Meeting the Orang Asli. Taman Nagara, Malaysia.

The Orang Asli are the minority indigenous peoples of Peninsular Malaysia. They are about 120,000 and distributed unevenly among 19 different linguistic groups. They represent the most marginalized of Malaysian society today. But the Orang Asli were not always the underclass during early modern Malayan history, some Orang Asli groups, especially in Melaka, Johor, and Negri Sembilan, were instrumental in helping to establish and maintain early Malay kingdoms. We spent 3 days trek through the ancient rainforests of Taman Negara. On the last day, we came across the Orang Asli community and we meet the chef of the village. Orang means 'man' in its generic sense – hence 'orang-utan', or 'man of the jungle' – and the Orang Asli are the original inhabitants of the jungle. Evidence of their existence was our boat trip from Kuala Tembleling. We had the chance to see them in the water, having bath with the children or just fishing. We arrive to the village also by boat, and we start see a number of temporary shelters dotted around the place done by woven-leaf. My curiosity implies me to go to these places, but hanging around this simply village, I felt the strange sensation that I was being watched, and I really don’t belong to that place. Our guide assured us that they were used to receive people, and there was no reason to feel as an intruder. Strangely we were received by a group of children’s, simply playing around like other children no matter where in the word. I suddenly left behind my silly feeling of stupid tourist with all the photo gear and self-conscious modern man, and I let myself go by all this modest way of living. They reveal to be great hosts and expressed the same curiosity about me, and my camera, that I express for them and theirs hunting tools. Among all the great photos I took in that day, I chose this home to display for the beauty and simplicity.