Traditionally referred to as civilized Kubu, the Orang Batin Sembilan are a larger population of swidden-based peoples who live in the central and eastern lowland forests of South Sumatra (pop.

The Orang Rimba ('people of the forest') are a much smaller population of people (~3000)[citation needed] who live in the upstream regions of Jambi and South Sumatran.

Their social relations are very egalitarian, while hierarchies are largely based upon age, gender and knowledge of religion and culture law.

[2] Since the 1970s, many of these peoples have been displaced from their traditional lands by logging companies and palm oil plantations,[3] and for some time have been the target of government settlement projects.

They are isolects of the Malay language (Bahasa Melayu) spoken in the upstream regions of Palembang and Jambi, Sumatra.