Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and food practices
N.M. Shahril & M.N. Syuhirdy
Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Penang, Malaysia
M.S.M. Zahari & A.H. Hamizad
Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia
ABSTRACT: Displacement inevitably causes many changes to the indigenous tribes. In the new places
or new settlement, tribes without doubt encountering many facets of their life, including the economy,
education, lifestyles, belief, religion and many others. However, the available studies on Malaysia Orang
Asli as indigenous tribes were mostly focusing on the socio-economy, such as household income and the
compensation value paid after the acquisition of the land by the authority with little looking at socio-
culture and traditional food practices. This paper reports the empirical findings of displacement effects
on Orang Asli socio-culture and traditional food practices. Displacement benefits the indigenous tribes
and positively improved their socio-culture in term economy, knowledge and understanding through edu-
cation. Displacement also has given the impact on Orang Asli food practices. These positive indications
have given significant implication not only to the indigenous groups itself, but also to the responsible
authorities.
Keywords
:
Displacement, indigenous, socio-culture, food practices
1 INTRODUCTION
the deforestation through a nomadic behavior
through swidden farming (Nicholas, 2000). In this
sense, the swidden farming is an unplanned proc-
ess whereby the Orang Asli opens and closes forest
area for agricultural purposes that destroyed forest
area, flora and fauna. Third reasons relate to the
planned infrastructure development projects such
as electric hydro and dam construction (Kenyir
Dam in Terengganu), highway (North and South
highway PLUS) and land acquisition projects
(FELDA and FELCRA) (Gomes, 2004).
Akpanudoedehe (2010) argued that displace-
ment inevitably causes social cultural changes to the
indigenous peoples or tribes. In the new places or
new settlement, tribes are without doubt encounter-
ing and adjusting many facets of their life, including
the economy, education, lifestyles, belief, religion
and many others (Woube, 2005). Jamal (1996)
noted that indigenous tribes have to adapt and to
blend in with the locality or new peoples surround-
ing them. With this, it is argued that Orang Asli
through displacements program are believed to have
altered their socio-culture elements like domestic
economy, household income, education, religious
belief, cultural including food practices. Neverthe-
less, the available studies on Orang Asli were mostly
focusing on the socio-economy such as household
Orang Asli are the peninsular Malaysia indigenous
tribes' which accounted approximately nineteen
culturally and linguistically distinct groups repre-
senting 0.6 percent of the total National popula-
tion. Among all, Semai, Temiar, Jakun (Orang
Hulu), and Temuan are the largest groups of Orang
Asli scattered throughout the peninsular (AITPN,
2008). For long period or to be exact before the
Independence Day, Orang Asli has been living in
the remote forest area isolated from civilization
and development process with nomadic behavior.
However, to ensure that they are not left behind
from the waves of modernization and benefits
from modern development process the displace-
ment scheme was introduced by the government
since late sixties (Nicholas, 2000).
According to AITPN (2008), displacements of
Orang Asli were occurred since 1948 with three
major reasons. The first reason was to curb the
spreading of communist ideology. Orang Asli were
displaced in a new designated place by the Brit-
ish. Pengkalan Hulu in Perak and Gua Musang in
Kelantan are the examples of the earliest displace-
ment area established during that pre independ-
ent period. The second reasons were to control
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