ABSTRACT
The Orang Asli (literally, ‘first people’) are known as the original inhabitants of West Malaysia, or Peninsular Malaysia. They comprise 18 ethnic sub-groups, but for administrative purposes are classified officially into three main groups, namely Negrito, Senoi and Proto-Malay. Currently, they represent approximately 0.6 per cent of the national population of Malaysia of 23.27 million (Malaysian Government Census; JHEOA, 2000). This chapter examines the social and gendered consequences of the involuntary resettlement of the Orang Asli, who have been displaced by two large dam projects, the Temenggor Dam in Upper Perak and the Sungai Selangor Dam in Kuala Kubu Bahru. Resettlement has had severe impacts on displaced Orang Asli communities because it has so drastically altered their livelihood strategies and impacted on their identity (World Bank, 1994; World Commission on Dams, 2000). The Orang Asli have been forced to move from their homelands to large state projects, and Ghai (1994) notes such projects are usually linked to powerful vested interests, resulting not only in personal losses but also in violation of the community's customary land and ancestral rights.
