Orang Asal

The term is Malay for "Original People", used to refer to the aboriginals of Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia.

[1] It was originally used by Communist insurgents in the Malayan Emergency in order to gain the support of these tribal groups.

[4] In addition, illegal logging often occurs on what is considered traditional land of the Orang Asal.

Orang Asal is an overarching term, encompassing all indigenous people on both Peninsula and East Malaysia.

[1] Those on the Peninsula are known more specifically as the Orang Asli; they number around 149,500[1] and make up only 0.7% of the total Malaysian population.

[8] Some numbers differ, but East Malaysia contains a total of about 64 indigenous groups, around 39 in Sabah and 25 in Sarawak.

[8] The people of Sabah are traditionally subsistence farmers, although nowadays they are becoming more involved in local government.