Jakun people

Jakun people
Orang Ulu

Jakun blowgun hunting party, 1906.
Total population
(30,000)
Regions with significant populations
Malaysia (Johor and Pahang)
Languages
Jakun, Malay
Religion
Traditional religion, Islam and Chinese folk religion.
Related ethnic groups
Proto Malays, Orang Asli, Malays

Jakuns are an ethnic group recognised as Orang Asli (indigenous people) of the Malay Peninsula. They are closely related to the Malay people and are probably a branch of the Proto-Malay, whom the 19th century researcher A. R. Wallace called "savage Malays". They are also related to the Orang Laut, another indigenous group that lives along the coasts and depends on fishing.

They are the largest group in the Proto-Malay division of the Orang Asli, and the second-largest Orang Asli group overall after the Semai.

Appearance

The Jakuns are taller than the other aboriginal peoples of the Malay Peninsula, the Semang and Sakai tribes. Jakun people typically have olive-brown to dark copper skin color. Some have intermarried with ethnic Malays or Chinese. Those who marry or assimilated with Malays usually adhere or largely convert to Islam; families with Chinese ancestors may practise Chinese folk religion in addition to Jakun customs.

Language

Jakuns speak Jakun language, a Malayic language closely related to Malay.

Location

Jakun teenagers playing pick-up sticks in a community centre.

Jakuns are mostly located in the south of Pahang and north Johor Before the colonial era, many Jakuns would enter the jungle on a seasonal basis to harvest forest products. Most Jakun communities in the modern age have a settled lifestyle and stay in permanent villages practising agriculture. Like many other Orang Asli groups, however, they suffer from inadequate access to public schools, which can be far away from the communities.

Racism

Non-Orang Asli Malay language speakers occasionally use the word "Jakun" as an insult for an unsophisticated person. This is considered derogatory and racist.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: