The paper is an attempt to outline some patterns of social interaction which have evolved between Orang Asli (aboriginal) societies and Malay society on the Malay Peninsula. The time frame spans the last 150 years from the pre-colonial, colonial to the post-colonial (Independence) period. Because of their prolonged contact with Malays, Orang Asli have been known to look at their society through "the screen of Malay culture", an observation originally suggested by the anthropologist Geof...

In the contemporary period, Burma has garnered world attention for the oppression of its indigenous minorities. Burmans, the dominant group of Burma are known to have arrived from Tibet, when, by displacing the Mons (Talaings) and other indigenous ethnic groups, they took possession of mainland Burma. Ever since then, the Burmans have been trying to control indigenous minority groups through the use of force, which resulted in the retreat of indigenous groups, such as the Chincs, Kachin...

In this paper we respond to the assumption, prevalent among many Northern environmental and indigenist organizations, that grassroots movements are powerless to halt development projects initiated by transnational energy corporations. We begin by examining the compromise position which the U.S. National Resources Defense Committee (NRDC) advocated in the struggle against oil development on indigenous lands in the Ecuadorian Amazon. We compare this compromise position to a number of recent vic...

This paper will be divided into two parts. The first part will try to highlight some historical events experienced by the Orang Asli, which have played an important part in placing them into the present social positions vis-a-vis the wider national order. Until today Orang Asli are seen as marginal people with `primitive culture' who need government protection for their survival. The second part of the paper will explore the needs and approaches of forging the new and dynamic relationships of...