Descending from the original inhabitants of the Malay Peninsula, the Orang Asli community has a long history, one that has been extensively recorded in Thai literature and history. Appearing in a wide array of texts, from King Rama V's play Ngoh Pah to the folk tale Sang Thong, their portrayals haven't always been positive or done justice to the wealth of their culture.
This weekend the story of the Orang Asli is presented at TK Park, CentralWorld, through a photographic exhibition. Reversing the course of literary history and representations, Dulfitree Chemma and Kariya Bin Yala, curators and content-providers for the exhibition, are trying to debunk the stereotype of the curly-haired, dark-skinned savage by sharing information about the ethnic minority's traditions, lifestyle and rich culture.
The exhibition contains 30 photographs by 10 photographers who have over the years come into contact with southern Thailand's withdrawn community. We spoke to Dulfitree ahead of the opening of the exhibition, which will be available on Saturday and Sunday at TK Park Bangkok.
A photograph by Darkle.
How did this exhibition come about?
Every year, TK Park in Yala holds an exhibition on a theme related to the local culture and arts. A few years ago, we did a show about the Hala-Bala wildlife reserve and, while I was conducting a workshop in the forest, I ran into a group of Orang Asli people -- only at the time I still called them Sakai.
Then, recently, I thought about that encounter and realised such an exhibition would profit many parties, starting with Yala locals themselves, who really don't know much about the Orang Asli minority.
How did you get in touch with the Orang Asli community?
The Orang Asli tribespeople are very discreet and used to live a very secluded life deep in the forest. They are also nomadic and move to new locations every couple of weeks. Only the forest guards know precisely where to find them, so I went through them.
Today, most Orang Asli settlements are situated closer to the forest edge, since they need to go into villages and the city more often and interact with other locals in order to buy or collect food and sometimes even to work.
What triggered these changes, and have they affected the Orang Asli community?
Encroachment by locals has depleted the forest of many resources. Traditionally, the Orang Asli people have been hunter-gatherers. They do not grow crops or raise animals, but foraging is proving increasingly difficult, forcing them to turn to the cities to find food.
Some Orang Asli members told me that they began to eat rice around five years ago and just recently discovered instant noodles.
Although they don't complain about these changes -- some even admitted to me that this lifestyle was more comfortable than their traditional practices -- many more aspects of their lives were transformed. For the first time, they need to earn money in order to buy food.
For a culture that didn't have a calendar and very basic counting skills, that's entirely new for them.
A photograph by Mumadsoray Deng.
How would you describe Orang Asli tribespeople's relationship with other locals?
In many cases, Orang Asli people are employed in rubber plantations or paid to cut grass and do construction work. These are quite harsh jobs and I believe many were cheated of their wages due to lack of education and legal status.
In many ways, the Orang Asli are still victims of discrimination, largely based on the fact that outsiders know little of their culture. They are only seen through the lens of outdated literary works depicting them as aliens and inferiors.
The worst part is that government officials and local authorities do nothing to dispel the stereotypes surrounding Orang Asli tribemembers -- perhaps because they do not know themselves.
What startled you most as you worked on this exhibition?
Prior to meeting with the Orang Asli community and having long discussions with them, I -- just like everybody else -- called them Sakai -- a term which they do not like. The word "sakai" in their native tongue Jahai means "slave" and is therefore derogatory.
It's also interesting to note how the Orang Asli have been exoticised and exploited by local authorities. A few years back, a new village was built -- called the Sakai village -- and community members were invited to come and inhabit huts made to resemble a traditional Orang Asli settlement, dressing in folkloric costumes to entertain tourists. But in reality, it's a human zoo.
Today, there's only one family still living there. Orang Asli are a nomadic people and they move whenever a tribe-member has passed away, or when an outsider has stumbled on and seen their settlement. They could never live in this kind of artificial menagerie.
What kinds of reactions did you get from the exhibition in Yala and what do you hope to achieve with your forthcoming one in Bangkok?
Many Orang Asli community members said they were happy to be portrayed as normal, whereas many local Yala residents learned a lot. Now, I hope that by coming to Bangkok, we will reach a wider audience and change perceptions on a larger scale -- beginning with educating people not to call them Sakai anymore.
