Deep in the heart of the rainforests of the Peninsular Malaysia lives the Orang Asli, an aboriginal people who exist off the land and lead a nomadic life. In the jungles and along the rivers of Sarawak and Sabah, tribes of proud warrior-like folk roam. This is the other side of Malaysia, a land of cultural diversity.
In Pahang, the Temok tribe can be found eking an existence from the rainforest. These aboriginal people gather dammar, hardened tree sap from the Keruing tree. The sap is used to make torches, seal boats and perfumes.
There are 14 Orang Asli tribes in Malaysia. Most have been resettled and being slowly educated in the ways of the modern world. But there are still some tribes that practise a nomadic form of existence. Visitors to Taman Negara in Pahang, would be able to visit one of those nomadic villages and see how plants are used to make fire as well as make weapons.
It is the tribes of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo though that have the most mystique about them. Feared in days gone past as head-hunters and practitioners of human sacrifice, the tribes have adapted and assimilated into modern society.
Most though still sport their tribal tattoos, intricate works of art painstakingly etched on to the wearer's skin with thorn or bamboo. Tattoos used to tell a person's rank and his deeds, but nowadays, most sport them as fashion accessories.
One of the best places to get to know more about the tribes of Sarawak is the Sarawak Cultural Village. Only 45 minutes away from Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, the beautiful 17-acre Sarawak Cultural Village presents inhabited replicas of the traditional dwellings found in the interior and coastal areas of Sarawak.
