The finding aids were developed to provide initial access to the materials held in the archive. Researchers may want to consult archive personnel with reference questions on specific collections.

Adela S. Baer Papers
The Adela S. Baer (ASB) papers document a human biologist's fieldwork, scholarly research and professional contributions to the study of the Orang Asli peoples. Three documents authored by ASB are viewable in a digital format on-line. Two works, A Temuan-English-Malay Lexicon and A Temuan Syntax, were developed for use by the Temuan and the general public but not according to current linguistic standards. The Index of Locations or Place Names Relevant to Orang Asli History in Malaysia indexes place names mentioned in the 1906 work, Pagan Races of the Malay Peninsula, by W. Skeat and C. Blagden. The works of other professional colleagues are found in Series 6. A number of these works are annotated by ASB (as noted in their folder titles) and document her professional contributions to the field of Orang Asli studies. Other items in the ASB collection are documented in the Inventory, and in the Container List.

Rev. Burr Hastings Baughman Collection
The Rev. Burr Hastings Baughman Collection consists of photographs taken by BHB during his time as a Methodist missionary in Malaysia and South East Asia during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Some of the photographs show BHB engaged in church-related activities (Series III, images 1, 2 and 3), such as hosting a meeting and assisting people with their baptismal certificates. Many of the images supply information about architecture, material culture and daily life in this region. For further information consult the Inventory.

John H. Brandt Photograph Collection
This photograph collection documents the work and travels of John H. Brandt (JHB) among Orang Asli groups, primarily Negrito or Semang, in the southern extension (the peninsular region) of Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia in the early 1960's. There are three series of photographs in the collection. Series I consists of 125 black and white prints that record JHB's travels among the Negrito, Temuan and Jahai groups. The prints are not dated but were most likely taken between 1961 and 1965. Series II is a group of 46 color slides of Negrito peoples of the peninsular region of Thailand that were taken between 1961 and 1964. Series III is a black and white slide presentation, created by JHB, called The Negrito of South Thailand. Most of the 38 slides are copies of images from Series I with the addition of a paragraph of narration for each slide. For further information consult the Inventory and the Container List.

COAC Collection
The Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) has a sharing relationship with the Orang Asli Archive in which materials are exchanged between repositories. The digital photographs in this collection (Series 2) were taken by Colin Nicholas of the COAC. The documents included in Series 3 through Series 7 are either authored by Colin Nicholas or concern the work and activities of the COAC. Many documents are available in both print and digital versions. For further information consult the Inventory and the Container List.

Earl of Cranbrook Collection
This collection documents the Earl of Cranbrook's contact with Orang Asli peoples in Malaysia circa 1963. The sound recording has nine tracks of Temuan bamboo instrumental music and was originally recorded on open reel tape. Five color slides depict (with one exception) unidentified Orang Asli individuals. The digital photographs were scanned from black and white negatives held by the Earl of Cranbrook. Laser copies of photographs include copies of pages in the Earl of Cranbrook's scrapbook and copies of individual photographs from his collection. Seventeen of those images have an accompanying caption. For further information consult the Inventory and the Container List.

Robert K. Dentan Papers
The Robert K Dentan (RKD) papers document an anthropologist's work with the Orang Asli peoples of Malaysia. Current archive holdings are a fraction of RKD's entire collection and at this date are comprised of his field notes, manuscripts, and catalogs along with published materials; some that are by other authors. The field records include an early manuscript on the Semai language titled Preliminary Field Notes on the Semai Language, edited in 2003 and now available online. Medical Ideas and Practices Among the Jah Hut of Malaya, by Ivan Polunin, is based on Polunin's work in Malaysia in the late 1950's. Materia Medica of the Jah Hut by Robert K. Dentan is based on two solo trips to Malaysia by Dentan and a third trip he made to Sungai Kol with Ivan Polunin. This manuscript is the product of Dentan's conversations in Malay with Jah Hut collaborators. The Sengoi (Sakai) First Primer is from RKD's personal collection of publications. "Stewards of the Green and Beautiful World: A Preliminary Report on Semai Arboriculture and its Policy Implications" is a copy of a chapter coauthored by Dentan. For further information consult the Inventory and the Container List.

Roy Follows Papers
The Roy Follows Papers document the experience of a member of the British Colonial Police stationed at Fort Brooke during the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960). Series 1 of the collection consists of photocopies of documents sent to Follows by the Department of Aborigines to acclimate him to his position and to deliver news. The Handling of Aborigines was authored by The Department of Aborigines as an etiquette guide for those stationed among the Orang Asli. Series 2 consists of a document detailing the history behind establishing British forts in Malaysia and the construction of Fort Brooke. The most substantial portion of the collection is the correspondence file. Follows used email and letters to send digital images, stories and other information about his time with the Orang Asli to the archive. His emails also detail his interest in the mysterious disappearance of Pat Noone and his reaction to Rape of the Dream People, a book by Noone's brother, Richard Noone. For further information consult the Inventory.

Rosemary Gianno Papers
Rosemary Gianno is currently a Professor of Anthropology at Keene State College. She has spent a total of over four years in Malaysia on several different trips and did her original fieldwork in Tasek Bera, Malaysia among the Semelai studying their adaptation to the forest environment. In this collection the undated article on Peter Williams-Hunt provides background information that relates to the prints of his aerial photographs. Also included is an interview with John Davie from July 2001. The published maps, ranging in date from 1909 through 1990, are from Professor Gianno's personal collection. For further information consult the Inventory and the Container List.

Banseng Hoe Collection
Dr. Banseng Hoe was born in Malaysia. In 1964, while studying for his Diploma in Social Work and Administration at the University of Singapore, he conducted fieldwork among the Semelai in Malaysia. His study from that time was published in 2001 as Semelai Communities at Tasek Bera: a Study of the Structure of Orang Asli Society. He is presently Curator of Asian Studies at the Canadian Centre for Folk Culture Studies, Canadian Museum of Civilization. The Banseng Hoe papers document aspects of an anthropologist's research on and fieldwork among the Semelai in Malaysia. The photographs and the news clipping document the period of his fieldwork while the maps and table, articles and abstracts, and correspondence relate to his research on the Semelai and final report. For further information consult the Inventory and the Container List.

Romani Mohamad Collection
Romani Mohamad was born in Kampong Bukit Rok Pahang. A Semelai by birth, Romani received a degree in Computer & Management in 1995. The Romani Mohamad papers document Semelai genealogy and myths through charts, descriptions, recorded stories and songs. For further information consult the Inventory and the Container List.

Colonel John Davie Papers
Collection includes photocopy and typescript of his 1949 diary, copies of photographs from his 1949 and 1963 photograph albums, and more. For further information consult the Container List.

Paul B. Means Photograph Collection
The Reverend Paul B. Means of the Methodist Mission had first begun working with the Sengoi people in 1930 in the areas of educational, medical and agricultural assistance. The photographs were all taken between 1930 and 1937 when the Reverend Paul Means was working in Malaysia and are from his photo albums or negative files. The photographs were scanned and the captions supplied by his son Gordon Means, who worked extensively with his father's diary to compile them. The photographs in this collection are digital copies and are available for use on-site. The copyright for the pictures is held by the Methodist Church Headquarters in Singapore. For further information consult the Inventory.

Return to Orang Asli Archive page.