Orang Kanaq

This article is about anOrang Asliethnic group of theProto-Malaybranch. For other uses, seeKanak (disambiguation).

Orang Kanaq
Orang Kanak / Kanak people

Total population
238 (2010, Population & Housing Census)
Regions with significant populations
Malaysia:
Johor	139 (2010, JHEOA)
Languages
Orang Kanaq language,Malay language
Religion
No religious system (originally and predominantly),Christianity,Islam
Related ethnic groups
Jakun people,Orang Kuala,Orang Seletar,Temuan people,Orang Laut

Orang Kanaqare one of the 18Orang Asliethnic groups inMalaysia.They are classified under theProto-Malaypeople group, which forms the three major people group of theOrang Asli.The Orang Kanaq are considered as the smallestOrang Asligroup with the population of approximately 90 people only.

Despite its negligible numbers, most representatives of the micro-ethnos have well maintained their identity. However, the sad dynamics of the Kanaq people's population show that there is a real threat of disappearance over their unique language and culture. It continues to exist only because of the low level of contact with other people since its traditions do not approve of mixed marriages with other ethnic groups.

Indigenous inhabitants ofPeninsular Malaysiahave a special status, which is enshrined in the legislation of the country. They use the special termOrang Asli,which means "ancient inhabitants", "original peoples", "first peoples", "aborigines" in theMalay language.They were sponsored by the stateDepartment of Orang Asli Development(JAKOA) until 2011 when it became the Department of Orang Asli Affairs (Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli,JHEOA). The purpose of the department is to raise the living standard of the indigenous people to the country's average.

TheOrang Aslido not form a united community, but it is a conglomerate of different origins, culture, way of life, language and racial features of tribes and peoples. For ease of administration, JHEOA divides them into 18 tribes, uniting in 3 groups of 6 tribes in each. This group are theNegritos,theSenoiand theProto-Malays.Kanaq people belong to the last of them.

Despite belonging to the indigenous population, the Kanaq people are relatively recent inhabitants of the country. They have lived on theMalay Peninsulafor only about 200 years. Their motherland is the islands of theRiau-LinggaArchipelago located further south, within the present-dayIndonesia.There, on a small island,Daik,that is still inhabited by a tribe of Sekanak people, which is believed to be related to the Kanaq people ofPeninsular Malaysia.

The Kanaq people are the least studied group ofOrang Asli.Usually, they avoid contact with other people and so researchers have paid little attention to them.Only recently have Malaysian scholars published a number of materials devoted to this tribe.

The spoken language of the Orang Kanaq resemblesMalaybut with a distinct coarse accent. Its population of the Orang Kanaq is dwindling,bit according to the Center of Orang Asli Concern, theOrang Kanaq languagehas still managed to survive.

Settlement area

Location of Kampung Sungai Selangi inMalaysia.

Currently, they are situated at Kampung Sungai Selangi, located northeast of Mawai, within theKota Tinggi District,in the easternJohorstate.Out of the 147,412 Orang Asli from 18 tribes in Malaysia, the Kanaq people make up the smallest number. The inhabitants of the Sungai Selangi village comprise 87 Orang Kanaq people, including 3 Malays, from 23 families. The village took shape in 1965, with only 40 Kanaq residents from 10 families.In addition to them, only a few Malay people live in Sungai Selangi.

Population

The data available in various sources allow to a certain extent to observe the dynamics of the Kanaq people's population:-

Year	1952 (Williams-Hunt)	1960	1965	1969	1974	1980	1996	2000	2003	2004	2008	2010
Population	34	38	40	40	36	37	64	73	83	83	85	139 (JHEOA)/ 238 (Population & Housing Census)

The census, conducted in 2008 among theOrang Aslicommunities in the state ofJohor's local Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA),Johor Bahru,covering five major groups ofProto-Malay'sJakun,Orang Seletar,Orang Kuala,Temuanand Kanaq people. The census showed that the Kanaq people are the smallest of these five groups, with only 85 people, or 0.72% of the totalProto-Malay's population of 11,701 individuals. All of them; 23 families, are residents of the Selangi village.

According to the Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA) in 2010, 29 families of Kanaq people lived inMalaysianumbered at 139 people (2010, JHEOA). They made up 0.18% of theProto-Malaypeople and 0.1% of theOrang Asli's total population.

Language

They speakOrang Kanaq language,which belongs to the Malay group ofAustronesian languages.Little is explored about theOrang Kanaq language.In the early 2000s, Mohammad Sharifudin Yusof in the course of field research, for the first time he composed a list of words of theOrang Kanaq languageand presented it in phonetic form. Using these records, the reader will be able to pronounceKanaq wordscorrectly, even if one has never spoken to native a speaker.

In general,Orang Kanaq languageis very similar toMalay language,especially in vocabulary and sound system, but it has a special accent and some other features. Sometimes it's called a coarse dialect ofMalay language.

Most Kanaq people speak their native language well. ButOrang Kanaq languageis under increasing pressure from the standardMalay language,this tendency is especially noticeable among the younger generation.Malay languagefor the Kanak people is the language of schooling. Given the small number ofOrang Kanaq languagespeakers, it can be argued that it is in serious danger of disappearance.

Religion

Most Kanaq people continue to adhere to traditional beliefs, which are a complex set of different cults and rituals. They believe in the existence of spirits and souls, believe in the power of spirits, which, if necessary, become a source of help for them. Numerous taboos, passed from generation to generation, regulate the daily lives of Kanaq people. These people have a whole set of myths and legends associated with faith in supernatural deities. Traditional shamans act as mediums that communicate with invisible forces.

As a result of missionary activity, part of the Kanak population has already adoptedIslamorChristianity.Joshua Projectestimates the religious composition of the tribal members as follows: 81% support traditional beliefs, 15% Muslims, 4% Christians.At the same time, JHEOA statistics say that almost all Kanaq people are Muslims: 65 people in 1997.Islamization of the people is associated with active government policy in this direction, which was carried out in the 1980s.

History

As part of the Orang Laut

The Orang Kanaq were originally one of theSea Gypsypeoples, a group of sea nomads and pirates from theRiau-Linggaarchipelago located on the east ofSumatra,Indonesia.It is believed that the Kanaq people originated from the small island of Pulau Sekanak located in this archipelago, in the north ofBatam Island,Indonesia.

Orang lautplayed an important role in the history of the Malaysian statehood. The special relationship between theOrang lautand the Malay rulers developed during the time of theSrivijayaempire (7th-11th centuries). In this state, sea nomads served as the navy. For hundreds of years, the loyalty of theOrang lautto the Malay rulers was a decisive factor in the preservation and prosperity of the state. These special relationships were inherited in the 14th century by theMalacca Sultanate,and then followed by its successor, theJohor Sultanate.TheOrang lautcontinued to occupy prominent positions in the Johor Empire in the 17th-18th centuries. In particular, the Orang Kanaq tribe is mentioned in the legendaryMalay Annals.At the beginning of the 19th century, mentions of the Kanaq people are found in the notes of European researchers, in particular Logan (Logan, 1847).

The 1699 rebellion inJohorbrought an illegitimate ruler to power and destroyed the established relationship between the Sultan and theOrang laut.The latter did not recognize the new government and began, to some extent, to take uncontrollable piracy. Tribes of sea nomads have changed the place of their disposition several times. In particular, the Orang Kanaq tribe was attested in Sekana Bay on the northern shore of the island ofSingkepin theLingga Islands.They were headed by a man (leader of the tribes of theLingga Islands'sOrang laut) by the name of Panglima Raman. The overlords of the Kanaq people were rulers of theBintan-Lingga Sultanate,dependent on theJohor Sultanate.The tribe is mentioned in those days as not very skillful pirates, who in their predatory campaigns reached the shores ofSiamandCochinchina.

The further political situation was not in favor of theOrang laut.At the end of the eighteenth century, theSiak Sultanate,ruler from the east coast ofSumatra,summoned the service of the Ilanun (Iranun people), which significantly outperformed theOrang lautin the naval affairs. Another important trend in the region was the strengthening of the position of Europeans, primarily Dutch and English colonials, who in the 19th century already firmly established in theStrait of Malacca.Europeans had inappropriate piracy in the region, and they began to carry out military operations against theIranun peopleandOrang laut.In 1843 an action was carried out on the "reconciliation" of the Kanaq people.Lingga Sultanate,at the request of the Dutch, persuaded them to stop pursuing piracy. In the same year, Dutch troops destroyed the Kanaq settlement in Sekana Gulf, forcing the tribe to move deeper into the island. To demonstrate loyalty to the Sultan, the Kanaq people symbolically burned their boats and committed themselves to farming, which did not have any skills and abilities. They took the new occupation as forced labour (kerahinMalay language), that is, corvee.

After 1862, there were no more signs of the presence of the Kanaq people in the Gulf of Sekana (Sopher, 1965). Instead, they are mentioned in the list ofOrang lauttribes, which were vassal of theJohor Sultanate.The Sultanate's then society was highly structured, each of the vassal tribes occupied a place strictly defined for it, which corresponded to the tribal status and obligated to perform certain duties in favor of the ruling Sultan. The Orang Kanaq's status was rather high, they ruled the Sultan's ships. At that time, the Kanaq people had their settlement near the island ofBintan,south ofSingapore,but often had to leave their homes for a long time; and it could last for more than a year.

Relocation to Malay Peninsula

The date and reasons for the resettlement of the Kanaq people fromBintanto theMalay Peninsularemain unexplained. Different sources give contradictory dates, and the discrepancy between which is more than 100 years. One of the undocumented documents held in the archives of the Department of Orang Asli Affairs inJohor Bahrustates that the first group of the Kanaq people numbering about 100 people was delivered by the Dutch to theKota Tinggi Districtin 1758 to work on a black pepper plantation in the Sungai Papan village. After the plantation was closed, they moved to Lebak Mincin, a land awarded to them by theSultan of Johorat the foothills of Gunung Panti and founded a new settlement here. There they began to grow fruit trees and collect forest products.

The Kanaq people themselves argue that their ancestors numbered about 150 people at one time sailed in small boats to the coast ofJohor,climbed into the interior area of Sungai Sedili and stayed in the area Mawai Lama, and that was where they founded their settlement. In their view, the relocation from theRiau Islands,which they consider to be their homeland, was caused by the oppressive behavior of the Dutch colonials. They started to migrate toMalay Peninsulain around 1784 fromRiaujust before a Dutchresidentwas set up there in 1795.Fugitives have chosen Mawai Lama in theKota Tinggi Districtbecause of its isolated location; here they could avoid contacts with outsiders, in relation to which they felt panic and fear. Other sources by the Kanaq people claimed that their ancestors had been relocated toKota Tinggiby theSultan of Johorhimself. Such a statement has grounds, because at that timeJohorbegan to engage in the commodity harvesting of rubber, which was in high demand in European markets. To carry out these works, the Sultan needed working labourers that he could easily obtain from his subjects.Apparently, the Kanak people worked as slave labourers in those rubber plantations.The dates of resettlement inJohor,of course, were not recorded.

In one way or another, the Kanak people consider Lebak Mincin as their new homeland, and it is here that their traditional forest lands are located.They are considered to be one of the country's earliest inhabitants even though they have been living on the Peninsula for only about 200 years.

Eviction in Selangor

Initially, the Kanaq people settled more or less calmly in the village at Mawai Lama,Kota Tinggibut until the times of theMalayan Emergency(1948-1960) they then relocated toSelayang,Gombak Districtduring the 1950s,when theMalayan Communist Partyrebels opposed the British authorities inMalaya.The rebels used assistance and support from indigenousOrang Aslipeople, the residents of the country's inland forest areas. In order to break off communications that are harmful to the government, the British authorities organized a resettlement of indigenousOrang Aslicommunities in the so-called "new villages", located in other regions controlled by the authorities in the country. The same fate fell on the Kanaq people as well. In 1951 they moved from Mawai Lama Aboriginal Research Center, to a village located inSungai Gombakin the state ofSelangor,13 km fromKuala Lumpur.

The Kanaq people become experimental subjects in the hands of the special department in the Department of Aboriginal Affairs at the new place created in 1950. In order to "best preserve the natural environment", the Kanaq settlement, which occupied only 1.2 hectares of land, was covered with barbed wire around it and was placed under protection. The department employees were able to "study" this group of people and conduct experiments on them. As noted by Williams-Hunt, an employee of the department, the Mawai Lama Kanaq people grew almost nothing. Their traditional way of life included the collection of forest products, including rattan,wild yamand so on. InSungai Gombak,they began to cultivate farming skills. Kanaq people had a very hard to become accustomed to the new conditions of living in camp environment, which led to many people ill and dying. According to the same Williams-Hunt, in 1953 only 40 Kanaq people survived there.

Return to Kota Tinggi

Realizing the complete failure of their resettlement policy, the British authorities in 1955 turned the Kanaq people back toJohor,in the sameKota Tinggi District,but several times they had to change their place of residence. Originally settled in the village of Semangar, the Kanaq people were dissatisfied with this settlement, because it was located only 230 meters from the settlement ofJakun people,another indigenousOrang Aslipeople ofPeninsular Malaysia.They lived in Semangar until 1959, after which they moved to the Batu 9 in Jalan Mawai. Finally, in order to mitigate the situation, the government specially allocated Kanaq people for allocating 28 hectares of land for housing and agricultural land from the state reserve, and in the year 1964, 10 Kanaq families (about 40 people) settled in Sungai Selangi, where people still live.

The events of theMalayan Emergencymarked the beginning of the modern history of indigenousOrang Aslipeoples ofPeninsular Malaysia.Since then, they have received serious attention from the government. Initially their affairs were dealt with by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. AfterMalaysiareceived independence in 1957, this structure was transformed into the Department of Orang Asli Affairs, and after the reorganization in 2011 it became known as theDepartment of Orang Asli Development.As in the case of other indigenousOrang Aslicommunities, a special Field Assistant officer was assigned to the Kanaq people, who had to bring the decision of the government to the tribe. A representative from the tribe served as the elder.

Culture

Lifelihood

The current Kanaq people are not at all like their ancestors- theseafarers,as they have long lost contact with sea life. However, agriculture remains alien to them; despite all the efforts of the state government to instill new skills for their welfare, Kanaq people never seriously did not treat their occupations with agriculture. They are more than happy with the traditional lessons related to the use of natural resources such asharvesting,hunting and fishing. In the area of Lebak Mincin, located 15 kilometers from their village in Sungai Selangi, the tribe has its own traditional jungle lands, the land of ancestors, calledsaka.This territory has the status of land reserves. There is a norm amongOrang Asliwhere their mother-saka,is located in unoccupied places at a considerable distance from their permanent settlements.Periodically, especially during the ripening season of the fruit or when there is not much work in the village, the Kanaq people for a certain period of time would go to Lebak Mincin to collect "gifts" from the forest. In addition to fruit, they collect rattan in large quantities here, which are then sold through a middle-person. For their own needs, rattan is practically not used, unless what is available from it to make brooms.

The gathering of rattans in the life of the tribe is of paramount importance, since it is the main source of their income. In 1965 the Kanaq people collected as many as 20 trucks of rattan. The collection of this plant involves groups of families, which they would go together in the jungle for a few days. Before going into the woods, they would hold a great ceremony, spells, trying to receive blessings and protection from the jungle spirits in order to make a successful journey. The great distances that must be overcome and the reduction of rattan stocks due to its excessive cutting are the reasons why this occupation has become less attractive for the Kanaq people in recent years.

Fishing is also common, there are plenty of fish in local rivers. In addition, hunting of small wild animals in the jungle is carried out with the use ofblowgunswith poisonous darts.

The total area of land allocated for the settlement of Kanaq people is 27.92 hectares, namely, the village occupies only 0.6 hectares. The rest of the territory are used by the people to plant their crops, although the land is not fertile here. They grow cassava, sweet potatoes, yams, and most of these products are consumed in the same place.

In the past, the Orang Kanaq were slave workers tapping trees in rubber plantations.The government has repeatedly tried to attract Kanaq people, like otherOrang Aslitribes, to produce plantation crops. At first, a small rubber plantation was created with an area of 3.02 hectares, in which each family received four rows of trees. But the Kanaq people did not show any interest in rubber tapping. The trees left growing without supervision, and eventually they were abandoned and infested with wild deer. In such condition was the plantation in 1964. Subsequently, the Kanaq people gave it to the localChinese people.In 1983, the state company ofFederal Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority(FELCRA) started planting oil palm in an area of 24.74 hectares of plantation. The project was attended by 12 Kanaq families. Their income could be bigger if they worked on the plantation themselves. However, the tribe traditionally does not show any entrepreneurial initiative.Today, one of their main sources of income comes from their work in oil palm plantation managed by FELCRA.

The desire to get money from time to time prompts Kanaq men to get hired to work on neighbouring private plantations, logging companies, and state land projects. However, hired labour did not become a permanent occupation for them. There are situations when they abandon their work without notice, for example, during the season of maturation of fruits in the jungle. On the other hand, business employers are not always honest in their relations with the Kanaq people, where the money they earn is either not paid on time or not fully paid.

They are also lagging behind in modern technology and education and are still working as labourers in rubber and shrub plantations.

Housing

In recent years, the Kanaq people lived in cottages that looked more like chicken coops. But the state government under the program of Housing Maintenance Scheme (Skim Perumahan Kesejahteraan Rakyat,SPKR) has built 23 new housing huts in Sungai Selangi.This is standard for theOrang Aslidesign, a wooden cabin on stilts, but a reduced version of a typical ruralMalay house,specially designed for this purpose by JHEOA authorities. This house includes two living rooms, a kitchen and an open veranda in front porch.The village is also provided with basic utilities and infrastructure such as clean water and electricity, and household appliances.

Society

All those who have encountered the Kanaq people would noticed of their extraordinary shyness. They usually avoid contact with strangers. When they see the outsider of the village on the street, the Kanaq women flee back home into their house, and then they would watch from the windows until the stranger leaves their settlement. It takes a lot of time to get in touch with these people, and they need years to make them trust a stranger.And in general, the Kanaq people prefer to remain in the company exclusively of their own tribesmen.

To this should be added also the age-old tradition of tribalendogamy.The Kanaq people avoid marriages with outsiders. It is difficult for the close-knitted Orang Kanaq community to be separated as they avoid marrying outsiders. They believe that such unions will bring a curse on their tribesmen.On the other hand, this tradition has allowed them for many years to maintain their identity, despite the low birthrates that have caused their numbers to dwindle over the years.

The Orang Kanaq have long puzzled outsiders for being able to maintain their small population at 30-40 for generations.This is because they have practiced birth control with traditional methods by drinking a herbal drink called "jarak anak",and even more recently with modern medications.

The crowd is headed by a village head, ortok batin.He is a community representative in relations with the state government, he distributes help among members of the tribal community with the assistance they regularly receive from the government, he negotiates with outsiders who address specific issues in the community. Thetok batinhas the final say as a decisive factor in permitting the issuance of rattan cutting licenses and other work carried out within the jungle area reserved for the tribe. The position elected by seniority, but in real life, the position is usually inherited by a man's line.

It is difficult for the Kanaq people to form a relationship with other people. They, if not the largest of all indigenousOrang Aslipeoples ofPeninsular Malaysia,were once involved in the processes of forced relocation, restriction of freedom and free use of natural resources. This had negative consequences not only for the social and economic life of the community, but also for the moral state of these people. Mistrust of the government, sown in previous years, remains relevant to this day. This is one reason why JHEOA efforts to "modernize" the tribe were not very successful.

The Kanaq people traditionally have closer contact with Chinese traders who are calledtaukeas intermediaries, of whom they are trusted more than the government officials. In the early twentieth century thesetaukesprovided the Kanaq people with the opportunity to sell the products that they gathered in the jungle. The localChinese peoplecontinued to provide such services, besides giving out loans to those who are in debt, and hired them to work in their plantations. Middleman constantly tricked and cheated the Kanaq people, using their ignorance, and used them as cheap labour, and resell their products at a much higher price. Excessive dependence and trust in the localChinese peopleis the reason that the Kanaq people are ready to sell to them their licenses issued by the Forest Department ofJohorfor harvesting and processing of jungle products.

Modernisation

The Malaysian government, through theDepartment of Orang Asli Development(JAKOA), is trying to change the lives of Kanaq people, to overcome their lagging socio-economic, and to implement specific community development programmes to this day. JAKOA and other institutions provide the Kanaq people with a variety of education, health care, financial assistance, agricultural subsidies and livestock subsidies, free housing and business opportunities. Almost every family has received from the state government some kind of domestic economy. Kanaq people also receive a share of FELCRA's palm oil sales, monthly free food, clothing and other basic necessities.

However, theOrang Aslithemselves do not always have a positive response towards these transformations. In particular, the Kanaq people would rather avoid accepting them, and they continued their traditional way of life, had free access to their native land and jungles, and could hunt and collect timber there.

Nevertheless, in recent years, the efforts of government structures to integrate Kanaq people into the Malaysian society have begun to bring results. Asphalted roads were paved into the village, a mosque, a public hall and a kindergarten were built in Sungai Selangi. Parents began sending their children to a public school. Part of the Kanaq people have acceptedIslam,and mixed marriages are no longer surprising. The standard of living of the people began to increase. Some members of the tribe bought motorcycles and electric home appliances began to appear in homes.

Unfortunately, the living standards of the Kanaq people are still very low, and the help they receive often does not have the desired effect. This is confirmed by the results of a survey conducted in 2012 between the two communities ofOrang Asliin the state ofJohor,namely, the Kanaq andOrang Kuala.Characteristically, Kanaq people by absolutely all indicators are considerably inferior to theOrang Kuala.The reason for this, according to specialists, is due to the lack of an appropriate interest among the Kanaq people themselves. These people are used to being small and feel comfortable with this. State aid provided to them for many years are mainly used to meet urgent needs. Such assistance cannot change the lives of people in such a way that they could provide themselves with consistent stable income and thereby have the opportunity to improve their financial position.

The same applies to the education system. Kanaq children attends publicprimary school(Sekolah Kebangsaan,SK) in Mawai andsecondary school(Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan,SMK) in Felda Bukit Aping Barat. However, their parents do not take seriously the importance of education, and therefore many children drop out of school, especially in the first few years of study.