Wild Asia - Knowledge, Culture and Beliefs of Tasek Bera's Semelai People

Tasek Bera, Malaysia's first Ramsar site, is important not just for its flora and fauna. It is also home to the Semelai, the indigenous Orang Asli people who inhabit the area around the lake. WETLANDS INTERNATIONAL reports on their unique culture and beliefs.

The Semelai are indigenous people living along the banks and surrounding forests of Tasek Bera. Not much is known of their origins. However archeological findings reveal that they have lived here for more than 600 years. Gentle and soft spoken with a great sense of humour, the Semelai are an attractive race that continues to hold on to their old way of life even as they adapt to modern living.

In the past the Semelai lived as hunters and gatherers obtaining the bulk of their food from hunting, fishing and trapping of land and water animals as well as collecting forest produce such as rattan, keruing resin and medicinal plants like the Kacip Fatimah. Today, these activities are less intensively pursued to supplement their income.

Their main source of income is from tapping rubber on each of their six-acre government sponsored land. They sell the scrap rubber to traders that come into the Pos Iskandar setlement. Alternatively they operate sundry shops and more recently, they are in popular demand as nature guides to tourists and sport fishermen because they know the forest and the lake habitats like the back of their hands.

The Semelai are a true wetland people in that they use the natural resources of the lake such as pandanus and tube sedge for thatching or to weave baskets and mats for household use. They alse eat the leaves, buds, fruits and seeds as well as wetland fauna like fish, freshwater turtles or shellfish.

This close interdependence of the Semelai and the lake is a crucial factor for their survival. For this reason the lake is currently protected under the Ramsar Convention. It was given the status of a Wetland of International Importance when Malaysia signed the Convention in 1994.

According to folklore, the Semelai are descendants of the seventh child of Batin Paduka Alam, who is believed to be a god-like being.

Ethnological research has classified the Semelai as Proto-Malays. However, interestingly, their language has many phonological features including vocabulary and grammatical structure similar to other Mon Khmer languages. Therefore though Semelai and Malay people bear much cultural and physical likeness, the historical relationship between the two is yet to be defined.

The following summary was extracted from a booklet published by Wetlands International - Malaysia Office: Knowledge, Culture and Beliefs of the Semelai People of Tasek Bera. Mohala Santharamohana. 2003. If you would like a copy of this booklet, please contact Wetlands International.

Conservation Supporters

The publication of this guide has been made possible through the financial support of:

Ford Motor Company - Conservation and Environmental Grants
UNDP-GEF - Small Grants Programme