottery from people domiciled in the coastal region of Peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand. The relative scarcity of Neolithic occupation materials in Gua Cha
shows that it may just have been used as a burial ground. The site contains substantial amount of complete pottery items, including those related to southern Thailand’s
Ban Kao Neolithic culture of the second millennium B.C.
A Multidisciplinary Account of the Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia
besides providing them with basic needs from the outside world. Initially, trading
with Malays involved exchanging rattan, tree bark and stones with sea shells to be
used for various purposes like utensils. During the Melaka Sultanate, the range of
these forest products had expanded to include camphor, dammar, rattan, gaharu and
beeswax, which were exchanged for iron, salt, ceramics and other domestic needs.
So, over a long period, the Orang Asli were able to keep their tribal secrets regarding the location of their forest products. However, by the nineteenth century, there
was pressure on ethnic boundaries as forests were increasingly cut down to open
plantations geared for the export market. Meanwhile, Malay attitude towards the
Orang Asli began to change for the worse, although their support was keenly sought
during times of local power contest (Andaya 2008).
Prehistory and History of Orang Asli: Archaeological
and Oral History Evidence
The existence of prehistoric communities in Peninsular Malaysia from late
Pleistocene onwards is proven by the discovery of cave and rock shelters. Gua Sagu
and Gua Tenggek in the state of Pahang are the oldest cave sites in Peninsular
Malaysia. There is evidence of Gua Sagu being occupied by humans between
14,000 years to 1000 years ago, while Gua Tenggek was occupied from about
10,000 years ago. Another cave, Gua Kechil which is also located in Pahang, has
indications of a three-phase human occupation, with the first phase
(12,000–8000 years ago) dominated by Hoabinhian stone tools, while the second
(8000–4800 years ago) is characterized by the use of plain pottery, polished adzes,
shell and animal bones. In the third phase (4800 years ago), the use of pottery
became predominant, while bones and shells declined. That phase is regarded by
many scholars as the beginning of the Neolithic age and also evidence of horticulture, according to Bellwood (1998).
Gua Cha in the state of Kelantan (8000–9000 years ago) is probably the bestknown rock shelter in Peninsular Malaysia. An excavation in 1979 discovered two
main periods of habitation – the Hoabinhian and Neolithic periods. The Hoabinhians
were most probably hunter-gatherers. They were followed by the Neolithic people,
although there was no convincing evidence for any chronological overlap. This
means that it is also difficult to determine with certainty if the Neolithic period
evolved locally from Hoabinhian in Gua Cha. The absence of marked differences in
physical features between the Hoabinhians and Neolithics indicates a common origin. Taha (1985a) suggested that the evolution from Hoabinhian to Neolithic culture
took place elsewhere, with the Gua Cha Hoabinhians acquiring new tools and pottery from people domiciled in the coastal region of Peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand. The relative scarcity of Neolithic occupation materials in Gua Cha
shows that it may just have been used as a burial ground. The site contains substantial amount of complete pottery items, including those related to southern Thailand’s
Ban Kao Neolithic culture of the second millennium B.C.
A Multidisciplinary Account of the Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia