Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesian archipelago. The
‘OrangAsli’name is a Malay term which transliterates
as ‘original peoples’ or ‘first peoples.’It is a collective
term introduced by anthropologists and administra-
tors for the 18 sub-ethnic groups generally classified
for official purposes under Semang (Negrito), Senoi
andAboriginal Malay (Proto Malay).Nevertheless, the
Orang Asli is not a homogeneous group. Each tribe
has its own language and culture, and perceives itself
as different from the others. Linguistically, some of
the northern Orang Asli groups (especially the Senoi
and Negrito groups) speak languages which nowdays
termed as Aslian languages that suggest a historical
link with the indigenous peoples in Burma, Thailand
and Indo-China.
5.2